JPH0295185A - Solar light energy converter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To cool a solar cell forcibly and extremely efficiently, and to realize solar light energy convention with sufficiently high efficiency by thermally coupling the heating medium flow of a material, through which solar light can be transmitted, and the solar cell. CONSTITUTION:A heating medium 37 composed of a fluid-like material having high transparency to solar light LS is used, a solar cell 32 is housed in a sealed vessel 31 through which the heating medium 37 is made to flow, and the solar cell 32 and the heating medium 37 flow are thermally coupled. A window is formed previously to one part of the sealed vessel 31 so that at least a built-in solar cell 32 can be irradiated with solar rays LS. Consequently, when solar light in projected to the solar cell 32, photoelectric conversion is conducted while the solar cell 32 is cooled forcibly by the heating medium 37 flow. Accordingly, even when the device is exposed continuously by direct sunlight for a prolonged time, the deterioration of efficiency based on the temperature rise of the solar cell 32 can be inhibited.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a solar energy conversion device, and particularly to a device that primarily enables efficient photoelectric conversion, but also enables photothermal conversion if necessary. Regarding.

[Prior Art] Improvements in solar cell elements themselves as photoelectric conversion elements are becoming more and more popular, especially in terms of conversion efficiency, fill factor, open-circuit electromotive voltage, etc.
In recent years, the electrical characteristics of individual devices have improved considerably.

However, when actually creating a solar energy conversion device using such elements and putting them into practical use, it is not necessary to use a single element, but to use a large number of these elements, generally a plate-shaped substrate. Unless you use solar cell modules integrated on the top and also use some kind of efficient solar absorption means, mirrors, lenses, or other light concentrating means, the overall conversion efficiency and power capacity of the system will not be satisfied. It cannot be raised to a certain degree.

Therefore, in addition to the development technology for improving the characteristics of photoelectric conversion elements alone, we are developing technologies that combine solar cells using these elements with some other components to improve the efficiency and power generation capacity of the device or system as a whole. Various attempts have also been made to earn more.

Among these, as a proposal for converting the energy of each wavelength band emitted by sunlight into electrical energy as efficiently as possible, there is a method using fluorescent particles, as shown in FIG.

As is well known, there are photoelectric conversion elements that use different materials in the bulk part involved in the photoelectric conversion mechanism, such as crystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, and compound semiconductor, and each type has the highest sensitivity. Either the wavelength range shown is different, or generally speaking, good sensitivity characteristics can be generally recognized at a wavelength of 5500 Å or more.

On the other hand, the wavelength band included in sunlight has a sufficiently wide range even below it (shorter side).

Therefore, simply exposing the provided solar cells to sunlight as is! This means that some of the solar energy that is being generated is wasted.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5(A), instead of making the irradiated sunlight Ls directly enter the solar cell IO, it is first made into a transparent plate in which an appropriate amount of fluorescent particles n1 are sealed. There is one in which the light is guided to the solar cell 10 fixed to the end face of the transparent plate 11 with an adhesive 12 while reflecting the inside of the plate.

In this way, among the wavelength components of sunlight propagating within the transparent plate 11, light components in a wavelength range outside the high sensitivity range indicated by the solar cell 10 are also transferred to the transparent plate 11 in an appropriate amount. The light is absorbed by the contained fluorescent particles n1, and the light is wavelength-converted and emitted and radiated, thereby converting it into light in a wavelength range that can be efficiently absorbed by the solar cell 10.

In FIG. 5(A), the transparent plates 11 have a stacked structure with suffixes (IL+, 11-2'+ 1l).
-3), each of those transparent plates]]-+, 3
Solar cells 10-+ and 1-z and 11-s, respectively,
10-2 and 10-3 are provided because fluorescent particles nl + n2 + n3 contained in each transparent plate 11-+, +1-2, 1], -3 are made different, and the wavelength to be converted is changed. This is because by making the wavelengths different, a wider range of sunlight wavelengths can be used for photoelectric conversion. Therefore, of course, the illustrated three-layer stack is merely an example;
In principle, any number of layers can be stacked.

Although the concept is similar, instead of using the end face illumination light of the transparent plate, as shown in FIG. The solar cell 10 is pasted along the main surface of the transparent plate 11 with the adhesive [2] sealed therein, and preferably on an area other than the area where the solar cell is pasted.
Some have a structure in which a reflecting plate 14 has a mirror surface or a diffusive surface.

