ES2746036A1 - PHOTOVOLTAIC THERMAL ALTERNATIVE HYBRID SOLAR CAPTION SYSTEM (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

As a summary of the patent application of a new invention, mention that the patent system basically consists of a way of using a limited area to generate useful energy from solar radiation. To this end, equipment that performs this function will be designed by alternating two technologies such as They are photovoltaic and solar thermal. The novelty of the invention lies in the use of the technical capabilities of each of the systems as appropriate at each time of the year given that the periods where more performance is taken from each technology, either by consumption needs or by technical characteristics of each team, they are complementary and allow to be alternated. The implementation of the equipment designed based on the patent system will allow an optimization of the solar resource available in buildings with limited surfaces and therefore greater savings and terms of energy consumption. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

D E S C R I P C I Ó N

SOLAR COLLECTION SYSTEM HYBRID ALTERNATIVE THERMAL

PHOTOVOLTAIC.

TECHNICAL SECTOR

The present invention is encompassed within the field of energy generation from renewable sources and more specifically within the field of solar energy.

The object of the present invention is a solar collection system by which electrical energy is generated from photovoltaic technology and / or thermal energy by sharing the same collection surface and assigning the available solar resource to a greater or lesser extent to a technology or another according to the consumption needs for each moment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently there are different ways of harnessing solar energy for its transformation and use. Basically they can be classified into two large groups according to the type of transformation, thermal solar energy and photovoltaic solar energy. In the first group, solar radiation is used to transform it into thermal energy generating heat, and in the second group, solar radiation is used to transform it into electrical energy.

These two forms of use of the solar resource are mostly installed in specific devices for each technology independent of each other and intended for single use, the generation of electrical energy or the generation of thermal energy. Likewise, they can be used independently by installing individual equipment in different locations to generate electrical and thermal energy simultaneously, allocating a defined amount of collection surface to each device according to their dimensions and orientation. Finally, there are hybrid devices which, taking advantage of the heating of the photovoltaic panels, use this energy rejection to generate thermal energy. The main difference between the system subject to patent and current hybrid systems is the possibility presented by the first to regulate the amount of solar resource that is allocated to each type of transformation, solar-thermal or solar-electric, while the transformation in the second is always solar-electric with a reuse of the heat given off by the team itself.

. EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

The demand for both electrical and thermal energy is stationary and depends on people's consumption habits. As a general rule, energy consumption varies depending on the time of year, with the times of greatest demand during winter and / or summer. The latter depends mainly on the climate of the area where the consumption is evaluated and is mainly due to the variation in the energy consumption needs for the air conditioning of buildings intended for the accommodation of people.

The main systems for generating energy from solar radiation have a series of drawbacks and advantages that make them more efficient in terms of energy savings at certain times of the year and depending on the size of the facilities. As an example, thermal energy generation systems have a higher performance in transforming solar radiation into useful energy than photovoltaic systems, however, they also have a disadvantage since the use that can be made of the thermal energy generated for these systems it is more limited if we compare it with electrical energy, the latter means that solar thermal energy generation systems have less use during the summer months since the demand for thermal energy is lower and the generation potential is not It is used one hundred percent generating a great rejection which in turn can cause overheating and reduce the useful life of these equipment.

On the other hand, the electrical energy generated by photovoltaic technology systems does find a greater output regardless of the fact that more energy is produced than the required in a timely manner as it can be poured into the distribution network and consumed in another location. The main disadvantage of photovoltaic technology is its lower performance in terms of transforming solar radiation into electrical energy.

In view of the above, the added value provided by the patent system is the possibility of generating thermal energy during cold periods when there is less solar radiation with a thermal solar generation system and making the most of solar radiation during the summer, transforming it in electrical energy through the photovoltaic system. This is achieved by installing the two types of technology in parallel in the same location so that by orienting the different panels in a specific way or by operating a mechanism, one system or another can be used alternately as appropriate. This type of installation will generally require a higher initial investment for the same installed catchment area, but in return, it will make more efficient use of this catchment area.

The hybrid solar and alternative photovoltaic thermal collection system aims to optimize the use of electrical and thermal energy generation systems, taking advantage of the best advantages of each of the systems, sharing the same collection area. In this way you can make the most of the available surface for solar systems, taking maximum advantage of each installed square meter.

With the explanation previously made, it can be summarized that the system object of the patent consists of the combination of a solar thermal collection system with a photovoltaic system, which can alternate their exposure to solar radiation as required to generate electricity or heat.

The system will be made up mainly of the following subsystems: a thermal solar collection system, a photovoltaic system, a supporting structure provided with a mechanism that allows alternating exposure to solar radiation of the collection systems, thermal energy accumulation system, system accumulation of electrical energy, control system and all the necessary instrumentation to make the set work by alternating the generation system automatically.

