3056results about "From solar energy" patented technology

A solar-powered power generation system and an associated method are provided. The system includes at least one trough solar absorption device for heating a heat transfer fluid to a first temperature, and at least one tower solar absorption device for further heating the transfer fluid to a second temperature. Thus, the generation system can efficiently heat the transfer fluid to high temperatures. Subsequently, the heated fluid can be used, e.g., to generate steam and/or electricity.

A photovoltaic power generating apparatus is provided which comprises a single solar cell element formed on a substrate and a plurality of power conversion devices individually connected to the solar cell element for converting an output of the solar cell element.

A renewable energy resource management system manages a delivery of a power requirement from a multi-resource offshore renewable energy installation to an intelligent power distribution network. The installation includes multiple renewable energy resource components and is capable of variably and independently generating power from each to microgrids comprising the intelligent power distribution network so that the entire power requirement is satisfied from renewable energy resources. An electricity grid infrastructure is also disclosed in which power production is balanced with power consumption so that power storage requirements are minimized.

A generating facility is provided for generating electricity from both solar and non-solar energy sources. The solar generating portion of the facility includes capability to directly generate electricity from solar insolation, or to store the solar energy in a tangible medium, including stored heat, or solar generating fuel. The generating facility is configured to generate electricity simultaneously from both solar and non-solar sources, as well a solely from immediate solar insolation and from solar energy stored in a tangible medium. Additionally, the solar generating capacity may be segregated; such that separate spectra of solar insolation are used to capture heat for steam turbine based electrical generation, capture light energy for photovoltaic based electrical generation, and to grow biomass to generate a solar fuel.

A method and Apparatus for solar energy storage system uses gas for thermal transport for central tower solar thermal electric power plant to provide high quality, low cost, and continuously electric power generation. The storage contains a number of storage modules that each module can store energy for a given period of time. The thermal energy from central tower charges the modules one by one during the sunny time, while the thermal electric power plant discharge the modules one by one as long as it works. A control and a connection valve system control and connect the charge and discharge modules with the central tower and the power plant according to pre-arranged sequences. Fans at the cool side of the storage system push the circulation gas into the central tower or the thermal storage modules. In the discharge system, the hot gas from storage system is send to the heat exchange system, and to generate steam and to super heat steam for the power plant. In the charge system, the cold gas is pushed into the central receiver thermal exchange unit and to be heated, and the hot gas is then circulated back to storage system to charge up the storage system.

A concentrating photovoltaic module is provided which provides a concentration in the range of about 500 to over 1,000 suns and a power range of a few kW to 50 kW. A plurality of such modules may be combined to form a power plant capable of generating over several hundred megawatts. The concentrating photovoltaic module is based on a Photovoltaic Cavity Converter (PVCC) as an enabling technology for very high solar-to-electricity conversions. The use of a cavity containing a plurality of single junction solar cells of different energy bandgaps and simultaneous spectral splitting of the solar spectrum employs a lateral geometry in the spherical cavity (where the cell strings made of the single junction cells operate next to each other without mutual interference). The purpose of the cavity with a small aperture for the pre-focused solar radiation is to confine (trap) the photons so that they can be recycled effectively and used by the proper cells. Passive or active cooling mechanisms may be employed to cool the solar cells.

Thermal energy derived from a low temperature heat source is stored in one reservoir above ambient temperature and in another reservoir below ambient temperature for use in driving an organic Rankine cycle engine to produce electricity. The organic Rankine cycle engine may utilize an organic working fluid that boils below or near ambient temperature. Solar energy may be used to power a heat pump or chiller that provides the hot and cold storage fluids stored in hot and cold reservoirs for use in the organic Rankine cycle engine.

A generating facility is provided for generating electricity from both solar and non-solar energy sources. The solar generating portion of the facility includes capability to directly generate electricity from solar insolation, or to store the solar energy in a tangible medium, including stored heat, or solar generating fuel. The generating facility is configured to generate electricity simultaneously from both solar and non-solar sources, as well a solely from immediate solar insolation and from solar energy stored in a tangible medium. Additionally, the solar generating capacity may be segregated; such that separate spectra of solar insolation are used to capture heat for steam turbine based electrical generation, capture light energy for photovoltaic based electrical generation, and to grow biomass to generate a solar fuel.

Recovery of electric power from low-grade waste heat/solar energy, comprising a closed-cycle charged refrigerant loop. Pressurized refrigerant fluid is pumped at ambient temperature through a heat exchanger connected to a waste heat/solar source to extract heat energy during conversion to a high pressure gas. Heated/pressurized refrigerant gas is inlet into an expander to power an output shaft during the expansion of the fluid to a cooled gas at approximately 0 psig. Cooled gaseous refrigerant is condensed to a liquid at low pressure and ambient temperature, and recycled under pressure to the heat exchanger. The expander is a reverse-plumbed gas compressor; the pressurized, hot refrigerant gas is inlet at what is ordinarily its outlet, and the normal inlet becomes the expander end. The refrigerant gas mass flow pressure/temperature drop spins the expander shaft for direct mechanical power take-off, or coupling to a synchronous or inductive generator to produce electricity.

