SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ARRANGING, MAINTAINING, OR OPERATING HELIOSTATS IN A SOLAR FIELD
First Claim
1. A maintenance vehicle for cleaning heliostats in a solar field, the maintenance vehicle comprising:
- a main body;
a translation system constructed to move the main body through the solar field; and
one or more cleaning modules, each cleaning module including at least one cleaning tool,wherein each cleaning module is configured to position each cleaning tool proximal to a corresponding mirror surface of one of the heliostats for cleaning.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A maintenance vehicle for heliostats as well as heliostats within a solar field of a solar tower system can be controlled to reduce the likelihood of damage to an indigenous animal or its habitat. At least some of the heliostats can be arranged and operated in such a manner that the maintenance vehicle can pass through the solar field along conditional pathways. The arrangement and control of the heliostats to allow access to heliostats by a maintenance vehicle can enable different heliostat patterns as compared with conventional arrangements. In particular, heliostats in one section of the solar field can be arranged in a more ordered and high density pattern while heliostats in another section of the solar field can be arranged in a more disordered pattern. The density and arrangement of heliostats in various sections of the field can be optimized to improve and/or maximize solar energy production and/or revenue generation.
10 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A maintenance vehicle for cleaning heliostats in a solar field, the maintenance vehicle comprising:
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a main body; a translation system constructed to move the main body through the solar field; and one or more cleaning modules, each cleaning module including at least one cleaning tool, wherein each cleaning module is configured to position each cleaning tool proximal to a corresponding mirror surface of one of the heliostats for cleaning. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of cleaning heliostats in a solar field with a maintenance vehicle, the method comprising:
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determining no-drive zones within a solar field based on at least one of predicted animal movement, detected animal movement, predicted animal location, detected animal location, predicted animal habitat location, and detected animal habitat location; and moving the maintenance vehicle from a first location to a second location in the solar field while avoiding the determined no-drive zones; and - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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21-62. -62. (canceled)
Specification