WO2018018100A1

WO2018018100A1 - Photovoltaic element arrangement system

Info

Publication number: WO2018018100A1
Application number: PCT/BG2017/000017
Authority: WO
Inventors: Chavdar Georgiev Georgiev
Original assignee: Chavdar Georgiev Georgiev
Priority date: 2016-07-25
Filing date: 2017-07-20
Publication date: 2018-02-01
Also published as: EA201900076A1; EA036209B1; BG112341A; BG67028B1; EP3488522A1; WO2018018100A4

Abstract

This invention refers to a photovoltaic element arrangement system which will can be used for the generation of electric power from solar radiation. A system was created, composed of photovoltaic elements (4), within a frame (2), forming a photovoltaic module (1), placed on top of a supporting structure (3). According to the invention, in each photovoltaic module (1) two or more than two of the photovoltaic elements (4) are arranged in the same plane or in different planes, in contact with each other and forming rows of elements. Each two of these neighbouring planes form v and/or A - shaped rows, at an angle β between them, within the range from 52° to 108°. The plane of each row of photovoltaic elements (4) is at an angle a against the mounting surface of the module (1), within the range from 36° to 64°. The adjacent v and/or A - shaped rows of photovoltaic elements (4) form a spatial shape similar to a roofing construction of a sequence of double-sloped roofs. The same system is implemented in a similar manner for the construction of the photovoltaic modules within photovoltaic power plants.

Description

PHOTOVOLTAIC ELEMENT ARRANGEMENT SYSTEM

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention refers to a system for the specific arrangement of photovoltaic elements into photovoltaic modules and/or of the photovoltaic modules into photovoltaic power plants (PPPs) for more efficient electricity production per unit area, which is applicable to the generation of electric power from solar radiation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known from practice that the existing photovoltaic elements are made of various materials, with widest industrial application of those made of silicon. In terms of shape, the existing photovoltaic elements are flat, with various geometrical structure and of various thickness. The photovoltaic modules, representing a system of interconnected photovoltaic elements in a frame, of diverse dimensions and capacity, are also flat. The interconnected photovoltaic elements or modules form an electricity generation system of various output. The flat working surface of the photovoltaic modules is exposed to the sun and solar radiation. Typically, they are attached via a supporting structure to the surface of the earth or to the outer surface of buildings - mostly roofs or other surfaces exposed to the sun. W

The output capacity of the flat photovoltaic elements and modules is mostly dependent on their working surface, directed toward the sun, and the intensity of the solar radiation they are exposed to, as well as on their inherent efficiency, which determines the effective conversion of solar radiation into electricity. The capacity of photovoltaic modules is the approximate sum of the capacity of their constituent photovoltaic elements, which are mounted and connected in the module on top of some plane.

Similarly, the capacity of the PPP is the approximate sum of the capacity of the constituent photovoltaic modules.

For instance, the standard photovoltaic modules consist of about 60-70 polycrystalline photovoltaic elements, which have an efficiency of about 15% and an electricity generation capacity of about 200-250 watts. The dimensions of such a module are approximately 1700 x 1000 x 50 mm, and the usual dimensions of the standard photovoltaic elements are 156 x 156 mm, with a negligible thickness of 1 and under 1 mm. Thus, an area of 1.5 - 1.7 square metres accommodates about 60-70 standard photovoltaic elements, providing a total electric power of about 200-250 watts.

When using this method of constructing a system of photovoltaic elements, connected into photovoltaic modules, electricity generation is limited by its surface area.

The same conclusion applies to the construction of a Photovoltaic Power Plant (PPP), regardless of the number of the constituent photovoltaic modules. Therefore, the primary limiting factor for electricity generation is the surface area used for the mounting of photovoltaic elements or modules, i.e. the mounting surface, exposed to solar radiation. The instantaneous capacity and electricity generation of a photovoltaic element, module or power plant depends - apart from the surface area of the converting photovoltaic elements - on the angle of incidence and the intensity of the solar radiation falling on a unit area from the working surface of the photovoltaic element or module. If the radiation is falling approximately perpendicularly to the working plane, its output is the highest and the photovoltaic elements, respectively the photovoltaic modules, achieve the highest efficiency and rate of conversion of solar radiation into electric power.

