AU2021104100A4 - Solar Intercrossed Technology SIC: Capturing Solar (Light + Thermal) Energy - Google Patents

Solar Intercrossed Technology SIC: Capturing Solar (Light + Thermal) Energy Download PDF

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AU2021104100A4
AU2021104100A4 AU2021104100A AU2021104100A AU2021104100A4 AU 2021104100 A4 AU2021104100 A4 AU 2021104100A4 AU 2021104100 A AU2021104100 A AU 2021104100A AU 2021104100 A AU2021104100 A AU 2021104100A AU 2021104100 A4 AU2021104100 A4 AU 2021104100A4
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solar
energy
thermal
tower
layer
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Ayush GARG
Uttkarsh Singh
Ankit Upadhyay
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    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03G—SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS; MECHANICAL-POWER PRODUCING DEVICES OR MECHANISMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR OR USING ENERGY SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03G6/00—Devices for producing mechanical power from solar energy
    • F03G6/001—Devices for producing mechanical power from solar energy having photovoltaic cells
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03G—SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS; MECHANICAL-POWER PRODUCING DEVICES OR MECHANISMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR OR USING ENERGY SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03G6/00—Devices for producing mechanical power from solar energy
    • F03G6/06—Devices for producing mechanical power from solar energy with solar energy concentrating means
    • F03G6/063—Tower concentrators
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S10/00—Solar heat collectors using working fluids
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S20/00—Solar heat collectors specially adapted for particular uses or environments
    • F24S20/20—Solar heat collectors for receiving concentrated solar energy, e.g. receivers for solar power plants
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S30/00—Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules
    • F24S30/40—Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules for rotary movement
    • F24S30/45—Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules for rotary movement with two rotation axes
    • F24S30/452—Vertical primary axis
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S30/00—Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules
    • F24S30/40—Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules for rotary movement
    • F24S30/45—Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules for rotary movement with two rotation axes
    • F24S30/455—Horizontal primary axis
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S40/00—Safety or protection arrangements of solar heat collectors; Preventing malfunction of solar heat collectors
    • F24S40/50—Preventing overheating or overpressure
    • F24S40/52—Preventing overheating or overpressure by modifying the heat collection, e.g. by defocusing or by changing the position of heat-receiving elements
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S50/00—Arrangements for controlling solar heat collectors
    • F24S50/20—Arrangements for controlling solar heat collectors for tracking
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S60/00—Arrangements for storing heat collected by solar heat collectors
    • F24S60/30—Arrangements for storing heat collected by solar heat collectors storing heat in liquids
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S70/00—Details of absorbing elements
    • F24S70/20—Details of absorbing elements characterised by absorbing coatings; characterised by surface treatment for increasing absorption
    • F24S70/225—Details of absorbing elements characterised by absorbing coatings; characterised by surface treatment for increasing absorption for spectrally selective absorption
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
    • H01L31/04—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices
    • H01L31/054—Optical elements directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. light-reflecting means or light-concentrating means
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02S—GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES
    • H02S10/00—PV power plants; Combinations of PV energy systems with other systems for the generation of electric power
    • H02S10/10—PV power plants; Combinations of PV energy systems with other systems for the generation of electric power including a supplementary source of electric power, e.g. hybrid diesel-PV energy systems
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02S—GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES
    • H02S40/00—Components or accessories in combination with PV modules, not provided for in groups H02S10/00 - H02S30/00
    • H02S40/40—Thermal components
    • H02S40/44—Means to utilise heat energy, e.g. hybrid systems producing warm water and electricity at the same time
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03G—SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS; MECHANICAL-POWER PRODUCING DEVICES OR MECHANISMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR OR USING ENERGY SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F03G6/00—Devices for producing mechanical power from solar energy
    • F03G6/071—Devices for producing mechanical power from solar energy with energy storage devices
