JP2011066200A - Aquafloat floating type solar cell power generation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an aquafloat float type solar cell power generation device absolutely floating a solar cell on the water and lowering its costs. <P>SOLUTION: The aquafloat type solar cell power generation device 1 includes a float 10 composed of not less than one pillar like foam material 11 disposed on water W. The solar cell 2 is mounted on the upper part of the foam material 11 of the float 10. For instance, the foam material 11 is a columnar member, a cylindrical member, or a member having an elliptical cross section, and the material of the foam material 11 is a cross-linked foamed polyolefin. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a floating surface solar cell power generation device, and more particularly to a floating surface solar cell power generation device for levitating a solar cell (also referred to as a solar cell panel) on water such as the sea, a lake, or a dam.

With the expansion of the use of clean energy, solar cells are being installed on residential rooftops and building rooftops. Electric power companies, etc., have installed solar cells in power plant sites and landfills, and have implemented megawatt-scale large-scale power generation. Since the current output per unit area of a solar cell is 0.05 to 0.12 kW, when the solar cell is placed on an inclined rack, the power generation area of 1 megawatt is 1 MW ÷ 0.1 kW / m ² ÷ 0.3 = 33333 m ² (when the site occupancy rate is 0.3 and the output of the solar cell is 0.1 kW / m ² ), and the installation of the solar cell requires a vast site.
Moreover, it is necessary to install a solar cell so that a shade such as a high structure or a tree is not located on the solar cell.

  On the other hand, in order to secure a site for installing solar cells, studies have been made to install solar cells on water, but they have not yet been fully adopted (see Patent Document 1). Moreover, in order to install a solar cell, the structure using a metal float is also proposed (refer patent document 2). Furthermore, in order to install a solar cell, there is an example in which a foamed resin float is connected (see Patent Document 3).

JP-A-10-173212 JP 2002-118275 A JP 2004-63497 A

However, since the power generation efficiency of the solar cell is as low as 5 to 12%, it is necessary to install the solar cell over a wide area in order to obtain a large amount of power generation. It was intended for small power generation.
In this offshore installation type solar cell installation structure, a plurality of foamed resin floats are arranged, and a frame and a top plate forming a skeleton are arranged thereon. When a frame or a pedestal is arranged on the float, it is necessary to design the strength of the pedestal or the frame so that the pedestal or the frame is not bent due to the weight of the solar cell. For this reason, it is necessary to use a strong material, which leads to an increase in material weight and an increase in material cost.

  In order to perform large-scale power generation, it is necessary to secure an area for mounting solar cells, but in the case of a structure in which a frame and a top plate are arranged as in the present situation, the floating power generation facility is enlarged and heavy. Therefore, the float size becomes large. Or if it becomes the method of obtaining electric power generation amount by increasing the number of floating type solar cell apparatuses, it will be necessary to increase the number of floating type solar cell apparatuses.

  In addition, in the case of a structure using a metal float, it is difficult to manufacture a long product. Therefore, in order to construct a large-scale power generation solar cell, it is necessary to install a large number of floating solar power generation devices. There is a cost increase. Conventionally, in order to increase the area of the solar cell panel, it is necessary to connect a floating float facility, and a light receiving loss occurs at the connection location.

  Accordingly, in order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention has an object to provide a floating surface solar cell power generator that can reliably float a solar cell on the water, reduce light reception loss, and reduce costs. And

  In order to solve the above problems, the floating solar cell power generator of the present invention includes a float composed of one or more columnar foams arranged on the water, and an upper part of the foam of the float includes: A solar cell is mounted. According to the said structure, a solar cell can be floated on the water reliably, a light reception loss can be decreased, and cost reduction is possible.

  In the floating surface solar cell power generation device of the present invention, the foam material is a columnar member, a cylindrical member, or a member having an elliptical cross section. According to the above configuration, even if the foam material is a columnar member, a cylindrical member, or a member having an elliptical cross section, the solar cell can surely float on the water, and since a simple shape member is used, the productivity is good, Cost can be reduced.

The floating surface solar cell power generator of the present invention is characterized in that the solar cell is mounted on an upper portion of the float formed by arranging a plurality of foam materials having different outer diameters on the water. According to the said structure, a solar cell can be mounted inclining on a float, and the solar cell can attach the light reception angle which is an inclination angle with respect to the water relatively easily.
In the floating surface solar cell power generator of the present invention, the foam material is a crosslinked foamed polyolefin. According to the said structure, a light reception loss can be decreased and a floating surface type solar cell power generation apparatus can be constructed | assembled at low cost.