Thus, if a photovoltaic module with a surface area of one square metre receives for instance 1000 watts of solar radiation, under an approximately perpendicular angle, at 15% efficiency of the photovoltaic elements, the generated output is about 150 watts of electric power.

The output capacity of a photovoltaic element or module also depends on the environmental conditions - temperature, dust loading, angle of incidence of the solar radiation, shading, etc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is aimed at creating a photovoltaic element and/or photovoltaic module system that would increase the generation of electric power per unit area.

The problem was solved through the creation of a photovoltaic element arrangement system, composed of photovoltaic elements spatially arranged in different planes, within a frame, forming a photovoltaic module, placed on top of a supporting structure. According to the invention, in each photovoltaic module more than two of the photovoltaic elements are arranged relative to each other in the same plane, in contact with each other and forming a row, or in different opposite planes. Each two of these neighbouring opposing planes form v and/or A - shaped rows, at an angle β between them, within the range from 52° to 108°. The plane of each row of photovoltaic elements is at an angle a against the mounting surface of the module, within the range from 36° to 64°. The adjacent v and/or A - shaped rows of photovoltaic elements form a spatial shape similar to a multi-slope roofing construction.

For the creation of a photovoltaic power plant, more than two photovoltaic modules are to be arranged within the same plane, in contact with each other, or in different planes, forming a row of touching modules. Each two of these neighbouring planes form v and/or A - shaped rows, at an angle β between them, within the range from 52° to 108°. The plane of each row of photovoltaic modules is at an angle a against the mounting surface, within the range from 36° to 64°, where the adjacent v and/or A - shaped rows of photovoltaic modules form a spatial shape similar to a roofing construction.

There are versions of the system where the photovoltaic elements and/or the photovoltaic modules are spatially arranged in such a way as to form spatial bodies whose shapes may be conical, pyramidal, spherical, hemispherical and parabolically concaved, or a combination thereof.

Another version of the system is possible, where the angles a and β are equal - at 60°.

Another version of the invention is possible, where the angle a is 45°, and the angle β is 90°. There are possible versions where the angle a is 50°, and the angle β is 80°, or the angle a is 55°, and the angle β is 70°, etc. etc.

An advantage of the created invention is the specific arrangement of the photovoltaic elements - in different planes, at an angle against each other and at an angle against the mounting surface. Similarly - also of the photovoltaic modules for the construction of a PPP, resulting in an increased electricity generation surface area per unit of mounting surface.

The arrangement of the photovoltaic elements/modules at an angle against the mounting surface forms spatial shapes and results in an additional increase of the electricity generation surface and output per unit of mounting surface.

Furthermore, the arrangement of the photovoltaic elements/modules at an angle allows the utilisation of both the primary and the reflected, i.e. secondary, solar radiation. With this arrangement of the photovoltaic elements/modules the reflected solar radiation is not emitted back into space, but rather is subjected to secondary capture by the surface of the opposite elements/ modules. With this arrangement of the photovoltaic elements/modules (in different planes, at an angle against each other) the photovoltaic elements/modules are exposed to direct and secondary solar radiation - from the reflected solar radiation from the surface of an element/module mounted on the opposite surface.

All of this results in a substantial increase of the electricity generation capacity per unit of mounting surface. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This invention was illustrated on the enclosed figures, where:

Figure 1 represents a schematic diagram of a photovoltaic module, placed on a supporting structure;

Figure 2 represents a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the planes of two neighbouring elements/modules against the mounting surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The generation of electric power per unit area can be increased substantially - by more than 25%, if the flat photovoltaic elements are mounted in different planes - at an angle against each other and at an angle against the mounting plane, forming various spatial shapes. This arrangement of the photovoltaic elements within the photovoltaic modules, as well as in the event of a similar construction and arrangement of photovoltaic modules of a PPP results in an increased electricity generation per unit area and in general in an increased output capacity and electricity generation capacity of photovoltaic modules and/or PPPs, without an increase in the mounting area necessary.

