WO2016193476A1

WO2016193476A1 - Satellite dish

Info

Publication number: WO2016193476A1
Application number: PCT/EP2016/062722
Authority: WO
Inventors: Simon Watts; Graham Peters
Original assignee: Avanti Communications Group Plc
Priority date: 2015-06-05
Filing date: 2016-06-03
Publication date: 2016-12-08
Also published as: GB2539193A; GB201509810D0

Abstract

A satellite dish comprising a reflector surface, and a photovoltaic coating covering at least a portion of the reflector surface.

Description

Satellite Dish

Technical Field The present disclosure relates to a satellite dish, and to the powering of one or more electronic devices that may be associated with the satellite dish.

Background There are many applications of satellite communications. For instance, a satellite dish can be used to receive television signals, or to provide access to the Internet via satellite.

Figures la and lb illustrate a known satellite dish apparatus designed to be mounted on top of a vehicle in the form of a motorhome, in order to receive satellite television signals to be demodulated and played out through a set-top box within the motorhome. This is an example of "communications on the pause" (also referred to as auto-deployment), whereby the dish does not rotate to track the satellite while the vehicle is moving, but rather rotates to find the satellite each time the vehicle stops for any significant duration of time or each time it stops and requires satellite communications (e.g. when the motorhome stops to make camp overnight).

The apparatus of Figures la and lb comprises a satellite dish 1 and feeder arm 3 mounted on a motorized turntable 2. As shown in Figure la, when the vehicle (not shown) stops to make a communication via a satellite 5, the turntable 2 rotates the dish 1 to find a line of sight with the satellite 5 and thereby establish a satellite link with the satellite 5. This is the position in which the microwave rays transmitted from the satellite 5 are successfully reflected from the reflector surface 29 of the dish 1 onto an antenna feed 28 mounted on the end of the feeder arm 3, thus enabling the dish 1 to be used to receive signals from the satellite 5.

In the particular known apparatus shown in Figures la and lb, the apparatus also comprises a solar panel 4 mounted on the back of the satellite dish 1 (the opposite side to its reflector surface 29). Further, as shown in Figure lb, the dish 1 is not only arranged to be able to rotate in the horizontal plane, but also to flip position such that the solar panel 4 on the rear of the dish 1 slopes upwards towards the sky instead of the reflector surface 29 (various movable mounting elements are omitted from Figure 1 for simplicity). When the vehicle is stopped but satellite communication is not required, the feeder arm 3 automatically folds up, the dish 1 automatically flips so that the solar panel 4 on its rear faces upwards, and the turntable 2 automatically rotates the dish 1 so that the solar panel 4 now faces the sun 6. The solar panel 4 is then used to charge a battery, which in turn is used to power the rotation of the turntable 2 the next time it find a link with the satellite 5 again (e.g. the next time the motorhome stops overnight).

Summary

However, there are a number of downsides to the arrangement of Figures la and lb.Firstly, this solution can only either collect solar power or receive signals from the satellite, but not both at the same time. It may be desirable to provide an arrangement that is not restricted to generating power only at times when the dish is not being used for satellite

communication, so as to allow more opportunities to harvest the sun's power. Or as another alternative or additional consideration, the need to fold up the feeder arm 3, flip position, and rotate the dish 1 so that its rear 4 faces the sun 6 consumes a significant proportion of the energy generated by the solar panel 4. It may be desirable to provide a less wasteful arrangement, e.g. so as to allow operation in lower light conditions, and/or to generate excess energy that can be used to power one or more extra devices. And/or, not all applications of a satellite dish necessarily involve a motorized turntable, such as in the case of a dish installed on a building or as part of a fixed station. It may be desirable to provide an arrangement for generating energy that does not rely (at least not as an inherent necessity) on an ability to automatically adjust the direction of the satellite dish. The following discloses a solution that can be used to solve one or more of the above problems, or similar. According to one aspect disclosed herein, there is provided satellite dish comprising: a reflector surface, and a photovoltaic coating covering at least a portion of the reflector surface. According to another aspect disclosed herein, there may be provided an apparatus comprising: the satellite dish of claim, and a power interface for connecting the photovoltaic coating to at least one electronic device in order to power the device.

