ES2933626A1 - FLEXIBLE PHOTOVOLTAIC AWNING (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

System and method for manufacturing a flexible photovoltaic awning that generates electricity from incident solar radiation and simultaneously shades the spaces or surfaces to be protected. It consists of a flexible photovoltaic fabric (1), fixed to a fixed or retractable support structure (2) that can be anchored to a construction element (3) and an electrical system made up of wiring (4) that transfers the electrical energy produced towards the electrical regulator (5) at whose output (6) the generated energy is delivered. The flexible photovoltaic fabric (1) consists of a flexible and translucent protective sheet (10) located on the side exposed to sunlight, a flexible photovoltaic panel (20) that contains the photovoltaic cells and their wiring, and a filtering fabric (30) that generates shade and that, being flexible, (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

FLEXIBLE PHOTOVOLTAIC AWNING

TECHNIQUE SECTOR

The invention consists of a flexible photovoltaic fabric that integrates a photovoltaic panel and a shading fabric into a single laminated and flexible fabric, as well as its application to the manufacture of flexible photovoltaic awnings that not only protect from solar radiation but also take advantage of it to the production of electrical energy.

An area of innovative application of this invention is the installation of flexible photovoltaic awnings on façade openings in homes in community buildings, without requiring the authorization of the community of owners.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The technical problem focuses on solving renewable energy self-supply for people who have a home in community buildings or under a horizontal property regime and who therefore lack the autonomy to install conventional photovoltaic panels. This invention offers a technical solution to those who decide to take advantage of solar energy by installing a flexible photovoltaic awning outside their home to generate electricity without the need for authorization from the community of owners.

Most residential buildings physically and legally allow the installation of exterior awnings in the openings of facades intended to protect homes from direct solar impact. These circumstances in turn make the awning the only area of private property that the dweller of this type of housing can expose to sunlight outside his home and under his exclusive control, without requiring the authorization of the Community of owners; Consequently, it opens up to the broad sector of the population that inhabits community buildings the possibility of autonomously capturing solar energy for private use from their own home.

At present, the commercial availability of flexible photovoltaic panels is increasing, which through the process described in this invention can be incorporated in the manufacture of flexible awnings. This invention brings together in a single stratified fabric the functionality of blocking solar radiation typical of a conventional awning with that of generating electrical energy typical of photovoltaic panels, and will allow the urban population that lives in a horizontal property regime to take advantage of energy solar at individual level.

The technical solution that this invention provides to the problem described in the previous paragraph, is characterized by creating a photovoltaic fabric that is flexible, light, resistant, thin (around one millimeter) and that can be used to manufacture awnings in a variety of ways. applications and configurations other than the one indicated above and that require some of the aforementioned characteristics.

EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

In this document, the use of the terms "a", "an", "some" and "some" and similar referents in the context of the description of an embodiment of the invention, and especially in the context of the claims, have to take to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise stated in this document or clearly contradicted by the context. The terms "includes", "comprises", "consists of", "consists of", "having", "including", "comprising", "as may be" and "with" are to be interpreted as open terms (i.e. say, meaning "including, but not limited to"); therefore they should not be interpreted as excluding the possibility that what is described and defined includes more elements, stages, etc. unless otherwise stated. Reference to ranges and intervals of values in this document are shorthand for referring individually to each value within the range or interval, unless otherwise noted in this document, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification. as if cited individually in this document. All methods described in this document can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise stated in this document or clearly contradicted by the context. The use of examples, or related expressions (for example, "such as"), only seeks to better clarify the invention and does not pose a limitation on its scope.

The flexible photovoltaic awning object of this invention is represented in figure 1 and consists of a flexible photovoltaic fabric ( 1) that is attached to a support structure and maneuver ( 2) anchored to a constructive element ( 3); Using electrical conductors ( 4), the flexible photovoltaic awning transfers the electrical energy produced to an electrical regulation and safety device ( 5) that conditions its parameters and conducts it to the outlet ( 6) available, equipped with the appropriate characteristics for its consumption.