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
    • F24S20/00—Solar heat collectors specially adapted for particular uses or environments
    • F24S2020/10—Solar modules layout; Modular arrangements
    • F24S2020/17—Arrangements of solar thermal modules combined with solar PV modules
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/40—Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
    • Y02E10/44—Heat exchange systems
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/40—Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
    • Y02E10/46—Conversion of thermal power into mechanical power, e.g. Rankine, Stirling or solar thermal engines
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/40—Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
    • Y02E10/47—Mountings or tracking
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy
    • Y02E10/52—PV systems with concentrators
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/60—Thermal-PV hybrids

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Sustainable Energy (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Spectroscopy & Molecular Physics (AREA)
  • Photovoltaic Devices (AREA)

Abstract

The VTIR (Visibly Transparent Infrared Reflective) layer is able to split the incident sunlight into two regions (Visible & Infrared) by reflecting the rays of the wavelength of that of IR and allowing the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum to pass through it. This layer is deposited on the surface of solar modules which are arranged such that the reflected IR is concentrated to a thermal absorber tower. The solar modules receive filtered, visible light regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, ensuring they do not get heated. Hence their efficiency remains intact. The thermal energy transferred to the tower is then transferred to a heat conducting fluid through a thermal exchanger. This is used either in a steam boiler, or hydrolyser, or thermal storage tank, for the generation of electricity, hydrogen, or storage of energy respectively. The advanced controller based on Al ML receives sun's azimuth & zenith angle as input from appropriate sensors and generates real time commands for each solar module/table to adjust its inclination in dual axis according to its position such that the maximum flux of the sun's radiation is incident on it as well as reflected towards the tower. Hence, by vertically integrating both Solar technologies, the overall efficiency of the system is aimed to be increased around 50% per unit area. 12 TOTAL NO OF SHEET: 02 NO OF FIG: 04 Fig.1: Pictorial Field View Representation/Setup in a very simplified and diagrammatic form of a solar energy plant in accordance with the present invention. (THERMAL RADItION 21 2 200 Fig.2: Working of VTIR layer deposited on the solar modules arranged on the table.

Description

TOTAL NO OF SHEET: 02 NO OF FIG: 04
Fig.1: Pictorial Field View Representation/Setup in a very simplified and diagrammatic form of a solar energy plant in accordance with the present invention.
(THERMAL RADItION
21 2 200
Fig.2: Working of VTIR layer deposited on the solar modules arranged on the table.
Australian Government
IP Australia
Innovation Patent Australia
Title: Solar Intercrossed Technology SIC: Capturing Solar (Light + Thermal) Energy
Name and address of patentees(s):
Ayush Garg
Address-1: House No.8 Street No.1, Behind City Kotwali Thana, Ibrahimpura, Bhopal 462001 (MP), India.
Address-2: VIT Bhopal University, Bhopal-Indore Highway, Kothrikalan, Sehore Madhya Pradesh - 466114 India.
Uttkarsh Singh
Address-1: S-1/35-37, Shyam Nagar Colony, In front of Central Jail, Shivpur, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh -221002, India.
Address-2: VIT Bhopal University, Bhopal-Indore Highway, Kothrikalan, Sehore Madhya Pradesh - 466114, India.
Ankit Upadhyay
Address-1: 003,2-B, Sunrise Valley, Shri Malang Rd, Kalyan (East) - 421306 (Thane, Maharashtra)
Address-2: VIT Bhopal University, Bhopal-Indore Highway, Kothrikalan, Sehore Madhya Pradesh - 466114, India.
Complete Specification: Australian Government
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[500] Our invention is related to a Solar Intercrossed Technology SIC: Capturing Solar (Light + Thermal) Energy.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[502] Solar Energy is presently the most economical source of energy generation in terms of running costs as of present times due to the current price trends. However, efficiency and energy storage still remain some of the crucial challenges to be addressed in this field.
[504] Sun is the ultimate source of energy, powering all renewable energy sources. Capturing Solar energy is the direct and shortest path of energy extraction method from the sun, which eliminates the loss involved in energy conversion before the final use, as in the case of other renewable sources of energy. Still, only 20% of the incident solar irradiance is finally converted into a usable form of energy through solar PV. This is a major bottleneck that is yet to be solved scalably.
[506] Similarly, a plant's biological photosynthetic efficiency is max 6%, therefore the idea of crop-based fuel would not be feasible for the entire planet. Thus, increasing the 20% efficiency capping of large-scale commercial Solar farms/PV should be the major focus which would serve as the major energy producers by 2030 as many countries are rapidly shifting towards it.