In embodiments , the power interface comprises a battery arranged to store energy generated by the photovoltaic coating over multiple days, weeks or months, and to thereby provide said power to the at least one electronic device. In embodiments, the electronic device may comprise a satellite receiver arranged to receive via a satellite link using said satellite dish, or a satellite modem arranged to transmit and receive via a satellite link using the satellite dish.

In embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise a support structure upon which the satellite dish is mounted outdoors, wherein the power interface and the satellite receiver or modem are also mounted outdoors on the supporting structure.

In embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise an extra electronic device other than a satellite receiver or modem; the dish may have an area, and the photovoltaic coating may cover an area of the dish, greater than required to close a link budget of the satellite receiver or modem, thereby generating excess power on average over multiple days, weeks or months; and the power interface may be configured to use said excess power to power the extra electronic device. For instance, the extra electronic device may take the form of at least one mobile user terminal, and the interface comprises a socket for charging the mobile user terminal.

In embodiments, the apparatus comprises the satellite modem and a further, local communications interface; wherein the satellite modem may be configured to connect to the Internet via said satellite link; and wherein the local interface is configured to connect to one or more user terminals, thereby providing the one or more user terminals with access to the Internet via the satellite modem. For example, the apparatus may be deployed in a public location, providing Internet access to the public. In embodiments, the apparatus may comprises a memory; wherein the satellite receiver or modem may be configured to connect to the internet via said satellite link, and to download and pre-store to said memory information regarding a location in which the apparatus including the satellite dish is deployed, or a landmark or other object at said location; and wherein the apparatus may further comprise a local interface configured to connect to one or more user terminals and thereby provide said pre-stored information from the memory to the user terminals.

In embodiments, the apparatus may comprise the satellite modem and may further comprise a monitoring station arranged to monitor values of one or more conditions of a location at which the apparatus including the satellite dish is deployed, or of an apparatus or other object at said location; and wherein the modem may be configured to report the values of the one or more monitored conditions via the satellite link In embodiments, the satellite dish may be installed in a fixed direction relative to the earth's surface. In this case, the dish may be installed in the northern hemisphere and the direction of the dish is substantially south-facing, or the dish is installed in the southern hemisphere and the direction of the dish is substantially north facing. Alternatively the satellite dish may mounted on a motorized turntable on a vehicle or other portable vehicle, and is configured to rotate to find said link with a satellite.

According to another aspect disclosed herein, there may be provided , deploying a satellite dish having a reflector surface and a photovoltaic coating covering at least a portion of the reflector surface, and using the photovoltaic surface to power at least one electronic device.

In embodiments, the method may further comprise steps in accordance with any of the apparatus features disclosed herein. Brief Description of the Drawings To assist understanding of the present application and to show how embodiments may be put into effect, reference is made by way of example to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figures la and lb are schematic illustrations of a previously known satellite dish apparatus,

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of a satellite dish apparatus in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure,

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a satellite communication system,

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a wireless hotspot in accordance with one example application of the present disclosure,

Figure 5 is a graph showing a modelled daily average power generated by a PV coating of a satellite dish over a year in three regions in Africa,

Figure 6 is a graph showing a modelled daily average power generated by a PV coating of a satellite dish over a year in three different regions in Europe, Figure 7 is a graph showing a modelled daily averaged power generated by a PV coating of a satellite dish over a year in three different regions in the Levant and Middle East,

Figure 8 schematically illustrates the direction of a satellite dish, and Figure 9 schematically illustrates more detail of a satellite dish in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Description of Embodiments

Figure 2 shows a satellite dish apparatus in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. More detail is shown in Figures 3, 4, 8 and 9. Note that while some of the same reference numerals are shared with Figures la and lb for ease of reference, this does not imply that these referenced elements of Figures 2-4 and 8-9 are necessarily identical to those of the known apparatus described in relation to Figures la-lb (e.g. does not necessarily imply the dish dimensions or materials are the same, etc.). The apparatus comprises a satellite dish 1 (antenna) mounted in a fixed direction outdoors on a supporting structure 8. E.g. the supporting structure 8 may take the form of a pole fixed to the ground or to a ground-based station, or may take the form of a bracket fixed to the outside of a building. Such an arrangement is typically used for example in cases where the satellite is installed for the purpose of providing a home with satellite TV, or for providing broadband Internet access to a home, school, village, hospital. Some regions of the world such as rural, developing or isolated areas often have limited communication infrastructure, to the extent that it may not be feasible to provide high-speed broadband Internet access through traditional, ground-based means such as a wired network or even ground-based cell towers or the like. Providing an Internet link via satellite enables such regions to obtain modern standards of Internet access without the need to build a large amount of new infrastructure on the ground. Furthermore, satellite-based Internet access can even be used as an alternative to ground-based means in regions that do have a developed communication infrastructure, or as backup to such infrastructure in case a ground-based link fails.

