KR102511065B1 - solar power generation unit and system - Google Patents

Abstract

A solar power unit and system are disclosed. Unit: A solar panel that generates power by light waves; and at least one optical fiber disposed facing the solar panel and including a core through which light travels and a clad surrounding the core, and at least one lens injecting external light into the optical fiber. If included, the optical fiber: is a light injection region in which one or more light injection windows are formed in which light from the outside passes through the cladding to expose the core. a light output region facing the solar panel and having at least one light output window through which the core is exposed through the cladding; includes

Description

Solar power generation unit and system {solar power generation unit and system}

One or more embodiments relate to a photovoltaic power generation unit and an optical system using light energy, and in detail, by applying a light transport medium in which a plurality of lenses are provided in a light receiving area of an optical fiber, sunlight with high light utilization efficiency It relates to power generation units and systems.

Photovoltaic power generation using sunlight, which is an infinite energy source, uses a panel or sheet in which a plurality of solar cells are provided in a structure on which high-energy sunlight is incident. Such a photovoltaic power generation system does not have high photoelectric conversion efficiency and therefore requires a very wide installation area for large-capacity power generation.

Sunlight has a very wide range of wavelengths, including a visible ray range of 400 to 700 nm. The intensity of this aspect is not constant for each wavelength band. Currently, high-purity crystalline silicon-based solar panels commonly used in photovoltaic power generation absorb only about 90% of a wavelength range of 500 to 850 nm, and have low efficiency or almost no absorption for other wavelengths.

The solar panel unit of the photovoltaic power generation system is divided into a direct method in which sunlight directly reaches the plane of the solar panel to directly illuminate the solar panel, and a condensing method in which a reflecting mirror or condensing lens is used in the solar panel. The direct method is mainly applied to solar power generation facilities installed on the roof of a building or on the ground, but this method is less efficient than the concentrating method using lenses or mirrors. A light concentrating method that compensates for the drawbacks of the direct method must include a complex optical structure and a structure supporting the same. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of these conventional methods is high, and the lifetime shortening of the solar panel due to the high intensity of light cannot be avoided.

An optical fiber is an optical transmission medium used for various purposes such as optical communication, solar power generation, and plant cultivation. Light transmission is incident and emitted through facets provided at both ends of the optical fiber.

Such an optical fiber includes a core through which light travels and a clad in the form of a thin film surrounding the core. Depending on the type of application, a single optical fiber may be used, or in a solar power generation or plant cultivation system, optical fibers may be used in the form of a bundle to transmit a large amount of light energy.

The size of the light energy through the optical fiber is determined by the light energy incident on the optical fiber, and a general method of incident light energy is to focus the incident light on the mirror surface of the optical fiber using a lens having a wide light incident area ( converging).

In a photovoltaic power generation system using such an optical fiber, it is desirable to study a method of increasing light utilization efficiency by increasing the amount of light received through the optical fiber.

One or more embodiments provide a photovoltaic power generation unit and system using a light transport medium capable of supplying high-energy light with a greatly enlarged light incident area.

One or more embodiments provide a photovoltaic power generation unit and system using a light transport medium capable of increasing an incident amount of light per unit area of an optical fiber.

According to one or more embodiments,

Solar power unit: a

Solar panels that generate power by light waves; and

At least one optical fiber disposed facing the solar panel and including a core through which light travels and a clad surrounding the core, and at least one lens for injecting external light into the optical fiber An optical transmission medium comprising; including,

The optical fiber:

a light injection region formed with one or more light injection windows through which light from the outside passes through the clad to expose the core; and

a light output region facing the solar panel and having at least one light output window through which the core is exposed through the cladding; Including,

The lens is installed in the light injection window to inject light incident from the outside into the core through the light injection window.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments, a plurality of optical fibers may be arranged parallel to the solar panel, and light emission windows of the optical fibers may be disposed toward the solar panel.

In one or more exemplary embodiments, the plurality of optical fibers disposed parallel to the solar panel may be supported by an optical fiber support panel having a groove-shaped optical fiber fixing groove.

According to one or more embodiments, a plurality of light injection windows may be formed around the light injection area of the light fire in the light injection area.

According to one or more embodiments, one light injection window and one lens may be disposed on one straight line orthogonal to the central axis of the core.

According to one or more embodiments, in the light injection region, the light injection window may be provided at an end of the core, and the lens may be installed in the light injection window at an end of the core.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments, the lens includes a condensing part through which external light is incident and a wedge-shaped light injecting part implanted into the core on a bottom surface of the condensing part, and the wedge-shaped light injecting part is provided in the light injection window. A light injection unit accommodating groove corresponding to the unit may be formed.

According to one or more embodiments, the lens includes a condensing part through which light from the outside is incident and a wedge-shaped light injecting part provided on a bottom surface of the condensing part and injecting light from the condensing part into a core, and the light injection In the region, the light injection window is provided on at least one outer circumferential surface, and a front end of the wedge-shaped light injection part is spaced apart from the center of the core.