The solar light utilization efficiency is increased by returning the sunlight that tries to pass through the transparent plate 11 into the transparent plate 11 as well as the reflecting plate 14.

As described above, there have been conventional technologies that try to use the given sunlight energy as efficiently as possible based on its wavelength for photoelectric conversion, but there are also devices that perform photothermal conversion in addition to photoelectric conversion. In other words, device systems that also attempt to extract thermal energy from sunlight have been proposed.

Each figure in FIG. 6 shows an example of such a conventional device. First, the one shown in FIG. It has a structure in which a heat collecting tube 20 that moves back and forth inside is housed and is covered with a glass cover 18. A heat collecting plate 19 such as a roll bond plate or fin is thermally bonded to the heat collecting tube 20, and this is It is fixed onto the inner bottom of the exterior case 16 via a heat insulating material 17.

A suitable fluid heat medium is flowed through the heat collecting pipe 20, and this includes a solar cell l housed above it in the outer case.
Thermal energy is provided by sunlight Ls other than that incident on O.

The structure shown in Figure (B) is similar in principle, and the difference is that a module structure in which the solar cell 10 is sandwiched between a pair of glass covers 18 and 18 is used, and the heat collecting tube 2
1, a transparent glass tube is used, and a so-called black liquid 22 is selected as the heat medium flowed therein, and the sunlight Ls is directly guided into the heat collecting glass tube 21, and the black liquid 22 This is because it absorbs heat.

Finally, in the structure shown in FIG. The battery IO is arranged, and the other structural parts are as shown in the diagram.
As can be seen from the use of the same reference numerals, it is almost the same as the above two sides.

In any case, these conventional devices, as so-called hybrid solar energy conversion devices, do not only directly convert solar energy into electrical energy;
The thermal energy of sunlight can be used directly as thermal energy, and if this is further converted into electrical energy through an appropriate heat exchanger and eventually through a power generation system, this can be converted into electricity generated by direct power generation from solar cells. Thermal power generation can be added.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Each of the conventional devices shown in FIG. 5.6 has some useful aspects. However, not only in the illustrated conventional example but also in a basic structure in which a solar cell is simply exposed to sunlight, the biggest problem is the temperature rise of the solar cell during actual operation.

Recent reports indicate that even amorphous materials have a conversion efficiency of over 10% as a photoelectric conversion element, and it is realistic to achieve even higher efficiency in the future. However, such efficiency is generally discussed at room temperature.
In reality, the efficiency decreases by about 10% every time the temperature increases by 10°C.

In fact, when such a photoelectric conversion element is used as a solar energy conversion device like the one covered in this book, even if it is placed directly in the atmospheric environment, the temperature of the solar cell will be +50)℃, a condensing mirror or a condensing lens may be used, or, as seen in the previous example, a transparent plate structure containing fluorescent particles or a sealed structure inside the outer case may be used. are adopted, because they have a structure that is inherently difficult to cool.
At worst, the temperature can reach several hundred degrees Celsius.

In other words, the most basic issue in this type of solar energy conversion device is the cooling of the solar cells used, but conventionally, at best, heat dissipation fins were attached to the solar cell modules. There were only limited attempts, and it wasn't enough.

For example, even in the conventional structure shown in FIG.
Although it is intended to cool the solar cells 10 that are placed in close contact with each other on the top, the heat collecting plate 19 itself is actually sealed inside the outer case 16 with a glass cover 18. becomes quite hot, and almost no cooling effect can be expected.

As described above, with regard to cooling, all the conventional structures, including the one shown in Figure 5.6, still have fundamental problems, but in addition, some improvements have been made in the conventional examples shown in Figure 5.6. Even in view of the individual parts that have been developed, there are still deficiencies that need to be improved.

First, considering the structure shown in Fig. 5, in both the structure shown in Fig. 5 (8) and the structure shown in Fig. Since it is a mechanically combined structure with an appropriate adhesive I2 interposed, it has a structure that creates many optical interfaces, and in some cases, due to insufficient filling of the adhesive, etc., there may be gaps in the optical path. Voids may also occur.

Such boundaries and voids cause light loss, such as reflection, diffusion, absorption, and refraction, and are extremely undesirable.