[508] Solar PV is a good renewable energy source with no moving parts, low maintenance, high reliability, robust, adaptable, and scalable. But, it has a major drawback; i.e. inability to deliver continuous energy round the clock. Hence storage is critical, which in the current scenario is quite a costly affair for many economies. Hence, an economical and innovative combo system is required to overcome the stated problem.
[510] It could be noted that when renewable energy takes the lead in energy production throughout the world, SIC (Solar Intercrossed Technology) could take the lead in terms of efficiency. It is evident that improvement in solar efficiency is the need of the hour ,
which has only increased by 12% in the commercial sector over the previous 35 years.
As a result, our discovery might be a watershed moment in the development of higher efficiency solar power.
[512] Solar irradiance is well distributed over a wide area on the world map. Still, only very little energy is produced from solar. In order to capture maximum energy, it is required that every new solar farm deployed must have exceptionally high conversion efficiency.
OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION
1.The objective of the invention is to maximise the conversion efficiency of Solar energy by vertically integrating two major technologies in Solar i.e. Solar Photovoltaics (PV) and Concentrated Solar Tower Power (CSTP).
2. The other objective of the invention is to increase the overall efficiency of Solar energy extraction per unit area of land up to around 50%.
3. The other objective of the invention is to use the same incoming solar irradiance to power solar PVs and CSTP at the same time such that both of them could extract energy out of it simultaneously.
4. The other objective of the invention is to have a provision of versatile storage of energy in various forms which may include thermal conductive liquid storage in an insulated container or storage of captured energy in the form of hydrogen.
5. The other objective of the invention is to extract the stored energy as per the requirement into a usable form of energy such as electrical energy.
6. The other objective of the invention is to be able to deliver heat energy directly to a commercial consumer by means of insulated pipes having a controlled flow of thermally conductive fluid, transferring heat energy from the absorber tower or storage to the heat exchanger of the commercial facility.
7. The other objective of the invention is to be able to integrate the Visibly Transparent Infrared Reflector (VTIR) layer on the standard solar photovoltaic modules commercially available by depositing it using appropriate methods such as but not limited to Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD), Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD).
8. The other objective of the invention is to develop this technology at a much faster rate, thereby reducing dependency on fossil fuel-based energy sources, which account for about two-thirds of total global power generation, and to furnish the future escalation in electrical demand due to increased standard of living and Electric Vehicle (EV) transition globally.
9. The other objective of the invention is to make solar energy cheaper and reliable so that it penetrates more locations and economies in the world, along with generating employment possibilities and skill development.
10. The other objective of the invention is to develop it into a scalable model which could be rapidly executed in parts of the world, majorly where solar irradiance is high so that more energy could be extracted from a unit area.
11. The other objective of the invention is to use this technology to combat climate change and meet our goal of sustainable development, as it captures the incoming solar radiation into a usable form of energy, hence reducing the heat in our atmosphere.
12. The other objective of the invention is to ensure there is a minimal environmental impact on the area where this invention would be implemented.
13. The other objective of the invention is to make such arrangements that the above mentioned points could be executed as per the requirements in a feasible way.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION.
[514] It is known that about half of the energy received from sunlight is in the form of heat, which gets wasted as it is not used by silicon cells for electricity production. At the same time, IR also decreases the efficiency of PV by direct heating. Hence we plan to not only remove its ill-effects but also use it purposefully. Using good quality autonomous cleaning and inspecting equipment ensures minimal human intervention and long life.
[516] The Solar energy spectra measured using a spectrometer reveals that approximately half of the energy in solar radiations is received in the form of thermal radiations consisting of Infrared (IR) and Far Infrared Rays. Therefore, a method of capturing heat energy is devised which would save it from getting wasted, as commercial solar PV modules are not capable of using radiations in the specified region.
[518] Typically, in a solar plant, around 30% of the incident light is converted to electricity by the solar cells, around 10% of the incident light is reflected from the surface of solar modules and hence gets lost, and around 60% of the incident light is captured as heat in a heat absorber tower which receives reflected IR radiations. It can be appreciated that the amount of heat would be substantial in the case of large-scale solar energy plants.
[520] Indirect heating particularly refers to solar power plants wherein the collected solar thermal energy is employed to generate and heat steam that is subsequently used to drive a turbine, with part of the steam being in thermal communication with a heat energy storage facility. The heat exchanger has a heat transfer medium solution as the thermal conducting liquid in it. It brings the thermal energy from the Tower to the heat exchanger that is used to generate hydrogen using a hydrolyzer.
