Solar power generation and energy storage system
First Claim
1. A solar energy collector system comprising:
- a length of flexible uninsulated base layer for unrolling along a supporting surface to form a plurality of adjacent solar collectors;
a plurality of parallel channels sealed along the length of the flexible base layer and having a coefficient of light absorption for heating by solar energy a flowing liquid contained within the parallel channels and an infrared light emission coefficient effective to retain heat within the flowing liquid where heat is transmitted through the uninsulated base layer to the supporting surface for storage; and
an outer layer between the parallel channels and the sun and sealed to the base layer for transmitting light to the parallel channels and containing a fluid to reduce heat loss from the flowing liquid and to inflate the structure formed by the base layer and outer layer.
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Abstract
A solar energy collection system harvests solar energy from large open areas. A length of flexible solar collector is provided for unrolling along a supporting surface. A first layer of the solar collector is an uninsulated base panel for directly contacting the ground or other supporting structure. A plurality of parallel conduits are sealed along the length of the flexible base panel and have a high light absorption and a low infrared emission for containing a flowing liquid to be heated by solar energy from the sun. A length of a covering material is placed parallel to the base panel and between the parallel conduits and the sun and sealed to the base panel for containing a low pressure fluid to reduce heat loss from the flowing liquid and to inflate the structure formed by the ground cover and covering material. Heated fluid from the parallel conduits is collected in a header for delivery to a power generating system. The heated liquid is passed through a boiler for boiling a fluid with a low boiling point, such as a refrigerant, and the vapor can then be used in a conventional power plant for generating output energy. In one embodiment, the power plant condenser is cooled by the evaporation of water sprayed into cooling air adjacent the condenser.
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Citations
6 Claims
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1. A solar energy collector system comprising:
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a length of flexible uninsulated base layer for unrolling along a supporting surface to form a plurality of adjacent solar collectors;
a plurality of parallel channels sealed along the length of the flexible base layer and having a coefficient of light absorption for heating by solar energy a flowing liquid contained within the parallel channels and an infrared light emission coefficient effective to retain heat within the flowing liquid where heat is transmitted through the uninsulated base layer to the supporting surface for storage; and
an outer layer between the parallel channels and the sun and sealed to the base layer for transmitting light to the parallel channels and containing a fluid to reduce heat loss from the flowing liquid and to inflate the structure formed by the base layer and outer layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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Specification