In addition, in reality, a transparent plate 11, an adhesive 12, a solar cell 10
The coefficients of thermal expansion and temperature rise of these materials are different from each other, and therefore, their mechanical dimensional changes can create even larger voids and increase losses, or in the worst case, lead to the destruction of mechanical equipment. Ta. Even if cooling is considered to prevent this, with such a structure it is absolutely impossible to control them to the same temperature increase rate.

Furthermore, there was also a problem with the structure in which fluorescent particles n were filled and fixed in the transparent plate 11.

As is well known, all types of phosphors inherently degrade over time. Moreover, many of them do not last for many years. Therefore, in the structure shown in Fig. 5, the useless fluorescent particles n
1, the transparent plate 11 must be replaced regularly at fairly frequent intervals, and considering that the solar cell IO is fixed to the transparent plate 11 with an adhesive 12, In the end, expensive solar cells that can be used again】0
Each time, the structure must be discarded and the entire structure replaced with a new one. It goes without saying how wasteful this is. The time and effort required for replacement is not trivial,
Operation of the system must be stopped during its maintenance work.

On the other hand, the hybrid type device shown in Figure 6 has a structure that is fundamentally difficult to cool as described above, and rather has a device structure that allows temperature rise like a greenhouse, which is undesirable. 6 As is clear from each figure, the heat collecting plate 19
is in the shadow of the solar cell 10, and in this respect it is difficult to say that the utilization efficiency of solar energy is sufficiently high.As shown in the figure, the solar cell 10 is located above the heat collecting pipe 20, 21. Even if we consider a structure in which this vertical relationship is reversed, in the end the heat collecting tube must be placed in the area where the solar cells are not installed when viewed from a plane projection, and for example under the solar cells. The heat collecting plate, and the solar cells under the heat collecting plate in the reverse structure, are each in the shade.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and has the following objects.

■ The most basic problem to be solved is to provide a structure that can sufficiently and rationally cool the solar cells.

■ Even when increasing the utilization efficiency of sunlight by converting the wavelength of sunlight using fluorescent particles, it does not have the drawbacks of conventional transparent plate structures, and the wavelength conversion efficiency and light To provide a structure with low equivalent loss and easy replacement and maintenance of fluorescent particles.

Furthermore, when configuring a so-called hybrid solar energy conversion device that not only converts solar energy into electrical energy but also extracts thermal energy, this can be easily and rationally realized. Providing an apparatus [Means for solving the problems] In order to achieve the above-mentioned problems (■ to ■), the present invention uses a heat medium made of a fluid material that is highly transparent to sunlight. A solar cell is placed in a sealed container through which a heat medium flow flows,
We propose a basic structure that thermally couples solar cells and heat medium flow.

In order to thermally couple the solar cell and the heat medium flow, it is simple and efficient to have the surface of the solar cell directly in contact with the heat medium flow, but in some cases, the solar cell A heat-coupled fin or the like having good thermal conductivity may be provided so that the fin portion directly contacts the heat medium flow.

Of course, the sealed container is provided with a window at the bottom so that at least the built-in solar cells can be irradiated with sunlight.

However, here, the term "window" is used in an optical sense, and the shape of the window does not matter. Therefore, in some cases, the entire sealed container may be made of a transparent material such as glass. In other words, such a completely transparent hermetic container can be viewed as the whole forming an entrance window for sunlight, or conversely, such a hermetically sealed container can be viewed as having a window in which sunlight actually enters. A transparent wall portion of the container through which sunlight passes when the solar cell is irradiated may be defined as a window.

In view of such a structure, the present invention is suitable when a component that intentionally promotes turbulence occurring in a heat medium flow flowing inside a sealed container is to be converted into a highly sensitive wavelength range and utilized. In order to achieve this, we also propose a configuration in which at least one type of fluorescent particles is mixed at an appropriate concentration into the heat medium flow flowing into a sealed container.

On the other hand, if you want to configure a hybrid device that has both photoelectric conversion function and photothermal conversion function by using the heat medium flow flowing inside the sealed container as a heat collecting medium, it is appropriate to have a heat medium flow outside the sealed container. We also propose a configuration in which a heat exchanger is installed to extract the amount of heat collected.