According to one or more embodiments, a plurality of optical fibers may be integrated to form an optical fiber bundle.

According to one or more embodiments,

a light transport medium provided with a light injection area and a light emission area on one side and the other side;

a tube type housing having an inner space in which the light emitting area is located; and

A power generation part including a solar panel provided on at least one side inside the housing and generating power by light waves incident from a light emission area of the optical fiber; and

The optical transport medium:

An optical fiber including a core through which light travels and a clad surrounding the core;

A light injection region and a light output region are defined on one side and the other side of the optical fiber, and a core is exposed at the bottom through the clad by being provided in the light injection region. at least one light injection window; and

A photovoltaic power generation unit including a lens mounted on the light injection window and injecting light incident from the outside into the core through the light injection window is provided.

According to one or more embodiments,

Including; a plurality of integrated photovoltaic power generation units,

The photovoltaic power generation unit:

an optical fiber having light injection areas and light emission areas provided on one side and the other side;

a tube type housing having an inner space in which the light emitting area is located; and

A power generation part including a solar panel provided on at least one side of the housing and configured to generate power by light waves incident from a light emission area of the optical fiber;

The optical transport medium:

An optical fiber including a core through which light travels and a clad surrounding the core;

A light injection region and a light output region are defined on one side and the other side of the optical fiber, and a core is exposed at the bottom through the clad by being provided in the light injection region. at least one light injection window; and

To be mounted on the light injection window, a lens for injecting light incident from the outside into the core through the light injection window; provided with a photovoltaic power generation system is provided.

According to one or more embodiments, the housing has a plurality of walls surrounding the light emitting area of the optical fiber, and the optical fiber is located in at least one of a plurality of corners in the center of the inner space or between the walls, A solar panel through which light from the optical fiber is incident may be formed or installed on at least one of the plurality of walls.

According to one or more embodiments, the inner space of the tube-shaped housing that surrounds the inner space of the housing has a wavy inner wall, and a solar panel may be formed on the inner wall.

According to one or more embodiments, a rib supporting an optical fiber may be formed on an inner wall of the housing, and a solar panel may be formed on the inner wall of the housing and a side surface of the rib.

According to one or more embodiments, the housing may have an inner wall corrugated in a wavy shape, the solar panel may be formed on the inner wall, and the optical fiber may be spaced apart from the inner wall.

According to one or more embodiments, the light exit window may be provided by a continuous or discontinuous groove formed in a spiral shape on an outer circumferential surface of the optical fiber.

According to one or more embodiments, an optical fiber in which a light injection region at one end is defined and a plurality of lenses are implanted therein, and a photovoltaic power generation unit and system applying the optical fiber are provided. An optical fiber into which a plurality of lenses are implanted can be used for various purposes. The power generation unit has a structure in which solar panels are disposed around one space in which one or more optical fibers are located. A plurality of bar-shaped photovoltaic power generation units can be three-dimensionally integrated, enabling large-capacity power generation in a small space, and the main body of the power generation system excluding the light incident surface can be installed indoors. According to such a photovoltaic power generation unit, it is possible to popularly distribute a large-capacity photovoltaic power plant and a medium- and small-sized power generation system while significantly lowering mobility, cost, and installation area. In particular, in order to secure a considerable area when installing a conventional photovoltaic power plant, it is possible to innovatively improve the increase in management cost due to environmental destruction and lifespan degradation due to changes in the surrounding environment. Furthermore, it has the effect of being widely used in application fields such as household solar electricity, solar power generation in areas where it is difficult to secure a site, space engineering, large ships, electric vehicles, and portable electric products.

