Mirror system for considerably increasing the productivity of photovoltaic power plants

• US 10,418,932 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2014
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eustratios N. Carabateas
• Original Assignee: Eustratios N. Carabateas
• Inventors: Carabateas, Eustratios N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Baumann, Liesl C
• Application Number:
  US14/326,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20160013752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,896 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 20/10 Supporting structures directly fixed to the ground H02S20/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02S 40/22 Light-reflecting or light-concentrating means directly associated with the PV cell or integrated with the PV cell H01L31/054
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators

Abstract

A method and system for generating electrical energy, comprises a plurality of photovoltaic panels positioned in a core area, a plurality of ground mirrors positioned in a plurality of land areas and a plurality of reverse mirror systems held at each of the plurality of reflection centers for increasing the amount of solar energy falling on the core area. Each of the plurality of reverse mirror systems further comprises a high rising cylindrical pole having a hollow horizontal support and a vertical support, a plurality of adjustable supports and a reverse mirror placed in a mirror support frame and rigidly or hingedly connected to the vertical support. The plurality of ground mirrors and the plurality of reverse mirror systems are positioned to maximize the concentration of solar energy falling on the plurality of photovoltaic panels and thereby to increase the amount of electric energy produced.

Claims

1. A photovoltaic system for generating electrical energy, comprising:

a plurality of photovoltaic panels, each having a plurality of photovoltaic cells positioned in a core area, the plurality of photovoltaic panels convert solar energy to electric energy;

a plurality of ground mirrors positioned in a plurality of land areas, the plurality of land areas being adjacent to the core area, the plurality of land areas includes a plurality of side adjacent areas and a plurality of diagonally adjacent areas, the plurality of land areas each includes a reflection center; and

a plurality of reverse mirror systems, with one of the plurality of reverse mirror systems held at each reflection center for increasing the amount of solar energy falling on the core area, each of the plurality of reverse mirror systems, comprising;

a cylindrical pole having a top end and a hinged base;

a plurality of supports including a hollow horizontal support having a proximal end and an open distal end and a vertical support having a first end and a second end, the proximal end of the hollow horizontal support attached to the top end of the cylindrical pole by a hinge, and a first portion of the first end of the vertical support being inserted into the open distal end of the hollow horizontal support, wherein the longitudinal axis of the first portion of the vertical support is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the hollow horizontal support;

a reverse mirror placed in a mirror support frame and connected to the second end of the vertical support, the mirror support frame includes a plurality of rim supports, and

a plurality of middle supports to hold the reverse mirror in place; and

a plurality of adjustable supports for adjusting and positioning the reverse mirror, the plurality of adjustable supports includes a first adjustable support connected between the mirror support frame and the open distal end of the hollow horizontal support, and a second adjustable support hingedly connected between the cylindrical pole and the open distal end of the hollow horizontal support, each of the plurality of adjustable supports includes a threaded cylindrical rod;

whereby the plurality of ground mirrors and the plurality of reverse mirror systems are positioned to increase the concentration of solar energy falling on the plurality of photovoltaic panels and thereby increase the amount of electric energy produced.

2. The photovoltaic system of claim 1 wherein the core area and the plurality of adjacent land areas is of a square or a rectangular shape.

3. The photovoltaic system, of claim 1 wherein the plurality of ground mirrors and the plurality of reverse mirror systems are arranged in such a way that the sunlight falling on the plurality of ground mirrors is directed to the reverse mirrors and reflected to fall on the plurality of photovoltaic cells so as to increase the production of electricity.

4. The photovoltaic system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of ground mirrors is placed at different heights to receive maximum radiation at different angles of the sun.

5. The photovoltaic system of claim 1 wherein the cylindrical pole extends above the side dimension of the core area such that the solar radiation is reflected downward to the plurality of photovoltaic cells.

6. The photovoltaic system of claim 1 wherein the reverse mirror system includes the reverse mirror and further includes a second reverse mirror placed on the cylindrical pole, the second reverse mirror at a height above the reverse mirror and the second reverse mirror inclined at an angle with respect to the horizontal.