[524] Using this heat energy in a variety of ways, such as generating electricity from a turbine while the PV panels are in use, and instilling Hydrogen gas for higher efficiency. Changes may be made to our present invention without altering from the conclusion and scope of the invention.
[526] Commercial Solar PVs have an efficiency of around 20%, implying that they are still unable to capture much of the energy received as sunlight, which is further reduced by around 13% when the solar module's temperature rises well above the standard test conditions.
[528] Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a selective/reflective solar screen, which may include VTIR which selectively allows visible light of the sun's spectrum to pass through and absorb IR and remits it in the form of far IR, while carrying the heat energy component towards the solar absorber tower.
[530] By placing a VTIR on top of a silicon substrate, the temperature of the substrate is poised to get lowered by as much as 13 °C, while maintaining and even slightly enhancing solar absorption.
[532] As a result, a method devised to ensure that solar panels do not become overheated, maintaining their efficiency at 20%, while the wasted heat energy is transferred to another portion of the system for further extraction.
[534] The described solar energy generation setup would essentially consist of three major components viz. Solar PV, which absorbs the visible radiations from the Sunlight and convert it to electricity directly, a VTIR layer deposited on solar modules, that reflects the infrared radiations, incident on it, to a solar thermal absorber tower, and a control system capable of controlling the inclination of solar modules as per the requirement of maximising the overall system efficiency.
[538] The invention is that a Solar Thermal absorber tower is set up at the center and also Solar modules coated with VTIR are arranged around the tower with such arrangement which helps them easily reflect the light containing only IR & Far IR incident on them towards the thermal absorber tower top. The invention is to effectively block broad infrared radiation from the electromagnetic region and re-emit the heat energy in the form of far-infrared radiation through its surface which is directed towards the direction of the face of the module. At the same time, the visible rays are incident to the solar cells, hence making both systems work together with the same sunlight.
[540] Solar PV modules of standard size are coated with a VTIR which consists of many small layers, together with working to allow visible part of electromagnetic radiation to pass through them unaltered. Also, it effectively blocks broad infrared radiation from the electromagnetic region and re-emits the heat energy in the form of far-infrared radiation through its surface which is directed towards the direction of the face of the module.
[542] The invention is that; the VTIR (Visibly Transparent Infrared Reflector) may be used to absorb the short IR from the incident solar radiations and emit those in the form of far IR which may be redirected towards the solar thermal absorber present on the tower top, thereby resulting in an overall decrease in thermal energy in the layer present above the solar module, and increase in thermal energy on the tower top simultaneously.
[543] The illustration of a preferential panel is a spectrum division that sends more power from the wave to a thermal storage device and enables shorter wavelength energy to flow past the divider and affect solar cells.
[544] The term "VTIR" layer is understood herein to cover any layer, or combination of material that has a reflective surface that can collect and re-direct or concentrate solar energy, which may more specifically include Infrared and Far Infrared regions.
[546] A major technical novelty in the invention is an advanced control system that controls the solar module's zenith and azimuth angles to automatically adjust the reflection capability of individual solar modules, or solar stacks, or solar arrays by giving each of them the appropriate inclination angle data according to its position in a field with respect to the central absorber tower by the use of customised Al ML algorithm based on the real-time factors such as but not limited to Sun's intensity, horizontal & vertical angle, temperature, wind, cloud cover, soiling, time of the day.
[548] The controller tends to learn the observed data over a time period and adjusts itself using artificial intelligence to predict and rectify the angles of the controlled solar modules, or stacks, or tables. To increase solar irradiation absorption, the analysis found that tracking the sun with high precision is critical. When compared to installing additional solar panels to increase the amount of energy generated, the created algorithm saves space.
[550] The solar modules may be stacked up together to form a table consisting of an appropriate number of modules to ease the operation of angle control and allow for an easy and economic cleaning system to be installed over it.
[552] The invention is to arrange the solar modules coated with a VTIR (Visibly Transparent Infrared Reflector) in such a way that makes their angle control and cleaning convenient according to the prevailing systems available as per the technology trend.