[Function] In the solar energy conversion device of the present invention, since the heat medium flow flowing through the sealed container is always thermally coupled to the solar cell provided in the sealed container, sunlight is not applied to the solar cell. When photoelectric conversion is performed due to the incidence of the solar cell, at the same time, the solar cell is forcibly cooled by the heat medium flow.

Therefore, even in this type of solar energy conversion device, which is destined to be continuously exposed to direct sunlight for a long time, it is possible to effectively suppress a decrease in efficiency due to a rise in temperature of the solar cell.

Furthermore, if an appropriate amount of fluorescent particles are mixed into the heat medium flow, the fluorescent particles will absorb solar components in the wavelength range that is relatively low sensitivity for the solar cell being used. It acts to convert the wavelength to a relatively high-sensitivity region of the battery, improving the overall efficiency of sunlight usage.

Moreover, unlike the case of the conventional example described above, the fluorescent particles are directly mixed into the heating medium flowing as a fluid, and there is no physical or mechanical connection between the heating medium flow and the solar cells. Since there is no need for a boundary surface to exist, the incident sunlight and the light whose wavelength has been converted by fluorescent particles will not be lost due to such a boundary surface, which also improves the conversion efficiency of solar energy. Contribute.

Further, even if the fluorescent particles in the heating medium become unusable due to changes over time, there is no necessity for new fluorescence to occur in the flowing heating medium. Moreover, even when such fluorescent particle replenishment work is performed, there is often no need to stop the operation of the system using the solar energy conversion device.

Even if it is necessary to replace old fluorescent particles instead of replenishing them, in the case of the device of the present invention, it is possible to replace only the heating medium that contains or dissolves the fluorescent particles, and then mix new fluorescent particles into it. Fortunately, there is no need to replace the solar cells or other fixing members, and in some cases, such replacement of the heat medium flow can be performed while the system continues to operate.

On the other hand, the heat medium used for forced cooling of solar cells as described above acts as a heat collecting medium that carries the amount of heat absorbed from sunlight, so it is not known in the public domain. By using a suitable heat exchanger that can utilize existing heat exchange technology and extracting the amount of heat held by the heating medium as output heat amount, this can of course be used as thermal energy for hot water systems, etc. Furthermore, it can be converted into electrical energy through a suitable power generation system such as a steam turbine, and in any case, it can be made into an extremely rational hybrid type solar energy conversion device.

However, considering that the heat medium flow is generally used in circulation, the above-mentioned heat exchanger is also necessary in this sense. In other words, the amount of heat in the heat medium flow that has been obtained by cooling the solar cells in the sealed container is reduced, and the temperature is sufficiently lowered before being poured into the sealed container again.

[Example] FIG. 1 shows an example of the main part configuration of a solar energy conversion device 30 configured according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, there is an elongated cylindrical sealed container 3 made entirely of transparent glass or transparent resin. Currently, even resins with sufficiently high heat resistance are readily available.

The structure inside the sealed container 31 is also shown in FIGS. A solar cell 32 is inserted along the length direction so as to cover the diameter portion, and sunlight 1. 8 is incident.

As a result, when a photoelectric conversion function is generated within the solar cell, the photoelectric conversion current based on the generated electromotive force is as shown in Figure 2 (
Only in A) and (B) can the current be taken out to an external load circuit system (not shown) from a pair of current leads 33, 33 at both ends schematically shown. The configuration of the external load circuit system may be similar to existing circuit systems required for various devices in this type of solar cell utilization technology, and the present invention does not directly limit these. do not have.

In exactly the same way, the solar cell 32 itself may be fabricated using known techniques, and generally consists of a plurality of solar cell segments electrically connected in series or series-parallel on a common substrate. It may be formed into a geometric shape suitable for being housed in the sealed container 31.

The sealed container 31 in this case has an inlet 35 and an outlet 36 for the heating medium at each of its longitudinal ends. In the figure, they are literally shown as mere openings for Wi-Fi ports, but they are preferably connected to an external vibrator in a detachable manner so as to be suitable for the piping process required for the heating medium circulation system, etc., which will be described later. It may have a connector etc. that can do this. The connector may be, for example, one found in water piping systems or something similar thereto, and is not particularly limited, including a simple connection flange structure and the like.