  In the floating surface solar cell power generator of the present invention, a cable for transmitting electricity generated by the solar cell is housed in the foam material. According to the above configuration, by replacing a part of the foamed material of the present invention with a cable, it is not necessary to use an extra material such as a cable protection conduit.

  In the floating surface solar cell power generator of the present invention, the solar cell is made of an amorphous solar cell film. According to the above-described configuration, the amorphous solar cell can follow the shape of the upper portion with the unevenness in which a plurality of cylindrical foams are arranged, and the light receiving efficiency can be increased. It can be reduced in weight by combining with an amorphous solar cell. In addition, it is possible to reduce the invasion of wind into the gap between the foam material and the solar cell, and it is possible to reduce the movement of the floating solar cell power generator by the wind.

  In the floating type solar cell power generator of the present invention, a waterproof connector is used for the cable. According to the said structure, a cable can be electrically connected, waterproofing outside using a waterproof connector.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a solar cell can be reliably levitated on the water, a light reception loss can be decreased, and the surface levitated solar cell power generator which can reduce cost can be provided.

It is a perspective view which shows embodiment of the floating type solar cell power generator of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the float of the floating type solar cell power generator shown in FIG. It is a front view which shows the example of the float in which each foaming material was mutually fixed by welding. It is a front view of the float which shows the example which has apply | coated the ultraviolet-resistant coating material with respect to the whole surface of a foamed material, or the light-receiving surface of an ultraviolet-ray. It is a front view of the float which shows the example which accommodated the circular foaming material in the protective material which has ultraviolet-resistant properties, such as a bag or sheet material which has ultraviolet-resistance. It is a figure which shows embodiment which the solar cell is being fixed to the foam material of the float using the fixing metal fitting. It is a front view which shows the example by which the solar cell is being fixed to the float using 2 sets of fixing metal fittings shown in FIG. It is a front view which shows another embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows embodiment with which the amorphous silicon type solar cell which has flexibility is mounted | worn with the float. It is a front view which shows the structure which incorporated the electric power cable in a part of foam material of the floating type solar cell power generation device. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a waterproof connector. It is a front view showing an embodiment in which large and small foams having greatly different outer diameters are alternately combined. It is a perspective view which shows the example which mounted the solar cell which has flexibility on the upper part of the float of the foam material which has an elliptical cross section.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the floating solar cell power generator of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a float of the floating solar cell power generator shown in FIG.
A floating surface solar cell power generator 1 shown in FIG. 1 is used to set and float a solar cell 2 on the surface W of the sea, a lake, a dam or the like.

In FIG. 1, the floating solar cell power generator 1 has a float 10. The solar cell 2 is mounted on the upper surface side of the float 10. The solar cell 2 is also referred to as a solar cell module or a solar cell panel.
In the example shown in FIG. 2, a float 10 configured by arranging, for example, five cylindrical foamed materials 11 made of cross-linked polyethylene horizontally is shown. As shown in FIG. 2, the float 10 is composed of five foams 11, but the number is not particularly limited.

Each foam material 11 shown in FIG. 2 is a member having the same outer diameter. Although the manufacturing method of the foam material 11 is not particularly limited, the foam material 11 is preferably manufactured by extrusion molding in consideration of mass productivity. The foaming method is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a foaming method using nitrogen gas or inert gas, and a foaming method.
The material of the foamed material may be any resin that can be extruded, and may be thermoplastic resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and other polyolefins, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyester, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer, polyvinyl chloride, and the like. However, among these, from the viewpoint of weather resistance, specific gravity, cost, and mass productivity, the foam material is preferably polyolefin such as polyethylene or polypropylene. From the viewpoint of strength, the resin is preferably crosslinked, and can be crosslinked by a crosslinking agent such as electron beam crosslinking or organic peroxide.

  The foamed material 11 of cross-linked foamed polyethylene has a shape such as one or more columnar members, a cylindrical (pipe) member, a columnar member having an elliptical cross section, and the like. The float 10 can be configured by arranging a plurality of types in a bowl shape in the lateral direction and joining the foam materials 11 over the entire length. It is possible to mount solar cells if columnar foams such as squares, triangles and stars that are extruded and formed into shapes other than the above can be joined in a bowl shape, but considering the productivity, cost, etc., cylindrical members A shape such as a cylindrical member (pipe) or a columnar member having an elliptical cross section is preferable. For joining the foam members 11 of a plurality of columnar members, cylindrical (pipe) members, and columnar members having an elliptical cross section, a joining method using an adhesive may be considered, but from the viewpoint of water resistance and reliability, a heat welding method is used. It is desirable to perform the joining by.