Figure 1 shows a sample implementation of a volumetric photovoltaic module 1, composed of a frame 2, placed on a supporting structure 3. The frame 2 houses photovoltaic elements 4, forming a spatial shape similar to a roofing construction, with a sequence of double-sloped roofs, formed by the rows of photovoltaic elements 4. Together with the mounting surface, the rows of photovoltaic elements 4 represent a sequence of triangular prisms. If the so formed mental prism is regular, it will have a cross section of a rectangular triangle, where one of the sides of will serve as the base - a part of the mounting surface - and the other two sides of the triangle will have the photovoltaic elements 4 arranged on top. The surfaces, on top of which the photovoltaic elements 4 are mounted, are arranged against each other and each one against the base at a 60° angle. In this manner, the sum of the surface area of two of the walls of the mental triangular prism, on top of which the photovoltaic elements 4 are mounted, will always be greater than the surface area of the third wall, serving as the base. In this specific case of a regular equilateral triangular prism, the surface area of the two rows of photovoltaic elements 4 will be twice as large as the surface area of the base (the mounting surface), on top of which they have been mounted.

For instance, if we take a standard photovoltaic module with the aforesaid dimensions of 1700x1000 mm, incorporating 60 photovoltaic elements, and use the same surface area to place the photovoltaic elements 4 at a 60° angle against each other and against the base, the result would be twice as many photovoltaic elements 4, i.e. 120, which would have twice the electricity generation surface area, respectively output capacity.

The electricity generation surface area of the photovoltaic elements/modules using the aforesaid space-volume assembly will be proportionately greater, depending on the increase of the angle between the mounting surface and the plane on top of which the photovoltaic elements/modules are placed. This angle, designated as , ranges from 0° to 90° - Figure 2. The greater the a angle, the greater the number of photovoltaic elements/modules that can be fitted per unit of mounting surface. The increase of the a angle reduces the angle of incidence of the solar radiation 5 toward the surface of the electricity generating surface of the photovoltaic element/module. Practical experiments have established that when the a angle is within the range from 36° to 64°, the electricity generation capacity of the photovoltaic element/module is the greatest.

The angle between the planes on top of which the photovoltaic elements/modules are placed has been denoted as the angle β. When the angle P increases, the angle a decreases, and vice versa. Therefore, at values of the angle β nearing 180°, the surface area of the photovoltaic elements/modules is similar to that of the mounting surface, and the a angle is close to zero. Practical experiments have established that when the β angle is within the range from 52° to 108°, the electricity generation capacity of the photovoltaic element/module is the greatest.

Out of the practically applicable range for the values of the a angle: from 36° to 64°, the most effective increase of electricity generation is obtained within the range of values for the a angle from 43° to 57°.

One of the versions for the practical application of the invention is to use an a angle equal to 45°, and a β angle equal to 90°. In this way of forming the photovoltaic module 1, the cross section of the mental triangular prism represents an isosceles triangle with an angle of 90° between the sides of the triangle. In this case, the sides of the triangle will have photovoltaic elements 4 installed, with an approximate electricity generation surface 1.5 times that of the area of the mounting surface, on top of which they have been placed. With the photovoltaic modules 1 constructed in this manner, the effective electricity generation is increased not only as a result of the total increase of the electricity generation surface area of the photovoltaic elements 4, but also of the reflected solar radiation from the surface of a given photovoltaic element 4. In this manner of placement of the photovoltaic elements 4, the reflected solar radiation 5 is not emitted back into space, but rather is subjected to secondary capture by the surface of the opposite elements 4 from the surface of the adjacent neighbouring mental triangular prism. In this way, photovoltaic elements 4 or photovoltaic modules 1 are exposed to secondary radiation - the solar radiation reflected by the surface of the opposite wall of each adjacent neighbouring mental prism.

The same holds true for the mounting of photovoltaic modules 1 within a photovoltaic power plant.