[554] The controller majorly receives data from electro-optical sensors which detect light intensity from various incident angles. By using an appropriate algorithm, the controller interprets the angle of the sun and provides necessary data to the main control unit for further processing. The main controlling unit, based on previous data and output, generates commands for each solar table/stack which has a predefined position in the solar field with respect to the central thermal absorber tower.
[555] The control unit is able to optimise the inclination angle data for each module such that it reflects and also absorbs the maximum amount of sunlight flux. Hence, each solar table, or array receives a tailored data for it to follow during the complete sun cycle throughout the day, month, and year.
[556] There would be an appropriate use of stepper motors, or actuators that help the solar tables, or stacks to adjust their surface angle as per the given command. As the control unit has an adjustable refresh rate, the angle of each solar table or stack is highly precise at any given time to maximise the overall solar absorption in the system.
[558] The solar stack, or array, or table may also have provision to include inverters placed beneath the solar modules, which are required to convert DC output from solar modules to AC output. There may also be suitable wiring provided which connects solar modules strings with the inverter according to the rated capacity of the inverter.
[560] The components of the Solar Intercrossed technology may be a mature technology, robust, inexpensive, large scale, well understood technically, have a long lifetime, and are made of common materials.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DIAGRAM
Fig.1: Pictorial Field View Representation/Setup in a very simplified and diagrammatic form of a solar energy plant in accordance with the present invention.
Fig.2: Working of VTIR layer deposited on the solar modules arranged on the table.
Fig.3: Block Diagram of the flow of energy in the proposed invention/model.
Fig.4: Solar Energy Distribution
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[562] The invention aims to use VTIR layerwhich either reflects the Infrared (heat carrying radiations of sunlight) and allows visible light to pass through with minimum obstruction or may absorb the infrared rays constituting about half of the Sun's energy and emitting back far IR which could be directed towards the solar absorber tower.
[564] Also, it effectively reflects broad infrared radiation from the electromagnetic region and re-emits the heat energy in the form of far-infrared radiation through its surface which is directed towards the direction of the face of the module. These modules may be stacked up together to form a table consisting of an appropriate number of modules to ease the control of the angle of inclination and automatic cleaning processes.
[566] The invention is that a Solar Thermal absorber tower is set up at the center and also Solar modules are arranged around the tower with such arrangement which helps them re-emit the heat energy in the form of far-infrared radiation through its surface which is directed towards the direction of the face of the module towards the solar absorber tower top.
[568] Because the appended claims better describe the scope of the invention, the description in the invention is not to be taken in a restricted sense and is merely for the purpose of showing the invention's general principles. Various inventive features are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features.
[570] The Solar Thermal absorber tower 104 is set up at the center of the solar farm 100, or field. Solar modules, or arrays, or stacks 102 are arranged with enough spacing around tower 104 such that the arrangement ensures that their shadow is not cast on any other component in the system or between each other which may result in decrease in system efficiency, and helps them easily reflect the light incident on them towards the tower top 104.
[572] Multiple solar absorber towers 104 may be used in combination with the predefined number of solar panels, or modules, or stacks, or arrays 102 as per the requirement and scale of the solar plant 100. In particular, the spacing between the solar absorber tower 104 is selected to ensure that heat generated by one absorber tower 104 does not have an impact on the performance of the other tower, and vice versa. If a situation demands large scale implementation of this invention 100, the same unit model having a predefined number of solar modules 102 paired with the appropriate size of solar absorber tower 104, may be repeated and optimised as per the required number of times, to fulfill the area and energy generation capacity.
[573] Also using waste heat in a number of ways, including producing electricity from a turbine 108 while the PV panels 102 are in use and injecting Hydrogen gas for increased efficiency. This unusual combination of technology has never been seen before, and we aim to increase overall efficiency by making full use of the entire system 100.
[574] Orientation 102 of the solar modules is such that all the modules work together to concentrate and reflect the IR radiations to the top of the solar absorber tower 104 as the focal point, with the help of a suitable dual-axis tracking system which is described in the invention.