The main mode of operation will be carried out according to the programming that you want to make to the control system, despite a general description of how it will work, described below prioritizing the generation of thermal energy. In the following mode of operation the generation of thermal energy is prioritized as indicated above, this would imply that the main generation system would be that of thermal energy generation which will remain in operation as long as the demand has not been covered or the accumulation system of thermal energy has not reached its maximum load. Once the demand is met and the maximum thermal energy storage load is reached, the mechanism that alternates exposure to solar radiation would be activated to expose the photovoltaic system and shade the thermal energy generation system. In this way the system would continue to generate electricity until the thermal energy demand is activated again.

The main advantages of this system compared to conventional installations or current hybrids is that it uses the system that provides the best performance according to the consumption needs and the load capacity they present. In this way, during the cold months the thermal energy generation system will prevail and in the summer months there will be a higher percentage of hours of production of the photovoltaic system.

As actuation mechanisms to alternate the production of the two systems, several can be considered depending on the characteristics of the area to be installed or the design you want to use. The way in which the systems alternate can be by turning in any of the main axes referred to a local or global reference system, by sliding one system over another or by pivoting with respect to some point.

A second variant of the system is the fixed system which takes advantage of the variation of the angle of incidence of solar radiation for each time of year. In this configuration, a mechanism is not required to orient the photovoltaic panels, so this means savings in the manufacturing of the collection system due to the reduction of components. On the other hand, since there is no mechanism to orient the photovoltaic panels, the distribution of the solar resource between the two systems will only be based on the solar position and the initial orientation that has been given. to each collection system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is included as an integral part of said description, where, by way of illustration and not limitation, the next:

Figure 1.- Shows a possible embodiment of the main operating scheme with a turning mechanism in operating mode for generating thermal energy.

Figure 2.- Shows a possible embodiment of the main operating scheme with a turning mechanism in operating mode for generating electrical energy.

Figure 3.- Shows a possible embodiment of the operating scheme of the fixed system with a turning mechanism.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The initially preferred embodiment is the one shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 for the version with a turning mechanism and in Fig. 3 for the fixed system version. These reflect the main components of the collection system which is described below.

The alternative hybrid capture system in its implementation initially defined as preferred for the version with orientation mechanism of the photovoltaic panels consists of a thermal solar collection system (4) on which a series of photovoltaic panels (2) is superimposed which They are provided with a rotation axis (3) which allows the relative movement of the photovoltaic plates with respect to the solar thermal collector so that depending on the position of the sun it allows more or less irradiation on each of the systems.

The collection system for the generation of thermal energy will be mainly formed by a set of vacuum tubes positioned in parallel which they connect an inlet collector pipe with an outlet collector and under which a series of curved mirrors (5) is placed that reflect the radiation that does not directly affect the vacuum tube, taking advantage of reflected radiation.

In the operating mode for thermal energy generation, solar radiation (1) affects the collection surface, penetrating between the gaps between the photovoltaic panels (2) which are oriented according to the solar position to let the radiation pass solar and that finally has an impact on the thermal energy generation system (4).

In the mode of operation for the generation of electrical energy, the solar radiation (1) affects the photovoltaic panels (2) which are oriented perpendicular to the solar radiation (1) leaving the thermal system (4) in excess.

Fig. 3 is described below for the preferred embodiment of the fixed system without a turning mechanism.

The fixed system without a rotation mechanism fulfills the same function as the system provided with a rotation mechanism, except that the radiation distribution for the solar or photovoltaic thermal systems will be carried out depending on the position of the sun and the initial orientation that has been given to the fixed panels.

In this case, a collection system for the generation of thermal energy (4) is placed on which a series of photovoltaic panels (2) are placed as visors. In this way, when the solar radiation (1) hits the collection surface, part of it will hit the photovoltaic panels (2) and the other on the thermal energy generation system (4). The percentage of radiation that affects each of the systems will vary for each hour of the day and for each day of the year according to the angle of incidence of solar radiation. The orientation and inclination of the panels both of the thermal system (4) in an absolute reference system and of the photovoltaic panels (2) in a reference system referred to the thermal system (4) will be carried out so that during the summer months most of the day and the surface of the thermal system (4) is in shadow maximizing the production of electrical energy with the photovoltaic system (2). Likewise, this orientation must also comply that during the winter months most of the solar energy captured by the system falls directly on the thermal energy generation system (4), leaving the photovoltaic plates (2) exposed mainly to radiation. diffuse.

Claims (2)

1. Solar collection system by which the usable surface is optimized by alternating photovoltaic technology with solar thermal technology by sharing the collection surface. 2. Acronym HATPS of the English Hybrid Alternative Thermal and Photovoltaic System.