As a floating surface solar power generation device 1 that generates 10 KW of power, assuming that the power generation efficiency of the solar cell 2 is 10%,
10KW ÷ 0.1KW / m ² ÷ 0.3 = 333m ²
Area is required. In this case, the length S of the foam material 11 is 135 m, and the width T of the float 10 made of the foam material 11 is 2.5 m. The outer diameter of the circular foam 11 is 50 cm.

  FIG. 3 is a front view showing an example of the float 10 in which the respective foam materials 11 are fixed to each other by welding. Each foamed material 11 is welded using the heat welding part 11A by a heat welding method, for example. Thereby, each foaming material 11 can be reliably fixed mutually, without using fixing tools, such as a metal fitting.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the float showing an example in which the ultraviolet resistant paint 12 is applied to the entire surface of the foam material 11 or the ultraviolet light receiving surface.
Although it is possible to prevent the surface of the foam material 11 from being damaged or deteriorated by increasing the surface density of the foam material 11, in the embodiment of the present invention, the foam material 11 is foamed by ultraviolet rays for use outdoors. Deterioration of the material 11 is expected. Therefore, the ultraviolet resistant paint 12 is applied to the entire surface of the foam material 11 or the ultraviolet light receiving surface. Although it does not specifically limit as the ultraviolet-resistant coating material 12, A silicone compounding type coating material etc. can be used.

  FIG. 5 is a front view of a float showing an example in which a circular foam material 11 is stored in a protective member 13 having ultraviolet resistance such as a bag or sheet material having ultraviolet resistance. As another countermeasure against deterioration due to ultraviolet rays, the unbonded foam material 11 can be stored in a protective member 13 such as a light-shielding sheet or bag. When the foam material 11 is stored in the protective member 13 of the light-shielding bag, a partition for putting the cylindrical foam material 11 in the bag is attached in advance, and one or a plurality of single foam materials before joining are attached. The bag-like float 10 is formed by storing each in a bag.

  The light shielding sheet can shield the foamed material 11 from ultraviolet rays by covering the foamed material 11 with a protective member 13 such as a light-shielding sheet material. The material of the light shielding sheet is synthetic resin, metal, or the like. The light-shielding bag is obtained by processing the light-shielding sheet into a bag shape in the longitudinal direction. In addition, it can also shape | mold by previously containing the ultraviolet-resistant material in the material of the foaming material 11.

As shown in FIG. 1, the solar cell 2 mounted on the upper surface side of the float 10 is a single crystal silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon in a silicon system, a single crystal compound semiconductor, a polycrystalline compound semiconductor in a compound semiconductor system. Can be used. As the solar cell 2, a dye sensitizing type, a dye thin film type, or the like can be used in an organic system.
As an amorphous solar cell, an amorphous solar cell film can be used. For example, an “amorphous silicon (a-Si) solar cell” as a top cell and an “amorphous silicon germanium (a -SiGe) solar cell "(two-layer structure) (Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.) can be used.

As illustrated in Table 1, the mass of the solar cell 2 is 1 kg / m ² for an amorphous silicon type. If the power generation efficiency is 5%, the power generation amount per 1 m ² is 0.05 KW, and the mass per 1 KW is 20 kg. Therefore, the mass of the solar cell that generates 10 KW is 200 kg.

The foamed material 11 of cross-linked foamed polyethylene has a shape such as a columnar member, a cylindrical (pipe) -shaped member, and a columnar member having an elliptical cross section. 10 cm to 120 cm is preferable. In the case of the foam material 11 having an elliptical cross section as shown in FIG. 13, the major axis is preferably 50 to 120 cm and the minor axis is preferably 10 to 50 cm.
In addition, when installing the battery for electrical storage, since the battery is heavy, it is assumed that it is installed not on the foam material 11 but on land. Further, since it is assumed that only the electric power generated without storing electricity is transmitted, the battery is not particularly shown because it is not necessary to install the battery.

On the other hand, the buoyancy of the foamed material 11 having an outer diameter of 50 cm is 314 kgf / m ² as shown in Table 2. For this reason, it becomes applicable to any type of solar cell described in Table 1 with a sufficient safety factor. The outer diameter of the foamed material 11 was determined by calculating the buoyancy from the mass per unit area of the solar cell 2 mounted in Table 1 and determining the outer diameter of the foamed material 11.