[576] The Sun tracking system may be any suitable system. The solar module/table/array's 102 zenith and azimuth angles can be varied by the use of a stepper motor or any suitable means with the help of a controller to automatically adjust the reflection capability of individual solar modules 102 by giving each module the appropriate angle data according to its position with respect to the central absorber tower 104 by the use of a preset Al ML algorithm which maximises the flux of solar radiations (Visible radiations) incident to the solar modules 102 and also (Thermal radiations) reflected towards the solar absorber tower 104. The data and power lines for the control system are buried inside the field and hence the ground remains clear of any cluster/or tanglement.
[578] The modules keep changing their angles incoherency to maximize the reflection to absorb. An important aspect to note is that light energy is not reflected in the absorber tower 104, but is absorbed by modules 102. So, it is wise to say that we get the normal electrical output from PVs 102 as from a traditional system. At the same time, the thermal section of the invention 104 keeps generating usable energy from the thermal part of the solar spectrum, which is used simultaneously 100.
[580] The solar PV modules are connected in a string as per the system sizing 112, and delivering the DC power to the solar inverters 112. These inverters convert the DC to AC which is then further transported to grid 114.
[582] The solar absorber tower 104 has a heat exchanger in it 106, which transfers the received heat to a thermal conducting fluid. This fluid is transported to a thermal storage unit 106. This is then used to generate steam 108 and run a turbine 110 connected to a generator 110 as per the requirement. The stored heat may also be used to be converted to other forms of energy via suitable means.
[584] Hence, the flow of energy from Solar PV 102 and Thermal absorber tower 104 is controlled as per the requirement. Individual solar modules are coated with a VTIR (Visibly Transparent Infrared Reflector) layer 202 composed of several layers of smaller thickness which work together to allow the visible portion of electromagnetic radiation to flow through them unmodified 204, and simultaneously separating and reflecting back the IR and far-IR radiations 206 from its surface. The Solar Thermal absorber tower, which is set up at the center receives only the thermal radiations from the solar modules arranged around it.
[586] An appropriate number of standard size modules are stacked up on a table which is mounted over a controllable platform 208. This is done to effectively use the controlled platforms over a field of solar farms with the optimised number of coated solar modules on it 202.
[588] The VTIR (Visibly Transparent Infrared Reflector) 202 material may selectively reflect the infrared radiations (which may include 750nm-1850nm ), or the solar spectrum 212 that is not captured by photovoltaic cells is redirected 206 by VTIR and optic systems to heat a heat transfer medium present in the solar absorber tower top.
[590] Also, it may effectively absorb the broad infrared radiation from the electromagnetic region and may re-emit the heat energy in the form of far-infrared radiation through its surface which is directed towards the direction of the face of the module to the solar absorber tower 206 by filtering it out of the incident sunlight 212 and simultaneously allowing the visible spectrum to pass through it 204 without any attenuation.
[592] The solar module is coated, by any suitable process of layer deposition such as Physical Vapour Deposition, Chemical Vapour Deposition, or similar 202, with a VTIR which may consist of small layers deposited together working to allow visible part of electromagnetic radiation to pass through them unaltered as discussed.
[594] The VTIR layer 202 deposited on the surface of the solar module effectively reflects broad infrared radiation 206 from the electromagnetic region and re-emits the heat energy in the form of far-infrared radiation through its surface which is directed towards the direction of the face of the module. These modules may be stacked up together to form a table 200 consisting of an appropriate number of modules to ease the operation of angle control and allow for a cleaning mechanism to be installed without any hindrance.
[596] Orientation 102 of the solar modules is such that all the modules work together to concentrate and reflect the IR radiations to the top of the solar absorber tower 104 as the focal point, with the help of a suitable dual-axis tracking system 208 which is described in the invention 200. The azimuth and zenith angle of the plane of the solar table, or stack consisting of solar modules is controlled which makes it track and make a suitable angle with it at all times of day, year round.
[598] The electromagnetic spectrum of the sunlight gets incident on the special solar modules coated with VTIR layer. The radiations get separated into IR and Visible radiations as they are incident onto this layer. The visible light gets passed through the layer which is then incident on the solar cell. The DC power from solar cells is converted to AC via a solar inverter and injected into the grid.
[600] The IR including Far IR gets reflected back, which is redirected towards the solar absorber tower from all over the field. The absorber tower has a thermal exchanger which transfers the heat into a thermally conducting fluid. This fluid may be stored in thermal storage for the appropriate time or may be used to generate steam in a steam boiler in a closed loop system where the water is reused and no replenishment is required.