The satellite dish 1 has a certain direction, which may be defined as follows. Reference is made to Figures 8 and 9. The satellite dish 1 comprises a reflector 30 having a front surface 29 being the surface facing in the direction of the satellite dish 1 - i.e. facing the direction from which rays are gathered by the dish from the satellite 5, and/or the direction in which rays are transmitted from the dish 1 to the satellite 5. The dish 1 further comprises a feeder arm 3 holding an antenna feeder 28 at a distance in front of the front surface 29. Or put another way, the front surface 29 is the surface on the same side of the dish as the feeder arm 3 and antenna feeder 28. This surface 29 is referred to as the reflector surface 29, as it reflects rays received from the satellite 5 onto the feeder 28, and/or reflects signals from the feeder 28 outward toward the satellite 5, thereby enabling communication between the satellite 5 and a client system 16 coupled to the feeder 28 via the receiver or modem 10 (see also the description given shortly in relation to Figure 3). An axis of the dish 1 may be defined by the direction along which, given the shape of the reflector surface 29, parallel rays will be focussed onto the antenna feed 28 - i.e. the direction from which the reflector surface 29 will gather rays. See Figure 8. The direction of the dish 1 may be defined as 180 degrees to this, considering the direction of the satellite dish 1 as being the direction in which the reflector surface 29 is facing.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 2, the dish 1 does not move in any ongoing automated or motorized fashion, and its direction is fixed by being manually adjusted by a technician or other user upon installation in order to be directed towards a geostationary satellite 5 (or potentially a one-shot auto point mechanism could be used, to point the dish upon installation only). In day-to-day operation, the dish therefore does not require power in order to move, as does the arrangement of Figures la and lb. Nonetheless, the apparatus of Figure 2 does comprise other, associated equipment 10 that will still need powering. Particularly, this equipment 10 will comprise a satellite modem (modulator-demodulator) or at least a satellite receiver (demodulator).

In order to be able to power the satellite equipment 10 comprising the modem or receiver, and/or even to power one or more other devices, then in accordance with the present disclosure the satellite dish 1 is coated with a photovoltaic (PV) coating 7 on the reflector surface 29. This is illustrated in Figure 9. This coating 7 comprises a thin film photovoltaic cell coated directly on the conductive front surface 29 of the reflector. . Photovoltaic refers to any material capable of generating a voltage or current when stimulated by light in the visible, infrared or ultraviolet spectrum. In embodiments, the PV coating 7 covers 50% to 10096 of the reflector surface 29 by area, or preferably 75%-100%, or more preferably 90%- 100% (ideally as much of the area as possible, up to and including 100%). The PV coating 7 is connected to a power interface 9 configured to supply power to the associated satellite equipment 10 based on the power generated by the PV coating 7. In order to make this connection, the film 7 itself may be coated on it outer surface (the surface facing the sun and sky) by a transparent conductor (not shown) in order to deliver power off the cell, with a conductor also being included on the underside of the PV film 7 to complete the circuit. Flexible photovoltaic films are in themselves known, but only conventionally for other purposes such as to be used on the surface of a vehicle to power equipment within the vehicle (e.g. car air con) or even to power the vehicle itself (such as in solar powered car races across the desert). However, as far as the inventors are aware, such coatings have not previously been considered for use on a surface such as the reflector surface 29 of a satellite dish 1 where that surface also forms an antenna for the primary purpose of receiving a wireless electromagnetic signal. The inventors have identified that the antenna geometry of a satellite dish 1 is only negligibly affected by such coatings 7, and that they can therefore be used to generate power for associated equipment 10 such as a satellite receiver or modem with little or no disruption to the primary antenna functionality. Hence using the teachings of the present disclosure, the same surface 29 of the dish 1 can be used to both generate power from the sun and act as the reflector for the purpose of satellite

communications, with some or all of the rays being reflected between the feeder 28 and satellite 5 being reflected from the PV coating 7, and the disclosed apparatus can even be used to simultaneously generate power from the sun while also performing the satellite communications.

