Energy harvesting systems for providing autonomous electrical power to building structures and electrically-powered devices in the building structures

Abstract

A method is provided that integrates an autonomous energy harvesting capacity in buildings in an aesthetically neutral manner. A unique set of structural features combine to implement a hidden energy harvesting system on a surface of the building to provide electrical power to the building, and / or to electrically-powered devices in the building. Color-matched, image-matched and / or texture-matched optical layers are formed over energy harvesting components, including photovoltaic energy collecting components. Optical layers are tuned to scatter selectable wavelengths of electromagnetic energy back in an incident direction while allowing remaining wavelengths of electromagnetic energy to pass through the layers to the energy collecting components below. The layers uniquely implement optical light scattering techniques to make the layers appear opaque when observed from a light incident side, while allowing at least 50%, and as much as 80+%, of the energy impinging on the energy or incident side to pass through the layer.

Description

[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15 / 416,354, filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Jan. 26, 2017 entitled “Energy Harvesting Methods For Providing Autonomous Electrical Power To Building Structures And Electrically-Powered Devices In The Building Structures”, which issued from the USPTO as U.S. Pat. No. 10,886,873 on Jan. 5, 2021, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety; this application is also a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15 / 416,303, entitled “Energy Harvesting Systems For Providing Autonomous Electrical Power To Building Structures And Electrically-Powered Devices In The Building Structures,” which was filed in the USPTO on Jan. 26, 2017 and which issued from the USPTO as U.S. Pat. No. 10,886,423 on Jan. 5, 2021, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.BACKGROUND1. Field of the Disclosed Embodim...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent introduces a new system and method that provides energy transmissive overlayers that can be used to hide photoelectric devices. These overlayers support the transmission of visual light in a way that allows a significant amount of the energy to pass through while still appearing opaque. The technique involves a cooperation between the refractive indices of suspended particles and the matrix materials in which they are suspended. The patent also discusses the use of these energy transmissive layers in building structures, such as roofs, to provide green energy addition and to reduce the cost of the combined roofing and photovoltaic generation system. The patent also describes the use of selectively colorable and / or texturizable overlayers that can provide an opaque appearance while still supporting consistent light transmission. Overall, the patent introduces a new technology for generating energy from building structures and provides a way to add green energy to existing infrastructure.

Problems solved by technology

Significant drawbacks to wider proliferation of photocells used in a number of potentially beneficial operating or employment scenarios are that the installations, in many instances, unacceptably adversely affect the aesthetics of the structure, object or host substrate surface on which the PV layers are mounted for use.

PV layers typically must be generally visible, and the visual appearance of the PV layers themselves cannot be significantly altered from the comparatively dark greyscale to black presentations provided by the facial surfaces without rendering the layers significantly less efficient, substantially degrading their operation.

Presence of photocells and PV layers in most installations is, therefore, easily visually distinguishable, often in an unacceptably distracting, or appearance degrading, manner.

PV layer installations are often shunned as unacceptable visual detractors or distractors adversely affecting the appearance or ornamental design of the structures, objects or products.

The “aiming” of the solar panels only adds to their non-aesthetic appearance as they are rarely mounted in a manner that conforms to the geometry of a roofline, particularly of a residential structure.

These efforts have been of limited success, and generally require installations that significantly degrade the efficiency of the electrical conversion capacity of the solar panels, as installed.

In short, building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) developments have been severely hampered by the lack of aesthetically acceptable and cost-effective implementations.

Further, there are generally no commercial efforts underway at expanding routine conventional installations of solar panels to, for example, the extensive square footage that is available on other faces and façades of most buildings, and particularly residential structures, based on the comparatively unsightly nature of the solar collectors in use today.

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