The flexible photovoltaic fabric ( 1) has a three-layer structure and its function is twofold: to generate electricity and to provide shade. Its upper face - the one that is exposed to solar radiation - is formed by a translucent and flexible layer ( 10) whose function is to protect the flexible photovoltaic panel from dust, rain and other adverse external agents; In certain embodiments of the invention, this layer can be provided by the protective coating of the photovoltaic panel itself. The second layer is made up of a flexible photovoltaic panel ( 20) intended to generate electricity when sunlight falls on it. The third layer, which forms the lower face of the flexible photovoltaic fabric, is made up of a sheet or fabric ( 30) suitable for blocking solar radiation and at the same time providing the assembly with the necessary rigidity to prevent the photovoltaic panel from being damaged by bending. induced by its folding or by the action of the wind. When the flexible photovoltaic fabric is deployed and receives solar radiation, it performs the double function of generating electrical energy and, at the same time, blocking the passage of said radiation, protecting a certain space or surface from it.

The flexible photovoltaic fabric is attached to a fixed or retractable support structure ( 2) that is anchored to a construction element ( 3) and that allows the flexible photovoltaic awning to be permanently deployed or deployed only for limited periods of time and then collected while is not in use. When said structure is retractable, it allows the flexible photovoltaic fabric to be folded over the facing, or collected in folds, or rolled up on a reel that can be on the facing side or on the most distal side.

The electrical energy produced by the flexible photovoltaic awning is collected by means of electrical conductors ( 4) which are connected at one end to the terminals of the flexible photovoltaic panel and at the other end transfer the energy to an electronic regulation and safety device ( 5) in whose output ( 6) can obtain electrical energy with the appropriate voltage for consumption, grid injection, battery storage or other uses.

Advantages of this invention

1) The invention offers a technical solution to manufacture awnings with a thin, light, reswitent and flexible fabric that, in addition to providing shade, generates electricity using solar energy.

2) The invention makes it possible to harness the energy of incident solar radiation on flexible awnings in installations where the use of rigid photovoltaic panels is not viable, such as awnings on façade openings in residential buildings.

3) The invention allows owners of condominium homes to benefit from solar energy and have exclusive ownership and control over them.

4) The flexible photovoltaic awning can be installed by the same procedures and with the same configurations as conventional non-photovoltaic, fixed and retractable awnings, in the form of roller awnings, folding awnings, sails and other formats.

5) The flexible photovoltaic awning can be made modular and adapt to the user in terms of space availability and energy needs.

6) Allows you to take advantage of solar energy in both fixed and retractable flexible awnings.

7) It makes it possible to take advantage of the industrial technology currently used in the manufacture of conventional awnings.

8) Allows to accelerate the return on investment in awnings.

9) It has a positive ecological impact by increasing the use of solar energy.

10) Contributes to the generalization of a sustainable energy supply.

11) The layer integrated by the flexible photovoltaic panel reduces the thermal and ultraviolet radiation incident on the shading layer located below, which allows lowering the technical requirements of the latter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the previous description and in order to help a better understanding of the invention, a drawing is attached as an integral part of said description, where, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented. following.

Figure 1.- Schematically shows an embodiment of the flexible photovoltaic awning, made up of a flexible photovoltaic fabric ( 1), a support and maneuver structure ( 2) to which the flexible photovoltaic fabric is attached and which is anchored to a construction element ( 3), the electrical conductors ( 4) that transfer the electrical energy produced in the flexible photovoltaic panel to the regulation and safety box ( 5) equipped with the corresponding output for its use ( 6). The dotted box in the figure shows an enlargement of the cross section of the multilayer structure of the flexible photovoltaic fabric ( 1), showing that it consists of a transparent layer ( 10) located on the side exposed to solar radiation, a panel flexible photovoltaic ( 20) that generates electricity when exposed to sunlight; and finally a layer of filtering fabric ( 30) that shades and at the same time provides mechanical strength to the whole and limits the bending of the photovoltaic panel, preserving its integrity.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

While the invention is described and illustrated in a preferred embodiment, the preferred embodiment included herein represents a known mode of carrying out an embodiment of the invention, but there may be modifications thereto that are apparent to those of ordinary skill. in the art and therefore the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter in the claims appended thereto as permitted by applicable law. On the other hand, any combination of the elements described above in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by the context.