The described arrangement is particularly (but not exclusively) suitable for fixed dishes 1 facing geostationary satellites 5 in orbit around the equator, because in the northern hemisphere such dishes are south facing and in the southern hemisphere such dishes are north facing. Advantageously, these are also the directions from which most sunlight is experienced on average over the course of a day.

Conventionally the modem or receiver is located indoors in an indoor unit (IDU) while the satellite dish 1 is mounted outdoors as part of the outdoor unit (ODU). E.g. in the case of a set-top box for receiving satellite television, the receiver is implemented indoors within the set-top box. However, in embodiments of the present disclosure, to save on power losses, the power interface 9 and the equipment 10 comprising the modem or receiver are mounted outdoors on the same outdoor supporting structure 8 as the dish. This allows the power interface 9 to be close to the PV coating 7 and thereby minimise transmission loss between the PV coating 7 and power interface 9. It also allows the satellite equipment 10 comprising the modem or receiver to be close to the power interface 9, thereby minimising transmission loss between the power interface 9 and the receiver or modem.

Figure 3 illustrates an example communication system in which the apparatus of the present disclosure may be employed. The system comprises the dish 1 with feeder arm 3 and antenna feeder 28, arranged to receive signals from and/or transmit signals to the geostationary satellite 5 in orbit around the equator, usually on the Ka or Ku microwave bands. The system further comprises a gateway 11 connecting to a wide area network or internetwork (internet) 17, such as that commonly referred to as the Internet (capital I). Examples below may be described in terms of the Internet 17, but it will be appreciated that this is not limiting to all possible embodiments. The gateway 11 is also arranged to communicate with the satellite 5 via its own (typically much larger) satellite dish (not shown), and to thereby act as a gateway between the satellite network and the network or Internet 17. The system further comprises the power interface 9, the satellite equipment 10 to be powered, and one or more client systems 16. The satellite equipment 10 comprises: a satellite modem (modulator-demodulator) or at least a receiver (demodulator) 14 connected to the antenna feeder 28 via a connection along the feeder arm 3; and also at least one additional, local communications interface 15 for connecting the modem or receiver 14 to the one or more client systems 16. Local here at least means local relative to satellite link. Preferably the local communications interface 15 is a wireless interface, e.g. being a radio frequency (RF) or infrared interface while the satellite communications are via microwaves. For instance the local interface 15 may use a short range radio access technology such as Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth to connect to the client system(s) 16.

Alternatively that the local interface 15 could be a wired interface, such as an Ethernet or USB interface, e.g. connecting to a wireless router in one or more of the client systems 16. By whatever means implemented, the satellite equipment 10 thus allows the client system(s) 16 to connect to the network or Internet 17 via a satellite link between the equipment 10 and dish 1 on the client side and the gateway 11 on the serving side. For example, the apparatus comprising the dish 1 and satellite equipment 10 may be installed at an individual home for providing the occupants with broadband Internet access via the satellite 5; or may be installed at a convenient point in a public place or facility such as a village, hospital, school, mall, cafe, etc. and may be arranged to provide the residents, patrons, staff and/or pupils etc. with internet access. A particular example would be to provide satellite broadband to aid education in remote areas of Africa, e.g. where the operator of the satellite system may look to make the solution available through its VNO (virtual network operator) channels. The opportunity to efficiently exploit solar power to provide Internet access may be particularly applicable in remote regions or regions with limited mains power supply infrastructure, where the mains power may be unreliable or even not available at all.

In any of the various cases described above or similar, the one or more client systems 16 may take the form of one or more individual user terminals, such as one or more

smartphones, tablets, laptops or desktop computers; and the local interface 15 may comprise a wireless interface, e.g. employing a short-range RF technology such as Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth for connecting directly to each of the client systems 16 and thereby providing them with the described Internet access. This is illustrated in Figure 4.