[602] The condenser used in the system may not use cooling towers instead, they are placed underground where they get cooled by dumping the heat below the surface of the earth in locations such as desert areas which usually becomes cool during the nighttime when this cycle of the system would be used the most. The stored thermal fluid may also be used to generate steam in case of the nonavailability of sunlight which runs the turbine.
[604] It is evident that the energy from the sunlight is majorly delivered in the form of Visible radiations 402 accounting for up to 43% of total energy and Infrared radiations 404 which account up to 52% of the total energy. Using this infrared radiation's energy, we aim to increase the overall solar conversion efficiency, as this thermal part is not used up by typical solar PV modules 400. Alternatively, they get heated up by these thermal radiations which again reduces their conversion efficiency by as much as 14%.

Claims (4)

WE CLAIM
1. The VTIR (Visibly Transparent Infrared Reflective) layer is able to split the incident sunlight into two regions (Visible & Infrared) by reflecting the rays of the wavelength of that of IR, and allowing the visible electromagnetic spectrum to pass through it. As VTIR would be deposited on each solar module's surface. Hence, the solar modules receive filtered visible light. At the same time, IR is reflected towards the absorber tower. The PV modules receive an appropriate amount of visible spectrum, hence they continue to work in heat free environments with intact efficiency, and also increase the life of the panels. The heat component of the sun's energy is filtered out, as it is reflected from the VTIR layer. The angle of the layer is maintained such that the reflected IR radiations from all the panels in the field are concentrated towards a heat absorber tower in the center. Hence, an enormous amount of wasted heat is recovered and sent to the tower, which transfers it to the steam boiler to run the turbine and generator. The advanced controller based on Al ML takes sun's azimuth & zenith angle as input from the sensor and generates output in real time for each solar module/table as the horizontal & vertical angle for it according to its position such that the maximum flux of the sun's radiation is incident on it as well as reflected towards the tower.
2. According to claims# The invention is to devise a VTIR (Visibly Transparent Infrared Reflective) layer, which is able to split the incident sunlight into two regions of the electromagnetic spectrum (Visible & Infrared), by separating them both. The rays of the wavelength of that of IR are reflected away from the layer, or the rays of the wavelength of IR are absorbed by the layer and emitted as rays of the wavelength of the far infrared region, and the rays of the wavelength of visible region electromagnetic spectrum are able to pass through the layer without much hindrance.
3. According to claim 1,2# as VTIR is deposited on the surface of each solar module stacked up on a table of appropriate size which is arranged in a solar photovoltaic farm which resembles the way mirror reflectors are arranged in a Concentrated Tower Solar Power plant, the solar modules receive filtered visible light, while infrared, or far infrared rays get reflected towards the absorber tower. In this arrangement, the solar PV modules receive only the filtered visible light spectrum. This ensures solar PV modules work in a heat free environment with intact efficiency. Also, the thermal energy is extracted and converted into a usable form by coordinated use of absorber tower, heat exchangers, thermal conductive liquid, steam boiler, turbine, and generator in a closed loop system, or advanced hydrolyser. The energy generated in the system may be stored for future use in the form of thermal medium, or hydrogen, and maybe extracted to deliver it in the form of electricity as per the requirement.
4. According to claim 1,2,3# an appropriate advanced controller based on Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning algorithms is devised which receives sun's azimuth & zenith angle as input from appropriate sensors, and generates real time commands for each solar module/table to adjust its inclination in dual axis according to its position such that the maximum flux of sun's radiation is incident on it as well as reflected towards the tower. The controller keeps recording the data over a period of time and generates precise and accurate inclination angle data which maximises the efficiency hence no energy is lost in angle mismatch, based on learnings from previous input data and overall system output trends.
TOTAL NO OF SHEET: 02 NO OF FIG: 04 13 Jul 2021 2021104100
Fig.1: Pictorial Field View Representation/Setup in a very simplified and diagrammatic form of a solar energy plant in accordance with the present invention.
Fig.2: Working of VTIR layer deposited on the solar modules arranged on the table.
TOTAL NO OF SHEET: 02 NO OF FIG: 04 13 Jul 2021 2021104100
Fig.3: Block Diagram of the flow of energy in the proposed invention/model
Fig 4: Solar Energy Distribution
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