The invention can be applied and produced in many different configurations. A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings, and will be described herein in detail, it being understood that the present description is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and the associated functional specifications for its construction. and the invention is not to be construed as being limited to the illustrated embodiment but as encompassing the equivalent achievements, even applied in other fields. Those skilled in the art will conceive of many other possible variations within the scope of the present invention.

The preferred embodiment described below is an implementation intended for the protection of a façade opening by means of a flexible photovoltaic awning that includes the following elements: the flexible photovoltaic fabric, the awning support structure and the electrical system.

Flexible photovoltaic fabric ( 1). It has a multilayer structure made up of three layers: a layer of transparent and flexible material ( 10) located on the side exposed to solar radiation and whose mission is to protect the second layer from dust, rain and other adverse agents, allowing it to pass through. solar radiation. The second layer is made up of the flexible photovoltaic panel ( 20) where the photovoltaic generators, their wiring, and the two electrical terminals through which the generated electrical current is evacuated are housed. The lower layer is made up of conventional canvas ( 30) which is adhered to the intermediate layer by means of flexible glue and which contains a network of metal ribs that limit the flexibility of the assembly and prevent excessive curvatures from being generated due to the effect of wind or other forces. on the photovoltaic sheet that could damage the photovoltaic generators and their wiring.

Awning support structure ( 2). It is made up of two metal supports fixed to a vertical wall ( 3) and joined by an axis around which the flexible photovoltaic fabric ( 1) is rolled and unrolled; When it is activated manually or by means of a motor, it unfolds or collects the flexible photovoltaic fabric.

Electrical system made up of a pair of cables ( 4) connected to the terminals of the flexible photovoltaic panel, which run inside one of the extendable bars and which carry the electrical energy generated to the inverter (5); it contains the regulation and safety devices necessary to adapt the voltage and control the flow of current, and offers a standard electrical outlet from which electrical energy is obtained for consumption in lighting or other uses, its discharge to the network or its storage in a battery system.

MANNER IN WHICH THE INVENTION IS LIKELY TO INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION

The routes currently envisaged for industrial application of this invention include: 1) Manufacture of a specific fabric for flexible photovoltaic awnings, which integrates all the layers described for the photovoltaic sheet into a single fabric.

2) Manufacture of fabrics for flexible photovoltaic awnings by welding or gluing commercially available flexible photovoltaic sheets on canvases currently used in the manufacture of awnings, and adding the appropriate mechanical reinforcements to maintain their integrity and resistance to folding, rolling and shaking of the wind.

3) Manufacture of conventional fabrics for awnings to which a transparent and compartmentalized sheet is added on its upper face, so that the flexible panels available on the market can be inserted into each compartment, as in an envelope.

4) Manufacture of regulation and control devices specific to the characteristics of a flexible photovoltaic awning and sized for the electrical power it can supply, as well as the necessary electrical connection elements.

5) Manufacture of photovoltaic awnings, integrating, according to the specific needs of each client, the flexible photovoltaic fabric with the appropriate support structure in each case.