Alternatively the client system 16 may take the form of a local wireless area network (LAN) comprising a wireless access point and one or more user terminals (again such as one or more smartphones, tablets, laptops or desktop computers), and the local interface 15 may comprise a wired interface such as an Ethernet connection connecting to the wireless access point, thereby providing the user terminals with Internet access via the wireless access point. A similar arrangement is also possible where the local area network is a wired network such as an Ethernet network. As another example, the network 17 may represent the internal network of a television provider comprising one or more servers storing television programs and/or movies, and the apparatus comprising the dish 1 and satellite equipment 10 may be installed at an individual home for providing the occupants with the programs and/or movies (and perhaps associated services such as electronic program guides and/or interactive content). In such cases the local interface 15 may comprise a wired or wireless interface connecting to a client system 16 in the form of a set-top box and television set (or a television set with built in client functionality) in the user's or users' home, for playing out the received content. In this case the solar power may be used to help the provider meet its commitment to reduce the power consumption required across its customer base. It might also allow for applications such as transmitting reference material or video content to local storage for subsequent access by end users.

Note these are just some example applications. Others will be described shortly.

Whatever the application, the power interface 9 comprises power supply circuitry (PSC) 12 and also a battery 13. The power supply circuitry 12 is connected to the PV dish coating 7, and configured to supply power generated by the PV coating 7 in order to power the satellite equipment 10 and thereby enable it to provide the above (or below) described functionality. Preferably the power supply circuitry 12 is configured to store energy generate by the PV coating 7 in the battery 13 at times when the satellite equipment 10 is not in use, and/or times when the PV coating 7 is generating more power than is needed to power the satellite equipment 10, and then to use the stored energy to power the satellite equipment 10 at times when insufficient power is being generated by the PV coating (e.g. at night or during poor weather conditions).

Figures 5 to 7 show some power estimations as modelled by the inventors for various representative geographic regions around the world. The calculations were made for every six minutes throughout a 24 hour day using the following assumptions: a) a 98cm disc pointing towards Avanti's Hylas 2 satellite, to represent the relatively shallow 98cm parabolic reflector;

b) an elevation offset of 16 degrees;

c) the sun direction calculated using a spreadsheet downloaded from NOAA (the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration); d) the solar power flux of 1000W/m2; and

e) an efficiency of 15% for the PV coating.

The total energy collected was calculated and converted to a 24x7 power capacity assuming a battery efficiency of 100%. This power capacity was calculated for every month on the 21st day of the month in order to obtain data close to the equinoxes and the solstices.

Figure 5 shows the results of the calculations for three representative sites within Avanti's African coverage with the Hylas 2 satellite at 3 Ε:

• the curve labelled 19 represents the results for Nairobi, Kenya;

• the curve labelled 20 represents the results for Shingawa, Tanzania;

• the curve labelled 21 represents the results for Kimberley, South Africa. Figure 6 shows the same analysis for three sites across Europe on Hylas 1 at 33.5W:

• the curve labelled 22 represents the results for Beja, Portugal;

• the curve labelled 23 represents the results for the Scottish Highlands, in the UK; and

• the curve labelled 24 represents the results for Sophia, Bulgaria.

Figure 7 shows the same analysis again for three sites in the Levant and Middle-East within Avanti's coverage with its Hylas 2 satellite at 3 Ε:

• the curve labelled 25 represents the results for Istanbul, Turkey;

* the curve labelled 26 represents the results for Jahra, Kuwait;

• the curve labelled 27 represents the results for Baku, Azerbaijan.

It can be seen that an average daily power of the order 10 to 30W can be expected in Africa, or 15 to 20W in Europe, or 10 to 25W in the Levant and Middle East. This is of a suitable order of magnitude typically required to power satellite equipment 10 of the kinds described above. Some locations may be able to operate on 24x7 basts from solar power alone. Others may require being turned off overnight or supplemented with other local power as and when available.

Note that with regard to the possibility of receive-only equipment 10 (where element 14 represents only a satellite receiver and not a bidirectional modem), these typically require less power than for two way communication. Hence a smaller dish may be sufficient, and/or there may be more opportunities to implement these without an additional power supply even in low light regions or conditions. Some example applications are now discussed.

As mentioned, and as illustrated in relation to Figure 4, one application is to use the disclosed apparatus to provide wireless Internet access. If the local interface 15 comprises a wireless interface such as a Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth interface; or a wired interface connecting to a separate wireless router; then the apparatus can be used to implement a wireless access point or "hotspot" 18 providing user terminals 16 with access to the Internet 17. This could be used to provide Internet access in a user's home, or for a small rural village, or in some other facility or public space such as a school, hospital, rail or bus station, airport, shop, mall, caf6, restaurant, bar, etc.