In the sealed container 31, a heat medium 37, represented by an arrow in FIGS. 1 and 2, flows from an inflow [I35] toward an outflow port 36. However, for convenience of explanation, the reference numeral 37 may indicate the heating medium itself or may indicate the flow of the heating medium.

In the illustrated embodiment, an example of circulating the heating medium 37 is shown, and for this purpose, there is a pump section 38 that first feeds the heating medium 37 toward the inlet 35 of the sealed container 31, while the flow of the heating medium 37 is The heating medium 37 discharged from the outlet 36 is used for cooling the heating medium, or as described below.
Further, the thermal energy carried by the heat medium 37 is passed through a heat exchanger 39 for effective use in an external device system (not shown), and then manually supplied to the circulation pump section 38 again.

Furthermore, the output of the pump section 38 and the inlet port 3 of the sealed container 31
A fluorescent particle supply unit 40, which will be described later, is provided in the middle of the heat medium flow path between the heat medium flow path and the heat medium flow path.

However, the heating medium 37 used in such a circulation system is
The material must have as high a transparency as possible against sunlight Ls, be chemically stable, and have no adverse physical, chemical, or electrical effects on the solar cell 32 built into the sealed container 3I. However, such materials include, for example, the product name Therm-S Sl+-2.

Synthetic paraffinic organic solvents called 5H-4, 5ll-6, etc., organic solvents called PS-5, and most commonly silicone oil. .2 The illustrated device operates as follows.

While the heat medium 37 is circulated through the sealed container 31 by the function of the circulation pump part 38, the solar cell 32 built in the sealed container 3I is irradiated with sunlight Ls and photoelectrically converted, the actual In the usage environment, if there is no heating medium 37, the temperature of this solar cell 32 will rise to an extremely high value, and in this embodiment, the heating medium 37 is the surface (front and back) of the solar cell 32. Since the solar cell 32 is constantly flowing while being in direct contact with the solar cell 32, the solar cell 32 can be forcedly cooled efficiently.

According to the applicant's knowledge, although it depends on the configuration of the heat exchanger 39 and circulation system, it is easy to constantly maintain the solar cell temperature at, for example, 60°C or less even under conditions close to practical use as a solar energy conversion device. In the case of the device of the present invention, the disadvantage that the solar cell temperature reaches an extremely high temperature and as a result, the effective conversion efficiency of the solar cell at that temperature decreases significantly can be minimized with the device of the present invention. can.

Moreover, since there are no mechanical interfaces or voids between the heat medium 37 and the solar cells 32 that cause light loss, other inconvenient factors may appear in return for forced cooling. do not have. Of course, depending on the heat medium 37, or if the heat exchanger 39 for the heat medium 37 itself is configured with something that can be called a cooler, it is possible to operate the solar cell at a temperature much lower than the atmospheric environment temperature. It is possible.

In addition, in this embodiment, since a transparent material is used for the sealed container 31, there is no area called an entrance window for sunlight Ls as a particularly geometrically limited area. In an optical sense, the portion where + and s are incident so as to be able to irradiate the solar cells inside the container can be considered as an entrance window.

However, as seen in Embodiments 3.4 and 4, which will be described later, in the first and second embodiments, the container portion above the surface of the solar cell 32 is transparent as it is, and conversely, the sealed container 32 is transparent. It is mainly made of a suitable metal, resin, or other opaque material suitable for maintaining the rigidity of the container, and a part of it is surrounded by a window frame-like part, such as by fitting glass or transparent resin. This literally serves as an entrance window for the sunlight L3, and in a mechanical sense as well, the solar cell 32 built into the sealed container 31 is irradiated with the sunlight Ls through the existing window. It's okay. Regarding this point, the same applies to each embodiment described later.

However, in FIG. 1, in addition to the configuration in which the solar cell 32 is forcibly cooled by the flowing heat medium 37, as described above, in accordance with the most basic idea or configuration of the present invention, as necessary, Solar cell 32 even in sunlight L8
Since a recess 42 is provided to convert light components in a wavelength range that is a relatively low sensitivity region and retain the amount of solar power, when the cock 41 is turned half a turn when necessary, the valve is activated in conjunction with the cock 41. The section also rotates, and only a predetermined amount of fluorescent particles ni present in the recess 42 are thrown into the pipe 44, which is the main path of the heat medium 37, via the branch section 45.

