Classifications

• • 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
  • H01L31/0543—Optical elements directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. light-reflecting means or light-concentrating means comprising light concentrating means of the refractive type, e.g. lenses
• • 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

Definitions

• the present invention relates to solar plants for the production of electrical energy by photovoltaic cells, particularly concentration cells.
• a photovoltaic concentration module is a device able to concentrate the light hitting the active components of the solar, generally small-size cells with high efficiency by the use of optical system.
• Such module is an assembled device including optical systems, solar cells, circuitry, and is able to protect cells and sensitive elements from bad weather conditions as well as to ensure the alignment stability of the optical system and the solar cells.
• the photovoltaic concentration modules essentially consists of three main components: lenses, cells, and carrying structure.
• the lenses concentrate the solar light incident to their surface on a focus.
• the main features of the lenses have to be: - good light transmission all over the solar spectrum, greater than 80%;
• the photovoltaic cells are the active element of the module. They convert directly the light energy concentrated on themselves by the lenses into electrical energy. For such applications they have a size of the order of one square centimetre.
• the successful keystone of such a concentration module is the conversion efficiency of the cells included therein. Silicon cells with an efficiency greater than 24% are presently known.
• the carrying structure of the photovoltaic module is the structural element on which lenses, photovoltaic cells, any protection diodes of the cells, electrical conductors, and heat dissipators are assembled. As already partly mentioned, such structure has a number of functions.
• the metal structure requires a good insulation with respect to 'the active circuit to keep the insulation degree required by regulations.
• the above- mentioned problems are overcome by designing a carrying structure of die-casting fibreglass- reinforced plastic.
• the fibreglass-reinforced plastic it is intended one of the many types of plastic in which a fibreglass increasing its mechanical properties is immersed.
• the fibreglass-reinforced plastic has a light weight, is resistant to the atmospheric influences and acts as a good electrical insulator.
• the fibreglass filler makes the plastic very rigid and gives it a little thermal coefficient of expansion.
• the use of a die with well-finished surfaces produces pieces with a surface finishing that does not require any additional finishing treatment. According to the invention, this has been accomplished by providing a carrying structure consisting of a monolithic basic element that allows the concentration of the solar radiation to be used for the generation of photovoltaic energy by integrated refractive optics.
• Figure 1 is a picture of the interior of the carrying structure of a photovoltaic concentration module according to the invention.
• Figure 2 shows a detail of fig. 1
• Figures 3 is a section view showing a detail of the fastening system of a refractive lens on the carrying structure of fig. 1;
• Figure 4 shows a detail relative to the fastening of the construction component to a mobile structure able to follow the sun
• Figure 5 is a top three-dimensional view showing the interior of the module without lenses
• Figure 6 is a bottom three-dimensional view showing the outside of the bottom of the module on which the heat dissipators of the photovoltaic cells are disposed;
• Figure 7 similar to the preceding one, is a cross section of the module on which the refractive lenses are disposed;
• Figures 9A and 9B are a three-dimensional view and an exploded three-dimensional view of the assembling of the photovoltaic cells to the substrate of aluminium nitride as .supplied by the manufacturer, respectively;
• Figure 10 show a detail of the assembling of a cell to the respective dissipator, and the circuitry of the cells.
• the carrying structure of the photovoltaic module includes a main body 1 consisting of a rigid moulded carrying container the inside bottom of which has housings to receive leads 2 of the active circuitry.
• the bottom of such carrying structure has holes in which photovoltaic cells 3 already glued to respective heat dissipators 4 are positioned. The dissipator are fastened by screws engaging threaded. housings moulded in the bottom. Additionally, housings for 0-rings preventing the water from seeping through the holes into the module are moulded in the bottom too.
• Truncated cones 5 with vertexes directed upwards project from the bottom of the carrying container
• Such lenses 6 can also be formed by Fresnel lenses or other prismatic optical devices.
• the threaded housing of the central fastening screw of the parquet able to collimate the focuses of lenses 6 with respective underlying cells 3 is moulded in the lower (upper) base of at least one truncated cone 5, preferably at the centre of carrying container 1.
• Such carrying container has an edge 7 also of fibreglass-reinforced plastic provided with recesses in its lower portion and allowing the "parquet" of lenses to be fastened by steel springs 8, preferably in a quite similar way as the well-known open frames for paintings.
• a housing for lens parquet sealing gasket 9 is moulded in the upper portion of the edge to prevent a water seepage (fig. 3) .
• Stiffening ribs 10 are formed on the side walls and the inside and/or outside bottom of the carrying structure to restrict the deformations due essentially to the wind within a few tenths of millimetre.
• mounting holes for the module to be connected to a mobile structure of the known type moving the photovoltaic module to keep it directed to the sun are formed by moulding in the outside bottom of the body of the carrying container. Such connection is carried out by bolts according to the diagram of fig. 4.
• the carrying structure of the module (fig. 8) consists of a preferably rectangular container 1 similar to a tub also provided with bottom opening to allow solar cells 3 to be directly fastened to respective dissipators 4 of aluminium, thus helping the heat dissipation.
• a plurality of pyramidal, instead of conical, elements 5 project from the bottom with the function of spacers, supports for concentration optics 6 as well as parquet fastening members by upper end screws.
• Figure 8 shows from the top to the bottom: glass or other (optional) covering, parquet of lenses ⁇ , (schematic) 0-rings. Springs are arranged about them like only one component for each side. Actually, the springs can be more than one for each side. Dissipators 4 are mechanically secured to the bottom of the module and the sealing is ensured by 0-rings.
• Photovoltaic cells 3 (figs. 9A and 9B) are of the commercial type provided by the manufacturer and already assembled on suitable bases B of boron nitride having high thermal conductivity and electrical insulation and provided with copper contacts C, the positive polarity of which is designated by a bevel. The cells are further protected by a cerium glass V.
• the cells are secured to dissipators 4 preferably by an epoxy resin able to ensure an intimate thermal contact between cell/base and dissipator.
• the cells are electrically connected by copper bars of 10 mm 2 which are tin-plated to avoid corrosion and connected by suitable springs to ensure the electrical continuity between the output of the cells and the connecting leads (fig. 10) .
• Concentration lenses 6 are assembled by gluing then by acrylic glue to a support plane.
• the lens parquet can be protected by a film and is secured to the module by a gasket spring.
• the module is provided with a vent hole SF to prevent overpressures due to temperature range and condensate as well.
• the carrying structure according to the invention allows a container to be provided by a technique (moulding) that guarantees low cost for a production on an industrial basis and at the same time structural modules to be provided with high stiffness and resistance as well as with a very low thermal changeability and an optimum electrical insulation.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
• Electromagnetism (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
• Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
• Power Engineering (AREA)
• Photovoltaic Devices (AREA)

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• 2004
  • 2004-12-29 IT ITRM20040646 patent/ITRM20040646A1/it unknown
• 2005
  • 2005-12-13 EP EP05823569A patent/EP1834362A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2005-12-13 WO PCT/IT2005/000729 patent/WO2006070425A1/en active Application Filing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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