1 is a perspective view showing an optical transport medium applied to one or more embodiments.
Fig. 2A is a longitudinal sectional view of the light injection region of the optical fiber shown in Fig. 1;
Fig. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the light injection region of the optical fiber shown in Fig. 1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view explaining the arrangement of lenses in the light transport medium shown in FIG. 1;
4 illustrates another variant of a lens according to one or more embodiments.
5 illustrates another variant of a lens according to one or more embodiments.
FIG. 6 partially illustrates a light injection region of another type of light transport medium to which a lens of the type shown in FIG. 5 is applied.
Fig. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the light transport medium shown in Fig. 6;
FIG. 8 partially illustrates a light injection region of another type of light transport medium to which a lens of the type shown in FIG. 5 is applied.
Fig. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of the light transport medium shown in Fig. 8;
10 illustrates a light transport medium having a light injection region Ri and a light exit region Ro, according to one or more embodiments.
Fig. 11A is a longitudinal sectional view of the light exit region Ro of the light transport medium shown in Fig. 10;
FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view of the light output area Ro of the optical fiber shown in FIG. 10;
12 illustrates a structure in which an optical filter is provided in a light emission area of an optical transport medium according to one or more embodiments.
13A-13C illustrate various types of optical beams and transport media according to one or more embodiments.
Fig. 14 is a schematic perspective view showing a power generation unit to which an optical transport medium according to one or more embodiments described above is applied.
Fig. 15 is a sectional view along line II of Fig. 9 showing the relationship between an optical fiber and a solar panel.
16 schematically illustrates a photovoltaic power generation unit in the form of a square bar according to one or more other embodiments.
Fig. 17 is a sectional view along line II-II of Fig. 11;
Fig. 18 is a three-dimensional view of the cross-sectional structure shown in Fig. 12;
19A shows a partial structure of a photovoltaic power generation unit in which a plurality of optical fibers are installed inside a rectangular housing according to one or more embodiments.
19B shows a partial structure of a photovoltaic power generation unit in which a plurality of optical fibers are installed inside a rectangular housing according to one or more embodiments.
20 is a three-dimensional view of a schematic housing internal structure of a photovoltaic power generation unit according to one or more embodiments.
Fig. 21 is a sectional view along line III-III of Fig. 20;
22 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional structure of a cylindrical housing of a photovoltaic unit according to one or more embodiments.
Fig. 23 schematically shows a solar power generation structure of a power generation system by a plurality of photovoltaic power units.
Fig. 24 partially shows the lower part of the solar power generation structure shown in Fig. 23;
25 illustrates an optical transmission medium according to another embodiment.
Fig. 26 shows an example of a photovoltaic power generation unit using the optical transmission medium shown in Fig. 25;
Fig. 27 is a diagram illustrating arrangement of optical fibers and light incidence to a solar panel.
Fig. 28 illustrates a support panel for fixing a light transport medium to a solar panel.
29 illustrates a photovoltaic power generation system in which a plurality of photovoltaic power generation units shown in FIGS. 26 to 28 are integrated.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the concept of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, embodiments of the inventive concept may be modified in many different forms, and the scope of the inventive concept should not be construed as being limited due to the embodiments described below. Embodiments of the inventive concept are preferably interpreted as being provided to more completely explain the inventive concept to those with average knowledge in the art. The same sign means the same element throughout. Further, various elements and areas in the drawings are schematically drawn. Accordingly, the inventive concept is not limited by the relative size or spacing drawn in the accompanying drawings.

Terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. These terms are only used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, a first element may be termed a second element, and conversely, a second element may be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the inventive concept.

Terms used in this application are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the concept of the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, the expression "comprises" or "has" is intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features or It should be understood that the presence or addition of a number, operation, component, part, or combination thereof is not precluded.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical terms and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the concept of the present invention belongs. In addition, commonly used terms as defined in the dictionary should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with what they mean in the context of the technology to which they relate, and in an overly formal sense unless explicitly defined herein. It will be understood that it should not be interpreted.

When an embodiment is otherwise embodied, a specific process sequence may be performed differently from the described sequence. For example, two processes described in succession may be performed substantially simultaneously, or may be performed in an order reverse to the order described.

In the accompanying drawings, variations of the shapes shown may be expected, eg depending on manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the specific shape of the region shown in this specification, but should include, for example, a change in shape resulting from the manufacturing process. All terms “and/or” as used herein include each and all combinations of one or more of the recited elements. Also, the term "substrate" used herein may mean a substrate itself or a laminated structure including a substrate and a predetermined layer or film formed on a surface of the substrate. Also, in this specification, the term "surface of the substrate" may refer to an exposed surface of the substrate itself or an outer surface of a layer or film formed on the substrate. In addition, what is described as "on top" or "on" may include not only what is directly on top of contact but also what is on top of non-contact.

The solar panel or solar cell of the power generation unit applied to exemplary embodiments described below is not limited to a specific structure. That is, the solar panel applied to one or more embodiments can be replaced with any type of photoelectric conversion device or photoelectric conversion element that generates electricity by light waves.

According to preferred embodiments, the power generation unit may include a solid solar panel including a substrate made of a hard material or a flexible solar panel including a flexible substrate. According to another embodiment, the power generation unit may include an organic polymer or inorganic semiconductor solar cell. According to another embodiment, the power generation unit may include an amorphous or polycrystalline silicon-based solar panel. According to one or more embodiments, the power generation unit may include an organic polymer or inorganic compound photoelectric conversion material formed on a flexible metal or inorganic film substrate. According to one or more embodiments, the power generation unit may include a perovskite solar panel or a dye-sensitized solar panel. According to one or more embodiments, the power generation unit may include a photoelectric conversion structure formed directly on the inner wall of the housing or separately manufactured and attached, and the solar panel or solar cell mentioned in the following description has a specific structure as above. Of course, it is not limited to.

First, various types of optical transmission media 110 applied in one or more embodiments will be described.