In this way, when the fluorescent particles ni are mixed or dissolved in the heat medium flow flowing in the sealed container 31, the supply section 40
Regardless of its specific mechanical configuration, the point is that it is sufficient to be able to introduce and dissolve a predetermined amount of fluorescent particles nl into the heat medium 37 as necessary, and simply constitute a heat medium flow path. The pipe 44 may be provided with a branch 45 with a stopper 46, and when necessary, the stopper 46 may be removed and the fluorescent particles n may be dropped from there. Also schematically illustrated is a cock 41 that can rotate the valve part, which normally closes the bottom of the storage part 43, by half a turn, and the valve part is provided with a predetermined amount of fluorescent particles nl in the storage part 43 in a steady state. It can be converted into wavelength band light.

For example, as mentioned earlier, the solar cells that have been developed to date, regardless of whether they are crystalline, amorphous, or compound semiconductor, generally have wavelengths longer than 5,500, especially 600.
There is a high sensitivity region between 0 and 7,000 people, but
Sunlight also contains sufficient light components in shorter wavelength bands.

Therefore, as the fluorescent particles n1, a suitable fluorescent substance, for example, G called rhodamine B or rhodamine 6G by trade name
If you choose 2at131N203CI, this substance will mainly absorb energy at a wavelength shorter than green (5500) as excitation energy, and absorb energy at a wavelength lower than that, that is, longer wavelength, from green to red. Since it emits light with a wavelength of about 6,000, it is one of the most suitable fluorescent particles for use in this device.

Of course, the description in L is just an example, and in the case of ZnCd5/Ag, the concentration cannot be made too high, so care must be taken. If the concentration becomes high, problems such as reabsorption between fluorescent particles will occur, so in reality, the appropriate mass concentration of 1- is about 0.001% to 0.1%.

In any case, if fluorescent particles n are further used as described above in the first illustrated system, substantially only the solar cell 32 can be selected from among various fluorescent substances by forced cooling by the heating medium 37. You just have to choose the best one at the time.

Furthermore, fluorescent particles n to be dissolved or mixed into the heating medium 37
, is not limited to one type. If necessary, by using multiple types in combination that do not cause interference or undesirable reactions with each other, it is possible to utilize sunlight energy in a wider wavelength range.

However, in general, the photoelectric conversion efficiency can be increased without mixing the fluorescent particles n into the heating medium 37.

Furthermore, even though the fluorescent particles n1 are used in this way, the maintenance and management of this device is simple. As already mentioned, in the conventional method shown in Figure 5, in which fluorescent particles are confined in a solid member, when the fluorescent particles deteriorate over time, the transparent plate that confines them and, by extension, Whereas even the solar cells had to be replaced with new ones, in the device of the present invention, supplementation can most easily be made by newly replenishing a predetermined amount of fluorescent particles n from the storage section 43.

Furthermore, even if it becomes necessary to remove the degraded fluorescent particles n1, the heating medium 37 can be replaced, and this work is not very difficult using technology that handles this type of fluid, and moreover, it is not necessary to remove the deteriorated fluorescent particles n1. In other words, the heating can be carried out continuously without stopping the flow of the heat medium 37, so that the work can be carried out while the system using the apparatus of the present invention is kept in operation.

Further, unlike in conventional structures, optical interfaces and voids do not occur between the portion holding the fluorescent particles n and the solar cell, and no optical loss occurs due to them.

Above, the case where the device 30 shown in FIG. 1 is basically used as a photoelectric conversion device for solar energy has been explained, but FIG. 1 also shows that the device 30 can be used as a photothermal conversion device. There is.

The heating medium 37 that forcibly cools the solar cell 32 itself acts as a heat collecting medium that carries solar energy as heat. Therefore, if the heat exchanger 39 provided for cooling the heat medium 37 is used as a more active member and a device for heating other objects, the final It is possible to build a system that emits electrical energy.

Since such hot water systems and power generation systems are already well known, it is extremely easy for those skilled in the art to construct their mechanisms using the heat exchanger 39 of the present device 30. In this way, the solar energy conversion device 30 becomes an extremely rational hybrid device that can perform both photoelectric conversion function and photothermal conversion function at the same time. Compared to the hybrid type device, the above-mentioned drawbacks of those conventional devices can be completely eliminated.