Further, while in the examples discussed above in relation to Figure 2 the satellite dish 1 is fixedly mounted, it is not excluded that the dish 1 could instead be a rotatable dish such as an auto-deploy antenna used for communications on the pause, where the auto deploy antenna is mounted on (or transported by) a vehicle and communications are made when the vehicle is stopped. For example, the apparatus comprising the dish 1, power interface 9 and satellite equipment 10 could be mounted or otherwise transported by a vehicle in the form of a van, lorry, bus, motorhome, off-road vehicle or trailer. In one particular example, this kind of set-up could be used to provide a temporary Internet hotspot 18 that can be transported to outdoor events such as festivals, markets or fetes.

As another example, a fixed or portable dish apparatus of the kind disclosed herein could be used to provide an information point deployed at a location such as a famous landmark, tourist attraction, museum, art gallery, etc. In this case, the apparatus including the dish 1, power interface 9 and satellite equipment 10 are deployed at the location in question, and the satellite equipment 10 further comprises a local memory such as an EEPROM (flash memory) or hard disk. In this application, the information point does not provide users with access to the Internet 17 directly. Rather, the satellite equipment 10 is configured to download content from the Internet 17 relating to the location at which it is deployed (and in embodiments to do so repeatedly to keep this content up to date). This may be performed either automatically or under control of an operator such as a curator. Either way, the satellite equipment 10 caches this content in its local memory and makes it available to user terminals 16 in the vicinity by means of the local interface 15 (e.g. Wi-Fi, etc.). Thus the users cannot themselves access the Internet per se, but are presented with relevant pre-stored information obtained from the Internet. E.g. this could be used to provide users with a web page or pages from an online encyclopaedia or the like, relating to a famous landmark or museum exhibit within the grounds or building of which the information point is deployed.

Furthermore, in embodiments the PV coating 7 and power interface 9 do not necessarily have to be used to power only the satellite equipment 10 comprising the receiver or modem 14. In embodiments, the power interface 9 may also be connected to power one or more other, additional electronic devices.

The dish 1 has a certain minimum area for its reflector surface 29, being the minimum size needed to communicate with the satellite for the purpose in question (to be able to receive signals from the satellite 5 in the case of a receiver, or to transmit and receive signals to and from the satellite 5 in the case of a modem). This in itself is a known concept in the art of satellite communications, and is referred to as the area required to close the link budget. Conventionally a satellite dish 1 will be sized so that its reflector surface 29 is just large enough to close the link budget, but no larger. However, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, the dish 1 may be deliberately oversized to accommodate a PV coating 7 larger than the link budget area. I.e. the dish will be larger than needed for the communications service in order to provide the solar panel area. For example, in embodiments the reflector surface 29, and the area of the reflector surface covered by the PV coating 7, may be at least 20% larger in area than the area required to close the link budget or at least 50% larger, or at least 100%. This may be used to better ensure enough power to the satellite equipment (e.g. even under poor weather conditions), and/or to provide a supplemental service of powering one or more additional devices.

For instance, the excess power could be used to drive a motorized turntable in a

communications-on-the-pause scenario whereby the satellite dish 1 is mounted on top of a vehicle such as an off-road vehicle or motorhome. As another example, the local

communications interface 15 or power interface 9 could comprise a wired connector such as a USB interface, and the excess power generated could be used to charge the batteries of one or more mobile user terminals such as mobile phones, tablets, or laptop computers. E.g. one particular example would be where the apparatus takes the form of a temporary Internet hotspot 18 deployed outdoors at a summer festival, and the additional power could be used to allow users to charge their phones or tablets.

Such arrangements may be particularly (but not exclusively) applicable in the case of a receive-only apparatus, where element 14 represents only a satellite receiver and not a bidirectional modem. As mentioned, these typically require less power than for two way communication and hence where a smaller dish may otherwise have been sufficient for receiving satellite signals alone, a larger dish 1 may instead be used to generate additional power for powering a motor for rotating the dish, and/or charging portable user devices such as phones and/or tablets.