1 illustrates an optical transport medium 110 including an optical fiber 11 in the form of a thread or wire and a lens 20 mounted thereto, which is applied to a photovoltaic device according to an embodiment. A light injection region Ri and a light emission region Ro are defined in the optical fiber of the optical transport medium. In Fig. 1, "A" represents the light injection region Ri of the optical fiber 11 into which a plurality of lenses 20 are implanted. The optical fiber 11 includes a central core 11a and a clad 11b covering it. The optical fiber 11 guides the light incident through the lens 20 of the light injection region Ri through the core 11a in the opposite direction. The lens 20 is formed at the periphery or end of the optical fiber 11 in the light injection region Ri, or at the periphery and end of the optical fiber 11 . Meanwhile, as shown enlarged at “B” in FIG. 1, the light emitting area Ro is formed with a plurality of light emitting windows 11d formed through the clad 11b, through which sunlight passes through the clad. Through this, it exits to the outside of the optical fiber 11, which will be described in detail later.

2A is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the light injection region Ri in the optical fiber 11, and FIG. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion to which a lens 20 is attached. Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a light injection window 11c in which a lens 20 is mounted is formed in the light injection region Ri of the optical fiber 11, and the optical fiber (11c) 11) penetrates the outer shell, that is, the clad 11b, and is formed such that the surface of the core 11a is exposed on the bottom thereof. The light injection region Ri includes not only the outer circumferential surface of the optical fiber but also its cross section or facet. Here, the surface or end surface of the core exposed to the bottom of the light injection window 11c may be processed to correspond to the bottom surface of the lens 20 . In the light injection window 11c, the lens 20 is coupled to one side of the core 11a by an optical adhesive 21.

Therefore, the light 1 from the outside in the light injection region Ri is injected into the core 11a through the plurality of lenses 20, and the light injected into the core 11a follows the core 11a. to escape Here, the core end or the mirror surface at the side of the light injection region Ri may be optically closed by a light blocking material or component, and according to another embodiment, the lens 20 may be mounted.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3, in disposing the lens 20 on the outer circumferential surface of the optical fiber 11, the adjacent lenses 20 do not face each other with the center 11a' of the core 11a. It is preferable that they are staggeredly attached to each other. When two lenses 20 adjacent to each other around the core 11a face each other, light incident through one lens 20 may escape through the other lens 20. Therefore, in order to prevent this, the lenses are staggered It is preferable to place

4 illustrates various types of lenses applied to light transport media according to one or more embodiments.

The lens shown in (a) of FIG. 4 has a hemispherical or dome-shaped curved surface, the lens shown in (b) is perfectly spherical, and the lens shown in (c) is conical. Lenses according to one or more exemplary embodiments may be modified or modified in more diverse forms, and the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited by a specific lens type.

As described above, the optical fiber 11 having the light injection region Ri provided with the plurality of lenses 20 can be used for various purposes, such as lighting systems for automobiles, light source devices for greenhouses, display devices, and solar power generation systems. and its use can be further expanded.

5 illustrates a new type of lens 20 that has been modified according to one or more embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 5, the lens 20 has a hemispherical concentrating portion 21 on which light is incident and a wedge provided on the lower surface of the concentrating portion 21 to inject light from the concentrating portion 21 into the core 11a. It includes a fluorescence injection unit 22.

6 and 8 show various application examples of the lens 20 having the cone-shaped wedge-shaped light injecting portion 22 as described above, and FIGS. 7 and 9 are cross-sectional views of FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively. .

6 and 7 show a structure in which the lens 20 is installed only on the end surface or mirror surface of the optical fiber 11. A light injection window 11c is formed on the mirror surface of the optical fiber 11, and a light injection part accommodating groove 11c' extending deep along the axis of the core 11a is formed at the bottom thereof. According to this structure, the light 1 can be deeply injected into the core through the lens 20 provided at the end of the optical fiber 11 . Here, the length of the light injecting part 22 provided under the lens 20 will be adjusted according to optical conditions, mechanically or if the processing technology of the optical fiber lens and optical fiber permits. It is preferable to extend as much as possible within the range.

8 and 9 illustrate an optical transport medium 110 having a structure formed not only on the end surface of the optical fiber 11 but also on the side surface. A plurality of lenses 20 are installed on the mirror surface and the outer surface of the optical fiber 11 . A light injection window 11c is formed on the mirror surface of the optical fiber 11, and a light injection part accommodating groove 11c' extending deep along the axis of the core 11a is formed at the bottom thereof. Also, a plurality of light injection windows 11c are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the optical fiber 11, and at this time, the light injection unit receiving groove formed in the core 11a extends to close to the center of the core 11a. In order to suppress obstruction of light propagation through the center, it must be spaced a predetermined distance (x) from the center of the core.

