Power generation windows and energy storage systems

Abstract

To provide a window for power generation and a power storage system that use storage batteries that can withstand long-term use, are highly safe, and have large charging capacity.SOLUTION: A window for power generation W consists of a window frame 10, a solar cell 30 provided on the window frame 10, and a lithium polymer storage battery 40 attached to a glass plate 20 in a form of being attached to at least a part of the inner edge of the window frame 10. A power storage system S includes the window for power generation W and an output device (outlet 52) connected to the lithium polymer storage battery 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a power generation window for generating power in a structure (building) and a power storage system using the power generation window.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, from the perspective of business continuity planning (BCP) during disasters such as earthquakes, the need for ensuring power supply in emergencies has been increasing. On the other hand, in recent years, with the improvement of environmental awareness, renewable energy has come to be noted, and solar power generation devices and the like are being used everywhere.

[0003] For example, conventionally, as a technology related to a power generation device using sunlight, there have been a power generation window and a power generation window system including a window frame, a translucent glass plate provided inside the window frame, a translucent solar cell provided on the glass plate, power transmission means for wirelessly transmitting the power generated by the solar cell, power reception means provided on the window frame for receiving the power transmitted by the power transmission means, or a load that operates by being supplied with the power generated by the solar cell (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006] Furthermore, nickel-cadmium batteries have a problem in that their charge capacity decreases with repeated operations that do not completely discharge the charged capacity, and they exhibit a memory effect that prevents them from exceeding that capacity. This makes them unsuitable for long-term use. Furthermore, when using nickel-metal hydride batteries, self-discharge increases due to the deterioration of the separator between the positive and negative electrodes, and the cobalt or manganese contained in the hydrogen storage alloy used in the negative electrode. As a result, if charging and discharging are not performed, the battery capacity decreases, and there was a problem in that it was not possible to sufficiently store the electricity generated by solar cells.

[0007] Furthermore, when lithium-ion batteries are used, the electrolyte inside the battery contains an organic solvent, which presents a problem in that, in high-temperature environments affected by sunlight, dendrites (a phenomenon in which needle-shaped metal crystals from the electrode pierce the separator and come into contact with the counter electrode, causing a short circuit) can occur, increasing the risk of fire and other problems.

[0008] The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a power generation window using a battery that can withstand long-term use, is highly safe, and has a large charging capacity, as well as a power storage system using said power generation window. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a power generation window characterized by comprising a window frame, a solar cell provided on the window frame, and a lithium polymer storage battery attached to the entire inner edge of the window frame.

[0010] Furthermore, the window frame, the glass plate installed inside the window frame, and the glass plate surface The solar cell is attached to the above, and the glass plate is attached to the entire inner edge of the above window frame. The back side of the surface to which the above solar cells are attached.It is also possible to create a power generation window characterized by comprising a lithium polymer battery attached to it.

[0011] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned power generation window, if the window frame is rectangular in shape, and the lithium polymer battery is formed in a rectangular frame shape with one side attached to a support, it is preferable because it ensures ease of installation.

[0012] Furthermore, this power generation window provides a power storage system (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "this power storage system") characterized by comprising the power generation window and an output device connected to the battery, and since the stored power can be used in electronic devices via the output device, it is particularly suitable for emergency power sources during disasters, etc.

[0013] Here, there are no restrictions on the type of window on which this power generation window is installed; it can be applied to skylights, chimney windows, high windows, transom windows, bay windows, and sliding doors, and it can also be applied to windows of various shapes, such as round, rectangular, square, parallelogram, and cloud-shaped.

[0014] The shape and type of the window frame can be appropriately determined according to the shape of the window to which it is installed. Furthermore, there are no restrictions on the constituent materials or molding methods of the window frame. Furthermore, there are no restrictions on the thickness of the window frame (corresponding to the dimension from the outer surface of the window to the inner wall surface), but a thicker frame is preferable in order to increase the storage capacity of the battery.

[0015] The solar cell, which is the power generation element, is preferably a monocrystalline, polycrystalline, organic thin-film, perovskite, or tandem type (organic thin-film solar cells are particularly preferred), but is not limited to these, and various types can be used. The shape of the solar cell can be rectangular, square, round, elliptical, or cloud-shaped, depending on the shape of the glass plate to which it is mounted. There are also no restrictions on the arrangement of the power generation elements, and they can be arranged in a continuous planar configuration or in a linear arrangement, etc.

[0016] The planar shape of the solar cell may be a rigid plate shape or a corrugated plate shape, or may adopt a form having embossed concavities and convexities, etc. Moreover, there is no limitation on the installation form of the solar cell, and it can be provided in any of a partial area and the entire area of the window frame. Moreover, there is no limitation on the installation location of the solar cell. For example, when using a glass plate, it can be provided at any location such as the outer surface side and the indoor side of a single glass plate, and inside a plurality of window glasses. In addition, when the solar cell is provided inside and within the glass plate, the glass plate needs to have translucency.