Yet another example application taking advantage of the low cost power solutions disclosed herein is to implement a monitoring station, such as an outdoor monitoring station. In this case the apparatus further comprises one or more sensors, such as one or more

temperature sensors, pressure sensors, light sensors, moisture sensors, chemical sensors, voltage or current sensors, microphones, video cameras, occupancy sensors, etc. The apparatus comprising the dish 1, power interface 9, satellite equipment 10 and sensor(s) is deployed at a site at which one or more properties of the sites' environment or an object in the environment are to be monitored. This could be used to automatically monitor practically any factor that the user desires. For example, one could set up a monitoring station to monitor one or more environmental conditions, to perform traffic monitoring, or to monitor the condition of a device such as a pipeline or to measure the rate of fluid flow through the pipeline. Other examples would be to monitor climate modifications in cold but sunny location, or to perform GPS monitoring to add additional revenue stream.

It will be appreciated that the above embodiments have been described only by way of example. Other variants may become apparent to a person skilled in the art given the disclosure herein. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the described embodiments, but only by the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

A satellite dish, the satellite dish comprising: a reflector surface, and a photovoltaic coating covering at least a portion of the reflector surface;

an electronic device comprising: a satellite receiver arranged to receive via a satellite link using said satellite dish, or a satellite modem arranged to transmit and receive via a satellite link using the satellite dish;

a power interface for connecting the photovoltaic coating to at least the electronic device in order to power the electronic device; and

an extra electronic device other than a satellite receiver or modem;

wherein the dish has an area, and the photovoltaic coating covers an area of the dish, greater than required to close a link budget of the satellite receiver or modem, thereby generating excess power on average over multiple days, weeks or months; and wherein the power interface is configured to use said excess power to power the extra electronic device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power interface comprises a battery arranged to store energy generated by the photovoltaic coating over multiple days, weeks or months, and to thereby provide said power to the at least one electronic device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a support structure upon which the satellite dish is mounted outdoors, wherein the power interface and the satellite receiver or modem are also mounted outdoors on the supporting structure.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the extra electronic device takes the form of at least one mobile user terminal, and the interface comprises a socket for charging the mobile user terminal.

5. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the apparatus comprises the satellite modem and a further, local communications interface; wherein the satellite modem is configured to connect to the Internet via said satellite link; and wherein the local interface is configured to connect to one or more user terminals, thereby providing the one or more user terminals with access to the internet via the satellite modem.

6. The apparatus of any claim 5, wherein the apparatus is deployed in a public location, providing Internet access to the public.

7. The apparatus of claims 1 to 6, wherein the apparatus comprises a memory; wherein the satellite receiver or modem is configured to connect to the internet via said satellite link, and to download and pre-store to said memory information regarding a location in which the apparatus including the satellite dish is deployed, or a landmark or other object at said location; and wherein the apparatus further comprises a local interface configured to connect to one or more user terminals and thereby provide said pre-stored information from the memory to the user terminals.

8. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the apparatus comprises the satellite modem and further comprises a monitoring station arranged to monitor values of one or more conditions of a location at which the apparatus including the satellite dish is deployed, or of an apparatus or other object at said location; and wherein the modem is configured to report the values of the one or more monitored conditions via the satellite link

9. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the satellite dish is installed in a fixed direction relative to the earth's surface.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the dish is installed in the northern hemisphere and the direction of the dish is substantially south-facing, or the dish is installed in the southern hemisphere and the direction of the dish is substantially north facing.

11. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the satellite dish is mounted on a motorized turntable on a vehicle or other portable vehicle, and is configured to rotate to find said link with a satellite.

12. A method comprising: deploying a satellite dish having a reflector surface and a photovoltaic coating covering at least a portion of the reflector surface, and

using the photovoltaic surface to power at least one electronic device, wherein the at least one electronic device comprises: a satellite receiver arranged to receive via a satellite link using said satellite dish, or a satellite modem arranged to transmit and receive via a satellite link using the satellite dish;

wherein the dish has an area, and the photovoltaic coating covers an area of the dish, greater than required to close a link budget of the satellite receiver or modem, thereby generating excess power on average over multiple days, weeks or months; and wherein the method further comprises using said excess power to power an extra electronic device other than a satellite receiver or modem.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the extra electronic device takes the form of at least one mobile user terminal, and the method further comprises charging the mobile user terminal.

14. The method of any of claims 12 or 13, further comprising connecting to the Internet via said satellite link thereby providing the one or more user terminals with access to the Internet via the satellite modem.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method is performed in a public location, thereby providing Internet access to the public.