Meanwhile, in the optical transport medium 110 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the lens 20 disposed on the end face of the optical fiber 11 may be excluded, and in this case, the end face of the optical fiber 11 is optically blocked. It can be.

Fig. 10 schematically once again illustrates a light transport medium having a light injection region Ri and a light exit region Ro according to another embodiment, wherein Fig. 11a is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the light exit region Ro, and Fig. 11b is a It is a cross-sectional view of the light outgoing region Ro.

Referring to FIG. 10, an optical fiber 11 including a core 11a and a clad 11b has a plurality of lenses 20 into which light 1 is incident, as described above, on one side of various embodiments as described above. It includes a light injection region (Ri) disposed according to, and a light exit region (Ro) is provided on the other side. In the light emitting region Ro, a light emitting window 11d is formed in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber in a direction surrounding the main surface of the optical fiber. At this time, the light injection region Ri and the light emission region Ro may be adjacent to each other or spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

11A and 11B are longitudinal and cross-sectional views of the light exit area Ro showing the structure of the light exit window 11d. As shown in Figs. 11A and 11B, the light exit window 11d has a through-hole structure penetrating the clad 11b, and the surface of the core 11a is exposed at the bottom thereof.

In the optical fiber 11 having this structure, the light 1 travels along the core 11a covered by the clad 11b. The clad 11b confines the light wave 1 in the core 11a through interfacial reflection and guides the light 1 to propagate along the core 11a. The surface of the core 11a is exposed at the bottom or bottom of the light exit window 11d formed on the clad 11b in the emission region Ro, and thus the light 1 traveling through the core 11a is exposed in this portion. A part of it escapes to the outside through the light exit window 11d.

12 conceptually illustrates a structure in which an optical filter 11e passing or blocking a specific wavelength is provided in the light emission region 11d of the optical fiber 11 according to one or more embodiments. That is, the light transport medium 110 according to one or more exemplary embodiments may apply a filter that selects or blocks a specific wavelength among specific light components from light waves passing through the light emission window 11d. That is, the light transport medium 110 according to one or more embodiments may apply the above-described optical filter structure to the light injection region in various forms. In addition, in the optical fiber according to one or more embodiments, a core protective coating layer protecting the core may be applied to the light injection region along with the filter or in place of the filter in various forms.

The optical filter 11e or the protective coating layer in the form of a filter replacing it can be deformed into various forms and can be mounted as a separate part on the light emitting area 11d. According to another embodiment, the light emitting area ( A desired wavelength selection filter may be formed by coating a filter material for 11d), and the core protective coating layer may be formed by coating a transparent material layer protecting the core. In the following description of the embodiment, for convenience, the filter is not mentioned and is not shown in the drawings.

13A, 13B, and 13C illustrate the optical transport medium 110 in which the light exit portion 11d formed in the clad 11b of the optical fiber 11 is formed in a spiral or spiral shape. The spiral light output portion 11d' is formed by grooves formed in a spiral shape while going around the outer circumferential surface of the optical fiber 11, so that light traveling inside the core is emitted to the outside through the spiral shaped groove. be able to The grooves may be continuously formed on the entire outer circumferential surface of the optical fiber or may be partially disconnected and formed discontinuously on the clad. However, it goes without saying that various embodiments are not technically limited by a specific structure or shape of a light exit window formed in a clad.

14 is a schematic perspective view showing a power generation unit to which the optical transport medium 110 is applied, as one application example of the optical transport medium 110 according to various embodiments as described above, and FIG. 15 is an optical fiber and solar It is an I-I line cross section showing the relationship of the panels.

14 and 15, the optical fiber 11 of the optical transport medium 110 has a light injection region Ri and a light emission region Ro. A power generation unit by a plurality of solar panels 30 is disposed around the light exit area Ro in which a plurality of light exit windows 11d are formed.

The light wave 1 is injected into the core 11a of the optical fiber 11 through the plurality of lenses 2 in the light injection region Ri, and the light wave 1 traveling through the core 11a in the light emission region Ro ) passes through the light exit window 11d formed in the clad 11b covering the core 11a.

The light exit window 11d of the light exit region Ro is formed by partially removing the clad 11b, and the core 11a is exposed at the bottom thereof. In this embodiment, corresponding to the four solar panels 30 arranged in four directions, the light emitting portion 11d of the optical fiber 11 is radially formed in four directions.

The solar panels 30 are disposed on the light wave traveling path from the light emission window 11d of the optical fiber 11 . The number of solar panels 30 is not limited, and according to another embodiment, two, three, four, or more are provided so that the light emitting area of the optical fiber 11 is partially or entirely the solar panel ( 30) can be surrounded by In addition, according to another exemplary embodiment, the solar panel 30 is to be installed inside the housing 12 having a triangular pillar, square pillar, or polygonal pillar shape having a plurality of walls 12a surrounding the optical fiber 11 can

The optical fiber 11 is installed in the housing 12 or an inner space provided by a plurality of solar panels 30 inside the housing 12 to supply light 1 to all the solar panels 30 .