[0017] Regarding the lithium polymer storage battery, although it will be described in detail in the description of the embodiment, in order to increase the storage capacity, it is preferably provided on the entire circumference and the entire thickness portion of the inner edge of the window frame. However, when attaching the lithium polymer storage battery, it is not necessary to attach it in close contact with no gap with the window frame, and it may be formed in a shape generally conforming to the inner edge of the window frame.

[0018] The output device is a device for outputting the electric power stored in the storage battery to an external electronic device as electric power of a predetermined format, and includes various electrical outlets (for example, an interface for AC100V), connectors (for example, a USB standard interface for DC5V), etc.

[0019] According to the present invention (electric window and power storage device), power generation can be performed using the window portion of a structure (building), the electric power can be stored in a storage battery, and supplied to an electric device used inside the structure. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the installation area of the storage battery conventionally installed inside the structure, and to reduce the amount of wiring between the solar cell and the storage battery.

[0020] In addition, the lithium polymer battery used in the power generation window of the present invention has a thickness of several millimeters and its shape can be freely designed, so it can be formed into a shape that is attached to the entire inner edge circumference of the window frame. In addition, there is no need to consider ignition or the like, and it has high safety performance.

[0021] Furthermore, by providing the solar cell used in the power generation window of the present invention over the entire window frame and attaching the lithium polymer battery to the entire inner edge circumference of the window frame, it becomes possible to perform large-capacity power storage.

Effect of the Invention

[0022] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a power generation window using a battery that can withstand long-term use, has high safety, and has a large charge capacity, and a power storage system using the power generation window.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] [Figure 1] It is a plan view showing the power storage system of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a side cross-sectional view showing the lithium polymer battery used in the power generation window of the present invention.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0024] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail while referring to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same components, and overlapping descriptions are omitted. In addition, the components shown in the following description are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to such components.

[0025] (1) Configuration of the Power Storage System of the Present Invention [Overall Configuration] The energy storage system of the present invention (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the energy storage system S") comprises a power generation window of the present invention (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the power generation window W"), a lithium polymer battery constituting the power generation window W (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "battery 40"), and an outlet 52 (output device) connected via an inverter 51. The power generation window W is interposed in an opening (not shown) that forms a window portion of a building (Figure 1). Alternatively, a power conditioner (PCS) may be used instead of the inverter 51. Furthermore, if the DC current stored in the battery 40 is used directly, the inverter 51 is not necessary.

[0026] The power generation window W comprises a window frame 10, a glass plate 20 installed inside the window frame 10, a solar cell 30 attached to the surface of the glass plate 20, and a storage battery 40 installed around the entire circumference of the window frame 10. The solar cell 30 and the storage battery 40 are connected via a transformer and a converter (neither of which are shown). The following provides a detailed description of each component.

[0027] [Window frames and glass panes] The window frame 10 is made of synthetic resin and, in this embodiment, is formed in a rectangular shape. The glass plate 20 is also formed in a rectangular shape with dimensions that allow it to be fitted into the window frame 10.

[0028] [Solar cell] The solar cell 30 can be a known solar cell such as an organic thin-film solar cell or a perovskite solar cell. The solar cell 30 is formed in the shape of a thin plate and is attached to the entire surface of the glass plate 20.

[0029] When using organic thin-film solar cells, the constituent materials can include polythiophene-thiazolothiazole copolymers, fullerenes, fullerene derivatives, 8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum, quinolinol derivative metal complexes, and condensed ring tetracarboxylic acid diimides. Specifically, poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) can be used. Furthermore, as fullerene derivatives, PCBNB,

[70] PCBM, Bis

[60] PCBM, SIMEF, fulleropyrrolidine, manolate, carboxylic acid, penta-adduct, metal complex, etc., can be used.

[0030] When using a perovskite solar cell, its constituent material can be formed from methylammonium lead halide (CH3NH3PbX3:MAPbX3, where X is a halogen element). The hole transport layer can be formed from, for example, Spiro-OMeTAD. The metal film is the anode electrode and can be formed from, for example, gold (Au).

[0031] As hole transport agents, poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl), 2,2',7,7'-tetrakis[N,N-di-p-methoxyphenylamino]-9,9'-spirobifluorene, Spiro-MeOTAD,>99.5%[2,2',7,7'-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenylamino)-9,9'-spirobifluorene], p,m-Spiro-MeOTAD[N2,N2',N7,N7'-tetrakis(3-methoxyphenyl)-N2,N2',N7,N7'-tetrakis(4-methoxyphenyl] Products such as [(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-co-(4,4'-(N-(4-sec-butylphenyl)diphenylamine)]] can be used.

[0032] As methylammonium halogens, methylammonium iodide, methylammonium bromide, and methylammonium chloride can be used.

[0033] [Battery] The storage battery 40 (lithium polymer storage battery) has a laminated structure comprising a pair of electrode layers (positive electrode layer 46 and negative electrode layer 44) and an electrolyte layer 45 interposed between each electrode layer 44, 46, and is sealed from the outside air by being sealed and fused with a laminate film 43 (Figure 2).