Although the present invention does not directly specify the structure of the means for fixing and supporting the solar cell 32 within the sealed container 31, it is desirable as a part of the component of the fixing device. The parts that exhibit the effect are shown in Figure 1.2.
Particularly, they are clearly shown individually in FIG. 2(D).

This is a configuration provided to a support plate 47 that supports the solar cell 32 from below at several locations along its length.

This support plate 47 has an opening 48 that allows the flow of the heat medium 37, but in order to intentionally generate large turbulence in the heat medium flow 37 passing through this opening 48, in this case, the support plate 47 is provided with a tongue portion 49 that projects obliquely upward from the lower edge of the opening.

That is, since this tongue piece portion 49 is provided, the second
As schematically indicated by an arrow 37 in FIG. 3A, sufficient turbulence occurs in the heat medium 37 flowing in the sealed container 31, and this exerts a function of evenly cooling the solar cells 32. Promote its efficiency. As mentioned above, when the present device 30 is used as a hybrid device, the adoption of such a heating medium turbulent flow promoting means 49 improves the efficiency in imparting the thermal energy of sunlight to the heating medium 37. Also maintained.

However, it is obvious that the mechanical and geometrical shape of the heat medium turbulent flow promoting means 49 is not limited to the above-mentioned tongue shape, but can be arbitrarily designed.

The solar energy conversion device 30 of the present invention, which has been variously described in terms of its basic structure, has a plurality of solar energy converters in an exterior case 50 that includes a suitable heat insulating material 51 inside the wall portion, for example as shown in the third figure. They can be put to practical use in a side-by-side arrangement. However, the heat in the figure, that is, the heat medium 37 flowing from the other side to the front side in the sealed container 31 located at the far right end in the figure, is transmitted from the outlet of the container to the U-shaped connection (not shown). After entering the inlet of the sealed container to the left of the sealed container and flowing from the front side to the back in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, the water enters the inlet of the sealed container to the left of By adopting a reciprocating configuration in which the heat medium flows out of the outflow port and flows again into the inflow port of the sealed container on the left via the U-shaped connection part, all of these are added to the flow path system of the heat medium flow 37. Sealed container 31. ... can be inserted in series.

However, in this case, the heating medium 37 itself is heated,
This is desirable when configuring a pipe lid type device that effectively extracts the amount of heat, but when the function required of the heat medium 37 is only or mainly for forced cooling of the solar cell 32, , multiple sealed containers 3
1. It may be desirable to flow the heat medium Mi 7 in parallel with... The temperature rise of each solar cell 32 in each container can be better suppressed to 0. This is because it can be made more homogeneous.

Therefore, in this case, the heat medium flow 37 sent out from the side of the pump section 38 (FIG. 1) is branched using an appropriate branch pipe structure, and each sealed container 31. ...After the contents have been drained, the respective outflow ports may be combined into a single pipe using a mixing pipe structure, and the structure may be configured such that it is sent back to the pump section side.

In addition, in the structure shown in the third figure, in order to effectively utilize the wall portion of the sealed container where sunlight Ls does not enter, and further contribute to improving the conversion efficiency, there is a wall portion on the wall portion of each sealed container 31, . . . A reflective coating 41 is applied to the inner wall surface of the portion where the sunlight Ls does not enter, using a material such as a thin metal film that is chemically and physically stable, has high heat resistance, and has as high a reflection efficiency as possible. This concept can also be applied to the inner wall surface of the outer case 50 if necessary.

In contrast to such embodiments, the implementation shown in the fourth figure, which is shown as an embodiment further including external elements, is implemented so that the 1° sunlight Ls can be reflected and efficiently incident on the solar energy conversion device 30. , each angled at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal or reference plane.

However, in the case of this embodiment, since the structure is such that the sunlight Ls coming from above is reflected and directed upward again,
In the solar energy conversion device 30, the lower part of the sealed container 31 is designed to serve as an entrance window for sunlight Ls, and the upper part is surrounded by a semi-cylindrical exterior case 50 containing a heat insulating material 51. ing. Similar to the third illustrated embodiment, this embodiment can also be developed into a structure in which a plurality of sealed containers 31 are arranged in parallel, and the inner wall surface of the sealed container surrounded by the outer case 50 is coated with a reflective coating. 41 may be added.