According to another embodiment, the light emitting part 11d of the optical fiber 11 may have a structure of a spiral light emitting part 11d' as described above. As mentioned in the description of FIGS. 13A to 13C , the spiral type light emitting portion 11d' may be formed by spirally forming grooves on the outer circumferential surface of the optical fiber 11 . The grooves may be continuously formed on the entire outer circumferential surface of the optical fiber or may be partially disconnected and formed discontinuously on the clad. However, it goes without saying that various embodiments are not technically limited by a specific structure or shape of a light exit window formed in a clad.

16 schematically shows a photovoltaic power generation unit in the form of a square bar according to a more specific embodiment.

The photovoltaic power generation unit 10 shown in FIG. 16 includes a housing 12 having a plurality of walls 12a forming an internal space in which the light emitting region Ro of the optical fiber 11 is embedded. Inside the housing 12, as mentioned in the description of FIGS. 9 and 10, one or more solar panels 30 partially or wholly enclosing the light emission region Ro of the optical fiber 11 are disposed.

Sealing members or end caps 13 and 14 are coupled to both ends of the housing 12, and an optical fiber 11 passes through one end cap 13. In the end caps 13 and 14, the inner space of the housing 12 is isolated from the outside and may be in a vacuum state. The inner space of the housing 12 in a vacuum state prevents light scattering or absorption by moisture or foreign substances, thereby increasing light use efficiency for power generation.

Fig. 17 is a II-II cross-sectional view of Fig. 16, and Fig. 18 shows the cross-sectional structure shown in Fig. 17 in three dimensions.

As shown in FIGS. 16, 17, and 18, the housing 12 has the shape of a square bar having a square cross section, and the light emitting area of the optical fiber 11 is located in the center, and the light injection area is is omitted. Diagonal ribs 12a extending from four inner corners of the housing 12 toward the inner center thereof extend a predetermined length to support the optical fiber 11 provided in the inner center of the housing 12 . Then, the solar panel 30 is installed on each inner surface of the four walls 12a inside the housing 12 .

The solar panel 30 is not limited by a specific material or structure, and may be installed on the inner wall of the housing 12 as a complete body formed on a separate substrate, and according to another embodiment, the housing ( 12) may be formed by coating the photoelectric conversion material and the electrodes on both sides of the inner wall itself.

19A and 19B show a partial structure of a photovoltaic power generation unit in which a plurality of optical fibers are installed inside a square or triangular housing according to another embodiment.

Referring to FIGS. 19A and 19B , a solar panel 30 is installed or formed on the inner wall of the housing 12 in the shape of a hollow quadrangular or triangular rod with a hollow center. In addition, the light transport medium 110 is installed at the four and three corners of the inner side of the housing 12, and the light injection area is omitted for convenience. In this structure, as shown in FIG. 11, an optical fiber 11 having a light exit window 11d through which light waves are emitted in only one direction is applied. At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, the optical fiber 11 directs the light outgoing direction (arrow) toward the inner space of the housing 12, and at this time, directs the light outgoing direction to the inner center (solid arrow) or two opposite sides away from it. It can be oriented to face either of the solar panels (dashed arrow).

20 is a schematic three-dimensional view of the internal structure of a housing of a photovoltaic power generation unit according to another embodiment, and FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 20 .

20 and 21, the housing 15 has the shape of a circular or elliptical pipe or tube, and at its inner center a plurality of ribs 15a extending from the inner wall of the housing 15 toward the center thereof. The light transport medium 110 supported by the is located, and the solar panel 33 is attached or formed on the inner surface of the housing 15. The solar panel 30 may be formed directly on the inner wall of the housing 15 as a laminated structure including a photoelectric conversion material and electrodes on the inner wall itself, and according to another embodiment, a flexible solar panel based on a flexible film Panels can be replaced. In this embodiment, the difference in travel distance of light waves from the optical fiber 11 of the light transport medium 110 for each part of the solar panel is smaller than the difference in travel distance in the photovoltaic power generation unit of the rectangular housing of the above-described embodiment.

22 schematically illustrates the structure of a housing of a photovoltaic unit according to another embodiment. The housing 16 in this embodiment has a hollow cylindrical shape, and an inner wall 16a having a corrugated shape is formed therein. Therefore, in the cross-section of the housing, the space inside the housing has a corrugated wavy or star shape. According to this structure, therefore, the corrugated inner wall 16a has a greatly expanded area.

A photoelectric conversion structure for solar power generation may be stacked on the corrugated inner wall 16a, and one or more light transport media 110 of various types described above may be installed therein.

In addition, the protruding portion of the corrugated inner wall can support the optical fiber of the optical transport medium located in the central region of the inner space.