FIG. 6 is a view showing an embodiment in which the solar cell 2 is fixed to the foam material 11 of the float 10 by using the fixing metal fitting 20.
As shown in FIG. 6, the fixture 20 includes a foam material gripping part 21, bolts 22, and nuts 23, 24, 25, and 26. The foam gripping part 21 has a first clamping mold bracket 31, a second clamping mold bracket 32, and attachment portions 33 and 34. The first clamping mold 31 and the second clamping mold 32 are substantially C-shaped, the first clamping mold 31 is fixed to the mounting portion 33, and the second clamping mold 32 is fixed to the mounting portion 34. Has been.

  The mounting portions 33 and 34 are passed through the bolt 22 while being in close contact with each other and are held by the nuts 23 and 24. Thereby, the 1st clamping type metal fitting 31 and the 2nd clamping type metal fitting 32 are clamped and fixed so that the foaming material 11 may be pinched | interposed. The bolt 22 is fixed to the solar cell 2 by two nuts 25 and 26.

FIG. 7 shows an example in which the solar cell 2 is fixed in parallel to the float 10 using the two sets of fixing brackets 20 and 20 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the left and right fixing brackets 20, 20 are fastened to the foamed materials 11, 11 on the left and right sides of the float 10, so that the solar cell 2 is fixed in parallel to the float 10. Yes. Note that the foam gripping portion 21, the bolt 22, and the nut of the fixing bracket 20 are made of a stainless or non-metallic resin material in order to avoid electrolytic corrosion in water.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing still another embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 8, for example, five foam materials 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, and 11E are arranged in parallel, but the outer diameters of the foam materials 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, and 11E are foam materials 11A and 11B. , 11C, 11D, and 11E in this order. The outer diameters of the foams 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, and 11E are, for example, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 cm.

Thus, the solar cell 2 mounted in this float 10 is about 10 by arranging the multiple foam materials 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, and 11E having different outer diameters in parallel to constitute the float 10. Can be obtained. Thus, by combining the cylindrical foams 11 having different outer diameters, the solar cell 2 can be relatively easily attached with the light receiving angle θ that is an inclination angle. The light receiving angle θ is an angle at which the solar cell 2 is formed with respect to the water surface W.
In order to improve the light receiving efficiency of sunlight, a plurality of foam materials having different outer diameters are arranged to be inclined. The inclination angle is set at a light reception angle θ = 10 degrees to 40 degrees, which is recommended to have good light reception efficiency. However, even when the light receiving angle θ is zero degrees, the light receiving efficiency is slightly lowered, and there is no problem in the installation itself.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing an embodiment in which an amorphous silicon solar cell 2 having flexibility is attached to a float 10.
Since the amorphous silicon solar cell 2 shown in FIG. 9 can be bent, it is attached to the upper side of the circular foam materials 11A to 11G. Thereby, it becomes possible to make small the penetration | invasion of the wind into the clearance gap between a foam material and the solar cell 2, and it becomes possible to reduce that the floating type solar cell electric power generating apparatus 1 moves by a wind. In addition, the amorphous solar cell can follow the shape of the upper portion with the unevenness in which a plurality of cylindrical foams are arranged, and the light receiving efficiency can be increased. It can be reduced in weight by combining with an amorphous solar cell.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing a structure in which the power cable 40 is built in a part of the foamed material of the floating solar cell power generator 1.
As shown in FIG. 10, it is necessary to arrange the power cable 40 in order to transmit the electricity generated by the solar cell 2 through the power cable 40. Therefore, the power cable 40 is accommodated in a part of the foam material 11. As shown in FIG. 1, an electric connection box 42 and a waterproof connector 41 are provided at the end of the power cable 40. If the structure of the float 10 using this waterproof connector 41 is adopted, a power cable having a waterproof structure can be arranged without arranging another power cable. By replacing a part of the foam material of the present invention with the power cable for transmitting the power generated by the solar cell, it is not necessary to use extra materials such as cable protection pipes, thus reducing the cost. Is possible.

  Thus, since the area of a solar cell is large, it is necessary to arrange | position the power cable for transmitting the electric power generated for every solar cell module. Replacing part of the foam with a power cable eliminates the need for extra material such as cable protection conduits. The outer periphery of the cable may be directly covered with the foam material, or the cable may be inserted into the foam material pipe. The cable may be a normal power cable and is not particularly limited. In addition, a waterproof connector can be used at the joint between the power cable and the device.