7. The photovoltaic system of claim 6 wherein the second reverse mirror reflects the solar radiation falling on more remote areas compared to the core area thereby increasing the concentration of solar radiation in the core area.

8. The photovoltaic system of claim 1 wherein each reverse mirror comprises a reflecting area of circular shape.

9. The photovoltaic system of claim 1 wherein the reverse mirror has cooling provisions such as water, air or passive cooling or a combination of these.

10. The photovoltaic system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of adjustable supports allows the upward and downward movement of the hollow horizontal support through a pulley on the top end of the cylindrical pole as well as the rotational movement of the vertical support.

11. The photovoltaic system of claim 1 wherein the threaded cylindrical rod of each of the plurality of adjustable supports is held in position by a threaded upper nut and a threaded lower nut, and the threading and unthreading of the upper nut and lower nut is achieved by a motor.

12. An photovoltaic system for generating electrical energy, comprising:

a plurality of photovoltaic panels, each having a plurality of photovoltaic cells positioned on a core area;

a plurality of ground mirrors positioned on a plurality of land areas adjacent to the core area, the plurality of land areas includes a plurality of side adjacent areas and a plurality of diagonally adjacent areas, said plurality of side adjacent areas and said plurality of diagonally adjacent areas each including a reflection center; and

a plurality of reverse mirror systems, with one of the plurality of reverse mirror systems held at each reflection center, each of the plurality of reverse mirror systems comprising;

a cylindrical pole having a top end and a hinged base, the cylindrical pole being positioned at the reflection center;

a plurality of supports that including a hollow horizontal support with a proximal end and an open distal end and a vertical support with a first end and a second end, the proximal end of the hollow horizontal support attached near the top end of the cylindrical pole by a hinge, and a first portion of the first end of the vertical support being inserted into the open distal end of the hollow horizontal support, wherein the longitudinal axis of the first portion of the vertical support is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the hollow horizontal support;

a reverse mirror positioned in a mirror support frame and connected to the second end of the vertical support, the mirror support frame includes a plurality of rim supports, and a plurality of middle supports to hold the reverse mirror in place; and

a plurality of adjustable supports for adjusting and positioning the reverse mirror, the plurality of adjustable supports includes a first adjustable support connected between the mirror support frame and the open distal end of the hollow horizontal support, and a second adjustable support hingedly connected between the cylindrical pole and the open distal end of the hollow horizontal support, each of the plurality of adjustable supports includes a cylindrical rod;

whereby the plurality of ground mirrors and the plurality of reverse mirror systems are positioned in such a way as to increase the concentration of solar energy falling on the plurality of photovoltaic panels and thereby increasing the amount of electric energy produced.

13. The photovoltaic system of claim 12 wherein the plurality of ground mirrors and the plurality of reverse mirror systems are arranged in such a way that the sunlight falling on the plurality of ground mirrors is directed to the reverse mirrors, and then to the plurality of photovoltaic cells so as to increase the production of electricity.

14. The photovoltaic system of claim 12 wherein the reverse mirror system includes the reverse mirror and further includes a second reverse mirror placed on the cylindrical pole, the second reverse mirror at a height above the reverse mirror and the second reverse mirror inclined at an angle with respect to the horizontal;

wherein the second reverse mirror reflects the solar radiation falling on more remote areas compared to the core area thereby increasing the concentration of solar radiation in the core area.

15. The photovoltaic system of claim 12 wherein each reverse mirror comprises a reflecting area of circular shape.

16. The photovoltaic system of claim 12 wherein the reverse mirror has cooling provisions such as water, air or passive cooling or a combination of these.

17. The photovoltaic system of claim 12 wherein the plurality of adjustable supports allows the upward and downward movement of the hollow horizontal support through a pulley on the top end of the cylindrical pole as well as the rotational movement of the vertical support to adjust the reverse mirror, along two axes.

18. The photovoltaic system of claim 12 wherein the cylindrical rod of each of the plurality of adjustable supports is threaded, and the cylindrical rod of each of the plurality of adjustable supports is held in position by a threaded upper nut and a threaded lower nut, and the threading and unthreading of the upper nut and lower nut is achieved by a motor.