FIG. 23 schematically shows a solar power generation structure of a power generation system by a plurality of photovoltaic power units, and FIG. 24 partially shows a lower portion of the solar power generation structure shown in FIG.

Referring to FIGS. 23 and 24, a plurality of photovoltaic power generation units 10 aligned in one direction (up and down in the drawing) are densely arranged two-dimensionally on one plane. The photovoltaic power generation unit 10 includes a square tube-shaped housing 12 and an optical fiber 11 in which a light emitting area Ro on one side is located inside the housing 12 . And, outer ends of the optical fibers 11, that is, light injection regions Ri where light injection occurs, are arranged side by side. A large number of photovoltaic power generation units 10 are concentrated in two directions to implement a large-scale solar power generation structure 40 .

In the solar power generation structure shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the light injection regions Ri of countless optical fibers 11 provided thereon are bundled into one or a plurality of bundles, and each optical fiber of each bundle Sunlight, that is, light waves are injected into the cores of all the optical fibers through the light injection lenses of the plurality of parallel light injection regions Ri. The feature of this structure is that there is no optical device such as a separate condensing lens, and the light wave is directly received through the optical fiber itself.

25 illustrates an optical transmission medium 110 according to another embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 25, the optical fiber 11 including the core 11a and the clad 11b has a plurality of lenses 20 into which light 1 is incident, as described above, on one side of various embodiments as described above. It includes a light injection region (Ri) disposed according to, and a light exit region (Ro) is provided on the other side. Unlike the structure described with reference to FIG. 10, etc., the light exit area Ro has a light exit window 11d along one line extending from the outer circumferential surface of the clad 11b in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber 11. are placed

FIG. 26 shows an example of a photovoltaic power generation unit using the optical transmission medium 110 shown in FIG. 25, and FIG. 27 shows the arrangement of optical fibers 11 relative to the solar panel 30 and light incidence to the solar panel. It is a drawing illustrating.

As shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, a plurality of optical fibers 11 are arranged side by side with respect to a light incident plane of one solar panel 30. A plurality of light exit windows 11d formed in the optical fiber 11 face the solar panel 30 .

In addition to the above structure, as shown in FIG. 28, in order to stably fix and support the plurality of optical fibers 11 arranged side by side, a ditch-shaped fixing groove 41 surrounding the lower portion of the optical fibers 11 at a predetermined height. ) It is possible to apply the support panel 40 having. When such a support panel 40 is used, if it is easy to align the optical fibers 11 with respect to the solar panel 30, it is advantageous to stack a plurality of solar power units in a power generation system described later.

29 illustrates a photovoltaic power generation system in which multiple photovoltaic power generation units having the structure shown in FIGS. 25 to 28 are aggregated.

As shown in FIG. 29, the solar panel 30 and the support panel 40 are alternately arranged to form a multi-sandwich structure, and the optical fiber or light transport medium is connected to the fixing groove 41 of the support panel 40. ) It is fixed between the support panel 40 and the solar panel 30 in a state of being inserted.

In the solar power generation system shown in FIG. 29, the light injection regions Ri of countless optical fibers 11 provided thereon are bundled into one or a plurality of bundles, and a plurality of optical fibers provided in each bundle Sunlight, that is, light waves are injected into the cores of all optical fibers through light injection lenses of a plurality of parallel light injection regions Ri. The feature of this structure is that there is no optical device such as a separate condensing lens, and the light wave is directly received through the optical fiber itself.

In the above embodiments, a well-known perovskite solar panel or cell may be applied to the solar panel of the photovoltaic unit. Perovskite solar panels or solar cells contain perovskite structural compounds.

Although shown and described in relation to specific embodiments in the present disclosure, it is known in the art that the present invention can be variously improved and changed without departing from the spirit or field of the present invention provided by the claims below. I would like to make it clear that those with ordinary knowledge can easily know.

Claims (25)