Claims (16)

1. Method for the manufacture of a flexible photovoltaic fabric made up of a flexible and stratified fabric in which the upper layers form a photovoltaic generator and the lower layers form a solar filter, so that the photovoltaic fabric thus obtained is characterized by its flexibility , its light weight, its low thickness, its mechanical resistance and its double capacity to generate electrical energy before the incidence of solar radiation on its upper face and simultaneously block the passage of said radiation towards a physical space or surface that it is desired to protect from she. 2. The method according to claim 1, in which the upper layer of the flexible photovoltaic fabric is formed by a flexible photovoltaic panel, the lower layer is formed by a sheet that filters solar radiation and both layers are glued on their internal faces with a flexible and durable adhesive. 3. The method according to claim 1 in which the layers of the flexible photovoltaic fabric form a sandwich structure whose upper layer is formed by a protective and transparent sheet to solar radiation, whose lower layer is made up of a filter sheet of said radiation , and that a flexible photovoltaic panel attached to the two external layers is inserted between them. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the flexible photovoltaic fabric consists of a flexible photovoltaic panel whose support sheet for its photovoltaic cells and internal wiring is made of a material that blocks the passage of solar radiation. 5. The method according to any of the preceding claims, in which the flexible photovoltaic fabric is fixed to a support structure to form a flexible photovoltaic awning, a structure that can be fixed or retractable and that is anchored at one or more points to the ground, to a facing or other constructive elements of a building, to a vehicle or to any other device to be protected from solar radiation. 6. The method according to any of the preceding claims in which the filtering layer of solar radiation is made up of any of the fabrics, canvases or sheets used in the manufacture of common awnings. 7. The method according to any of the preceding claims, in which the solar radiation filtering layer also includes a reinforcing framework that, while maintaining the necessary flexibility, limits the deformation of the flexible photovoltaic fabric to prevent the formation of excessive curvatures that can damage flexible photovoltaic panel. 8. The method according to any of the preceding claims, in which the terminals of the flexible photovoltaic panel are connected to an electrical and safety control device that regulates the transfer of electrical energy to the network, to the points of consumption or to a battery for its storage. 9. Flexible photovoltaic fabric made up of a flexible and stratified fabric in which the upper layers make up a photovoltaic generator and the lower layers form a solar filter, so that the photovoltaic fabric thus obtained is characterized by its flexibility, its light weight, its its thin thickness, its mechanical resistance and its double capacity to generate electrical energy when faced with the incidence of solar radiation on its upper face and simultaneously block the passage of said radiation towards a physical space or surface that is to be protected from it. 10. The system according to claim 9, in which the upper layer of the flexible photovoltaic fabric is formed by a flexible photovoltaic panel, the lower layer is formed by a sheet that filters solar radiation and both layers are glued on their internal faces with a flexible and durable adhesive. 11. The system according to claim 9 in which the layers of flexible photovoltaic fabric form a sandwich structure whose upper layer is formed by a protective and transparent sheet to solar radiation, whose lower layer is made up of a filter sheet of said radiation , and that a flexible photovoltaic panel attached to the two external layers is inserted between them. 12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the flexible photovoltaic fabric consists of a flexible photovoltaic panel whose support sheet for its photovoltaic cells and internal wiring is made of a material that blocks the passage of solar radiation. 13. The system according to any of the previous claims in which the flexible photovoltaic fabric is fixed to a support structure to form an awning. flexible photovoltaic, a structure that can be fixed or retractable and that is anchored by one or several points to the ground, to a wall or other construction elements of a building, to a vehicle or to any other device to be protected from solar radiation. 14. The system according to any of the preceding claims, in which the solar radiation filtering layer is made up of any of the fabrics, canvases or sheets used in the manufacture of common awnings. 15. The system according to any of the preceding claims, in which the solar radiation filtering layer also includes a reinforcing framework that, while maintaining the necessary flexibility, limits the deformation of the flexible photovoltaic fabric to prevent excessive curvatures that could damage the panel. flexible photovoltaic. 16. The system according to any of the preceding claims, in which the terminals of the flexible photovoltaic panel are connected to an electrical and safety control device that regulates the transfer of electrical energy to the network, to the points of consumption or to a battery for storage.