FIG. 11 shows a structural example of the waterproof connector 41. The waterproof connector 41 includes a pin 45, a cover nut 46, and a pin cover 47, and the pin 45 and the cable 40 are electrically and mechanically connected. Accordingly, the power cable 40 can be electrically connected to the outside while waterproofing using the waterproof connector 41. FIG. 12 shows an embodiment in which large and small foam materials 11M and 11N having greatly different outer diameters are alternately combined. It is a front view. In FIG. 12, the solar cell 2 is mounted on the ridge-like float 10 formed by the foamed materials 11M and 11N.

  The foamed materials 11M and 11N are made to be compatible with ultraviolet rays in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, and are coated with a UV-resistant paint or incorporated in a protective member having UV resistance. The uneven angle θ2 formed by the foamed materials 11M and 11N is arranged from 10 degrees to 40 degrees, which is said to be most efficient in receiving sunlight. If the uneven angle θ2 is smaller than 10 degrees, the incident angle of sunlight on the solar cell panel becomes small, so that the power generation efficiency is about 5% worse than the case of the light receiving angle of 30 degrees in the true south direction. Therefore, it is not preferable. If the uneven angle θ2 is larger than 40 degrees, the incident angle to the solar cell panel is too large, which is about 3% worse than in the case of the true south direction, which is not preferable.

Single crystal silicon type solar cell 2 is installed on the surface of float 10 shown in FIG. The outer diameter of the foam material 11N having a small outer diameter is 30 cm, and the outer diameter of the foam material 11M having a large outer diameter is 50 cm. By alternately disposing these foam materials 11M and 11N, the solar cell 2 can be disposed at a light receiving angle of 26.6 degrees, for example. (tan ^-1 ((0.5-0.3) /0.5+0.3m)) = 26.6 °)
The light receiving area of the solar cell 2 attached to the six foam materials 11N having a small outer diameter and the seven foam materials 11M having a large outer diameter is (0.5 + 0.3) ÷ con26.6 ° × 7 = 6.26 m. ² By manufacturing with a length of 53.1m, power generation of 10KW becomes possible. (333m ² ÷ 6.27 m ² = 53.1m)

  In the embodiment of the present invention, since the solar cell can be directly mounted on the float, a floating surface type solar cell power generator can be constructed at low cost. A long float in the longitudinal direction can be installed by forming into a cylindrical foam material by extrusion molding. Thereby, a solar cell with few connection locations can be installed. By reducing the number of solar cell connections, the light receiving efficiency can be improved as compared to conventional solar cells with many connection points. In particular, the amorphous solar cell can reduce the number of connection points and is useful in the present invention.

By combining cylindrical foams having different outer diameters, it is relatively easy to incline the solar cell panel. The amorphous solar cell can follow the shape of the upper part with the unevenness in which a plurality of cylindrical foams are arranged, and can improve the light receiving efficiency. It can be reduced in weight by combining with an amorphous solar cell.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an example in which a flexible solar cell 2 is mounted on the top of a float of a foam material 11R having an elliptical cross section.

By the way, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various modified example is employable.
For example, the cross-sectional shape of the foam material is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be a member having a rectangular cross section, a member having a rhombic cross section, or the like as long as a solar cell can be mounted. Moreover, each embodiment of this invention can be comprised combining arbitrarily.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Floating type solar cell power generator 2 Solar cell 10 Float 11 Foam 11A Thermal welding part 12 UV resistant paint 41 Waterproof connector 42 Electric junction box W Above water (on water surface)

Claims (7)

  A floating surface type solar cell power generator comprising a float composed of one or more columnar foams arranged on the water, and a solar cell mounted on the top of the foam of the float.   2. The floating solar cell power generator according to claim 1, wherein the foam material is a columnar member, a cylindrical member, or a member having an elliptical cross section.   The floating solar cell according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the solar cell is mounted on an upper part of the float configured by arranging a plurality of foam materials having different outer diameters on the water. Battery power generator.   4. The floating solar cell power generator according to claim 1, wherein the foam material is a crosslinked foamed polyolefin. 5.   The floating surface type solar according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a cable for transmitting electricity generated by the solar cell is housed in the foam material. Battery power generator.   The floating solar cell power generator according to claim 5, wherein the solar cell is made of an amorphous solar cell film. The floating solar cell power generator according to claim 5 or 6, wherein a waterproof connector is used for the cable.

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