Solar panels that generate power by light waves; and
Disposed to face the solar panel, at least one optical fiber including a core through which light travels and a clad surrounding the core and injecting external light into the at least one optical fiber In the photovoltaic unit comprising a; light transmission medium including at least one lens,
The optical fiber:
a light injection region formed with one or more light injection windows through which light from the outside passes through the clad to expose the core; and
a light output region facing the solar panel and having at least one light output window through which the core is exposed through the cladding; Including,
The photovoltaic power generation unit, wherein the lens is installed in a light injection window to inject light incident from the outside into the core through the light injection window, and is arranged offset from each other around the core on an outer circumferential surface of the optical fiber. According to claim 1,
A photovoltaic power generation unit in which an optical filter or a core protective coating layer is provided in a plurality of light emitting windows penetrating the cladding in the light emitting area. According to claim 1,
The light emission window is provided by a continuous or discontinuous groove formed in a spiral shape on the outer circumferential surface of the optical fiber. delete According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
In the light injection region, the light injection window is provided at an end of the core, and the lens is installed in the light injection window at an end of the core. According to claim 5,
The photovoltaic unit of claim 1 , wherein the lens includes a concentrating part through which light from the outside is incident, and a wedge-shaped light injecting part provided on a lower surface of the concentrating part and injecting light from the concentrating part into a core. According to claim 6,
The photovoltaic power generation unit, wherein a light injection unit accommodating groove corresponding to the wedge-shaped light injection unit is formed in the light injection window of the optical fiber. According to claim 7,
The photovoltaic power generation unit of claim 1 , wherein the receiving groove is formed at one end of the optical fiber and extends in a longitudinal direction of the core. According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The photovoltaic power generation unit of claim 1 , wherein the lens is provided with a light collecting part through which light from the outside is incident, and a wedge-shaped light injection part provided on a bottom surface of the light collecting part and injecting light from the light collecting part into the core. According to claim 9,
The lens includes a condensing part through which light from the outside is incident and a wedge-shaped light injecting part provided on a bottom surface of the condensing part and injecting light from the condensing part into a core,
The photovoltaic power generation unit corresponding to the light injection unit, wherein an accommodation groove extending in a longitudinal direction of the core is formed at one end of the optical fiber. According to any one of claims 1 or 3,
The lens includes a condensing part through which light from the outside is incident and a wedge-shaped light injecting part provided on a bottom surface of the condensing part and injecting light from the condensing part into a core, and
The photovoltaic power generation unit of claim 1 , wherein the light injection window is provided on at least one outer circumferential surface of the light injection region, and a front end of the wedge-shaped light injection part is spaced apart from the center of the core. According to claim 11,
The lens includes a condensing part through which light from the outside is incident and a wedge-shaped light injecting part provided on a bottom surface of the condensing part and injecting light from the condensing part into a core,
The photovoltaic power generation unit corresponding to the wedge-shaped light injecting part, wherein an accommodation groove extending in a longitudinal direction of the core is formed at one end of the optical fiber. delete According to claim 1,
A photovoltaic power generation unit, wherein a plurality of optical fibers are arranged parallel to the solar panel on a plane, and a light exit window formed on a cladding of the optical fibers faces the solar panel. According to claim 1 or 2,
A photovoltaic power generation unit, wherein a plurality of optical fibers are arranged parallel to the solar panel on a plane, and a light exit window formed on a cladding of the optical fibers faces the solar panel. According to claim 15,
The optical fiber facing the solar panel is fixed by a support panel facing the solar panel and having a fixing groove into which the optical fiber is inserted. an optical fiber provided with light injection regions and light emission regions on one side and the other side;
A tube type housing having an inner space in which the light output region is located; and
A power generation part including a solar panel provided on at least one side of the housing and generating power by light waves incident from a light emission area of the optical fiber;
The optical fiber:
A body including a light propagating core and a clad surrounding the core; a plurality of light injection windows provided in the light injection area; and
and a lens mounted on the light injection window and injecting light incident from the outside into the core through the light injection window. According to claim 17,
The housing has a plurality of walls surrounding the light output area of the optical fiber,
The optical fiber is located in at least one of a plurality of corners in the middle of the interior space or between the walls,
The photovoltaic power generation unit, wherein a solar panel through which light from the optical fiber is incident is formed or installed on at least one of the plurality of walls. According to claim 17,
The inner space of the tube-type housing surrounding the inner space of the housing has a corrugated inner wall, and
A photovoltaic power generation unit in which a solar panel is formed on the inner wall According to claim 17,
The housing has a corrugated inner wall in a wavy shape,
The photovoltaic power generation unit of claim 1 , wherein the solar panel is formed on the inner wall, and the optical fiber is spaced apart from the inner wall. According to claim 17,
The inner space of the housing is isolated from the outside by the end cap to maintain an air tight or vacuum state, the photovoltaic unit. Including; a plurality of integrated photovoltaic power generation units,
The photovoltaic power generation unit:
an optical fiber provided with light injection regions and light emission regions on one side and the other side;
A tube type housing having an inner space in which the light output region is located; and
A power generation part including a solar panel provided on at least one side inside the housing and generating power by light waves incident from a light emission area of the optical fiber; including a roll;
The optical fiber:
A body including a light propagating core and a clad surrounding the core; a plurality of light injection windows provided in the light injection area; and
and a lens mounted on the light injection window and injecting light incident from the outside into the core through the light injection window. The method of claim 22,
The housing has a plurality of walls forming the inner space,
The optical fiber is located in a central region of the inner space of the housing,
The photovoltaic power generation system, wherein the solar panel is formed or installed on at least one of the plurality of walls. The method of claim 22,
The inner space of the housing is isolated from the outside by an end cap to maintain an air tight or vacuum state. The method of claim 22,
A photovoltaic power generation system in which an optical filter or a core protective coating layer is provided in the light emission area.

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