If the angle β is approximately 90° or less, or slightly greater, the entire solar radiation reflected from the opposite surface of the photovoltaic element/module, or a substantial part of it, will be subject to secondary capture by the photovoltaic elements/modules placed on the opposing plane. The part of the secondary radiation at an angle β greater than 90° depends on the size of the elements/modules. The greater (beyond 90°) is the β angle, the smaller part of the reflected solar radiation will be captured by the opposite photovoltaic elements/modules, therefore the secondary photovoltaic effect will be diminished. If the β angle is equal to or smaller than 90°, all of the secondary radiation will fall onto the opposite photovoltaic elements/modules and the total electricity generation will be further increased.

An even greater increase in electricity generation per unit area is attained when the photovoltaic modules 1 are arranged in such a manner that they form spatial shapes, such as conical or pyramidal bodies, spheres, hemispheres and parabolically concaved shapes and other similar shapes, and/or combinations thereof, because then the surface area of the installed photovoltaic modules will be substantially greater than the surface of the mounting surface of the system.

For instance, when using an arrangement of the photovoltaic elements/modules in multiple planes and shapes, placed at an angle, representing an equilateral triangular pyramid - a tetrahedron, the ratio between the surface area of the photovoltaic modules and the mounting surface is 3 : 1, i.e. under such arrangement, when the photovoltaic elements/modules form equilateral triangular pyramids, the working surface area of the photovoltaic elements/modules is approximately three times greater than the mounting surface. With this arrangement, the values of the angles between the planes on top of which the photovoltaic elements/modules are placed, as well as between these planes and the mounting surface, is 60° - the angles a and β are 60°.

Such a space-volume arrangement of the photovoltaic elements/modules also increases the secondary photovoltaic effect, caused by the reflected solar radiation, and the increase of electricity generation is beyond 45%.

Using different arrangements of the elements/modules into different planes can result in other spatial shapes, different than the v or A - shaped ones.

Claims

1. A photovoltaic element arrangement system, consisting of photovoltaic elements, within a frame, forming a photovoltaic module, placed on top of a supporting structure, characterised by the fact that in each photovoltaic module (1) two or more than two of the photovoltaic elements (4) are arranged in one or in different planes, in contact with each other and forming v and/or A - shaped rows, at an angle β between them, within the range from 52° to 108°, each row of photovoltaic elements in one plane (4), arranged against the mounting surface of the module (1) at an angle a, within the range from 36° to 64°, where the adjacent v and/or A - shaped rows of photovoltaic elements (4) form a spatial shape similar to the roofing construction of a sequence of double-sloped roofs.

2. A system, pursuant to claim 1, characterised by the fact that in each photovoltaic power plant two or more than two photovoltaic modules (1) are arranged in one or in different planes, in contact with each other and forming v and/or A - shaped rows of different planes, at an angle β between them, within the range from 52° to 108°, each row of photovoltaic modules (1) in one plane, arranged against the mounting surface of the power plant at an angle a, within the range from 36° to 64°, where the adjacent v and/or A - shaped rows of photovoltaic modules (1) form a spatial shape similar to the roofing construction of a sequence of double-sloped roofs.

3. A system, pursuant to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the photovoltaic elements (4) are arranged in such a way as to form spatial bodies whose shapes may be conical, pyramidal, spherical, hemispherical and parabolically concaved, or a combination thereof.

4. A system, pursuant to claim 2, characterised by the fact that the photovoltaic modules (1) are arranged in such a way as to form spatial bodies whose shapes may be conical, pyramidal, spherical, hemispherical and parabolically concaved, or a combination thereof.

5. A system, pursuant to claims 1 and/or 2, characterised by the fact that the angle a and the angle β are equal to each other and at 60°.

6. A system, pursuant to claims 1 and/or 2, characterised by the fact that the angle a is 45°, and the angle β is 90°.

7, A system, pursuant to claims 1 and/or 2, characterised by the fact that the angle a is 50°, and the angle β is 80°.

8. A system, pursuant to claims 1 and/or 2, characterised by the fact that the angle a is 55°, and the angle β is 70°.