Furthermore, in the case shown in the figure, for the sealed container 3I, sunlight LS
The opening of the outer case 50 is open in a horn-like or trumpet-like shape so that the reflected light can easily enter the sealed container 31. If a reflective coating 54 is also applied to this surface, the reflected light will not enter the sealed container 31. It is also possible to reflect the light incident on the surface portion 54 and make it enter the sealed container 31, and in the end, the accumulation of such various detailed considerations will improve the overall solar energy conversion efficiency as a system. It will increase.

Of course, other condensing means, such as a condensing lens, may be adopted, and the device 30, the reflector segment 53, and the condensing lens system may be adapted to follow the movement of the sun, following the known existing sunlight tracking system. It's good to be able to move them together.

[Effects] According to the present invention, forced cooling of solar cells is performed extremely efficiently, and since the structure does not require an interface or a gap between the heat medium and the solar cells, it is difficult to use solar energy in practical use. A sufficiently highly efficient conversion device can be provided.

The overall structure is simple, and since the elements used for forced cooling are heat medium flow, it is easy to handle and handle, and a non-polluting type can be selected.

Furthermore, maintenance and management are extremely easy even when attempting to increase the usage efficiency in view of the wavelength band of sunlight by mixing or dissolving at least one type of fluorescent particle into the heat medium flow. There is no need to replace even parts that are not bad. Replenishing or replacing fluorescent particles is not difficult, but rather easy.

Furthermore, since the heat medium used for cooling solar cells can itself be used as a heat collection medium for solar energy, it is also possible to provide a hybrid solar energy conversion device that combines photoelectric conversion and photothermal conversion. , moreover, its overall efficiency can be made extremely high.

For this reason, this type of solar energy conversion device system is superior in that it does not pollute the atmospheric environment, and should be widely adopted on a global scale in the future. There is no doubt that the present invention will be of great help.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a basic embodiment of a solar energy conversion device constructed according to the present invention. FIG. 2 (8) is a longitudinal sectional view of the first illustrated device. FIG. 2(B) is a horizontal sectional view of the first illustrated device. FIG. 2(C) is a cross-sectional view taken along the cross-sectional line CC in FIG. 2(A). FIG. 2(D) is a perspective view of a configuration example of the heat medium turbulence promoting means. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a practical embodiment of the solar energy conversion device of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of still another practical embodiment of the solar energy conversion device of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional example of a photoelectric conversion device having a wavelength conversion function using fluorescent particles. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional example that enables photothermal conversion in addition to photoelectric conversion. It is. In the figure, 30 is the solar energy conversion device according to the present invention as a whole, 31 is a sealed container, 32 is a solar cell, 37 is a heat medium or heat medium flow, 38 is a pump section, 39 is a heat exchanger, 4
0 is a fluorescent particle supply unit, 41 and 54 are reflective coatings, 49 is a heating medium turbulent flow promoting means exemplified as a tongue piece, and 5
0 is an exterior case, and 53 is a reflecting mirror segment.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A sealed container having at least a part of the window through which sunlight can enter; a flow provided in the sealed container that causes a heat medium in a fluid state and made of a material that allows sunlight to pass through to flow into the sealed container; an inlet and an outlet for discharging the air from the sealed container; a solar cell provided in the sealed container at a position that is thermally coupled to the heat medium flow and exposed to the sunlight incident through the window; A solar energy conversion device comprising; (2) In order to create appropriate turbulence in the heat medium flow flowing inside the sealed container, the shape of the heat medium turbulence is promoted to disturb the direction of the flow of the heat medium flowing from the inlet to the outlet. The solar energy conversion device according to claim 1, further comprising: means. (3) In the heat medium flow flowing into the sealed container, at least part of the wavelength range of the wavelength range of sunlight that is out of the relatively high sensitivity range of the solar cell is The solar energy conversion device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that one or more types of fluorescent particles that convert to a wavelength in a sensitivity range are mixed therein. (4) In order to use the heat medium flowing in the sealed container as a heat collecting medium, a heat exchanger is installed outside the sealed container to take out the amount of heat collected by the heat collecting medium. The solar energy conversion device according to any one of claims (1) to (3), characterized in that it has a photothermal conversion function in addition to a conversion function.