A dynamic heat sink engine including a storage vessel having a working fluid outlet and a working fluid inlet. The lower portion of the storage vessel contains a cryogenic working fluid, such as liquid hydrogen, at a temperature at near its boiling point. The engine further includes a working fluid circuit extending between the working fluid outlet and the working fluid inlet of the storage vessel. The working fluid circuit includes the serial connection of the following components from the working fluid outlet to the working fluid inlet: a fluid pump; a vaporizer having a liquid line passing therethrough; a heater; an expansion engine having a rotary output shaft; an electrical generator connected to the rotary output shaft of the expansion engine; a vapor line passing through the vaporizer, the vaporizer including a heat exchanger providing thermal communication between the liquid line and the vapor line.

The invention relates to systems and methods including an energy conversion system for storage and recovery of energy using compressed gas, a source of recovered thermal energy, and a heat-exchange subsystem in fluid communication with the energy conversion system and the source of recovered thermal energy.

An economical solar generator system is provided wherein the solar energy collector is constructed from a plurality of heat exchangers of the kind used as evaporators in automobile air conditioners. The solar generator system includes a plurality of said heat exchangers connected to receive incoming liquefied refrigerant under pressure. The number of such heat exchangers is sufficient to collect solar energy sufficient to induce a phase change from a liquid to a gas state. The solar generator system also includes an air motor and an electric generator. The air motor is coupled to the outflow heated gas from the plurality of heat exchangers. The air motor is rotated by the heated gas. The electrical generator is coupled to the air motor so that rotation of said air motor causes rotation of said generator.

An apparatus for purifying water, such as for desalinization, includes a source of a heated air stream, the heated air stream having a temperature above an ambient temperature. A diffusion tower having high surface area material therein receives a water stream including at least one impurity and creates at least one region having thin films of water therein from the water stream. The heated air stream is directed over the thin films of water to create a humidified air stream that is at least substantially saturated. At least one direct contact condenser is in fluid communication with the humidified air stream for condensing the humidified air stream, thus producing purified water. A power plant can include the apparatus for purifying water, where energy to heat the air stream is provided by low pressure condensing steam.

A remote and portable, hybrid power system comprising one or more of the following components: a solar system, batteries, a back-up generator, a wind energy system, and a communications system. The components are disposed on a platform that is portable and transportable to the remote location by a truck or other transportation vehicle.

An electricity generation system is presented. The electricity generation system includes a solar preheater for preheating compressed discharge air, a combustor to receive the heated compressed air from the solar preheater, burn a fuel using the heated compressed air to generate hot burned gas, a first turbine to receive the hot burned gas from the combustor, expand the hot burned gas to generate exhaust gas, a heat recovery steam generator to receive the exhaust gas from the first turbine, generate vapor by heating a condensed fluid using the exhaust gas, a solar evaporator/superheater to receive a heated working fluid from the heat recovery steam generator, generate solar vapor by heating the heated working fluid, and a second turbine to drive a second generator using vapor and the solar vapor.

High temperature thermal energy storage system comprised of solid-liquid phase change material that is fully encapsulated in helically grooved, sealed, thin-wall, metal tubes. Multitude of horizontally oriented, pressure-rated steam pipes or vessels filled with PCM tube capsules form a battery of thermal storage system. The steam pipes in the battery are connected through a common liquid-side distribution header system and a common steam-side distribution header system. Multitude of steam pipes stacked up to fill a block-shaped container space. This insulated enclosure provides the basis for simple fabrication, transport and filed-erection and forms the basic building block for a modular thermal storage system.

A sunlight collecting system and a solar energy utilization system which collects sunlight with the sunlight collecting system are provided, a sunlight collecting system including a solar heat collector which includes a heat collecting element which is formed by a helically wound heat exchange medium circulation pipe inside which the heat exchange medium flows, in such a way to have an incurved light receiving surface which narrows and converges towards the sunlight inlet and a sunlight collecting reflector which includes a reflector group which includes a plurality of reflector segments each of which includes a reflecting surface which makes sunlight converge on a heat collector, a sunlight collecting system in which a plurality of heliostats Bm are arranged in places which are irradiated by the sunlight between a plurality of heliostats An, in which each of the heliostats An and the heliostats Bm reflect light in a direction to a light collecting point of a heliostat group in which the heliostat is included.

A method to integrate collected solar thermal energy into the feedwater system of a Rankine cycle power plant is disclosed. This novelty uses a closed loop, single phase fluid system to collect both the solar heat and to provide the heat input into the feedwater stream of a regenerative Rankine cycle. One embodiment of this method of integrating solar energy into a regenerative Rankine power plant cycle, such as a coal power plant, allows for automatic balancing of the steam extraction flows and does not change the temperature of the feedwater to the boiler. The concept, depending on the application, allows for the spare turbine capacity normally available in a coal plant to be used to produce incremental capacity and energy that is powered by solar thermal energy. By “piggybacking” on the available components and infrastructure of the host Rankine cycle power plant, considerable cost savings are achieved resulting in lower solar produced electricity costs.