[0034] The storage battery 40 is formed in the shape of a thin flat plate, and one side of the laminate film 43 is bonded to the surface of the resin plate 41 (support) via an adhesive layer 42. A heat dissipation layer 47 is attached to the other side of the laminate film 43, and numerous fin-shaped heat dissipation fins 48 are provided on the heat dissipation layer 47. In addition, electrode terminals 46a and 44a are provided on the positive electrode layer 46 and the negative electrode layer 44, and each electrode terminal 46a and 44a is connected to a conductor (not shown), and each conductor is connected to a solar cell 30 or the like.

[0035] (Resin plate and adhesive layer) The support resin plate 41 is a plate-shaped member provided from the viewpoint of reinforcing the storage battery 40 and ease of installation. There are no restrictions on the constituent material of the resin plate 41, and polyolefins, polyamides, polyimides, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyacrylics, polystyrene, and ABS resin can be used. Furthermore, there are no restrictions on the molding method of the resin plate 41, and injection molding, blow molding, extrusion molding, casting, vacuum molding / pressure molding, compression molding, press molding, and hand lay-up methods can be used.

[0036] There are no restrictions on the constituent materials of the adhesive layer; hot melt adhesives, epoxy adhesives, cyanoacrylate adhesives, paraffin, etc., can be used.

[0037] (electrode layer) There are no restrictions on the constituent materials of the active material in the positive electrode layer 46, and lithium ion-containing transition metal oxides (e.g., LiCO3 (lithium cobalt oxide)) are also acceptable. 、 LiCoO2 (lithium cobalt oxide), LiNiO3 (lithium nickel oxide), LiMnO4 (lithium manganese oxide), LiNi x CO y Mn z O2 (lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide), LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate), LiFeMnTiO2 (lithium iron manganese titanium oxide), LiFeMnO2 (lithium iron manganese oxide), lithium iron phosphate, lithium iron rubidium oxide, lithium strontium nickel oxide, lithium yttrium magnesium oxide, lithium zirconium nickel oxide, lithium niobium iron oxide, transition metal oxides such as cobalt, nickel and manganese, polypyrrole, polythiophene, poly(p-phenylene), polyaniline, polyacetylene, polyacene, and polysulfides can be used.

[0038] The main components of the active material in the negative electrode layer 44 are activated carbon, graphite, Ketjenblack, metallic lithium, silicon, germanium, tin, zinc, magnesium, and Li4Ti5O 12 Lithium titanate, lithium vanadate, lithium chromate, lithium niobate, Li4Ti5O 12 Lithium metasilicate, tin dioxide, silicon powder, silicon monoxide, silicon dioxide, hard carbon (non-graphitizable carbon), pitch (kettle residue after tar distillation) carbon and soft carbon (easily graphitizable carbon), fullerenes and their derivatives, C70 and its derivatives, carbon nanotubes, etc. can be used.

[0039] Furthermore, conventional electrode manufacturing methods require the addition of a binder component to bind the constituent microparticles of the electrode. Examples of binder components that can be used include poly(vinylidene fluoride), rubidium fluoride, and 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. Furthermore, a conductive additive can be mixed in to enhance the conductivity within the electrode. Suitable conductive additives include acetylene carbon black, acetylene carbon black (50% compressed), etc.

[0040] (electrolyte layer) The electrolyte layer 45 consists of an electrolyte and an electrolyte solution that is added as needed. There are no restrictions on the constituent materials of the electrolyte, but polyethylene oxide, polyether, polyacrylic acid, polyacrylonitrile, and polysiloxane can be used. Furthermore, there are no restrictions on the lithium salt contained in the electrolyte, and LiPF6, LIClO4, LiBF4, LiTFSA, LiBPh4, LiFSI [the anion of FSI is (FSO2)N] can be used.

[0041] There are no restrictions on the constituent materials of the electrolyte solvent, but ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, ethyl methyl carbonate, acetonitrile, sulfolane, and tetraglyceride can be used.

[0042] Furthermore, a separator can be provided in the electrolyte layer 45. There are no restrictions on the materials used for the separator; paper, film, nonwoven fabric, porous microparticles, polyurethane membranes, molded articles, etc., can be used.

[0043] (Laminating film) There are no restrictions on the constituent materials of the laminate film 43, and mainly biaxially oriented nylon, adhesives, surface treatment agents, aluminum foil, aluminum-metallized polyethylene film, aluminum-metallized polypropylene film, special adhesives, and sealants can be used.

[0044] (heat dissipation layer) The heat dissipation layer 47 and heat dissipation fins 48 are provided to lower the temperature of the battery 40 and maintain its storage capacity. There are no restrictions on the constituent materials of the heat dissipation layer 47, and copper, aluminum, iron, titanium, zinc, gold, silver, magnesium, cobalt, tin, zirconia, silica, boron nitride, silicon nitride, etc., can be used.

[0045] [Installation methods for storage batteries, etc.] The battery 40 is a rectangular frame, including the resin plate 41, and is formed to correspond to the thickness of the window frame 10, so that it can be attached (installed) along the entire inner edge of the window frame 10. The corners of the battery 40 are formed in a curved shape. Furthermore, the storage battery 40 is attached to the peripheral edge of the glass plate 20 by adhesive on the back side of the surface of the glass plate 20 to which the solar cell 30 is attached.

[0046] The glass plate 20, solar cell 30, and storage battery 40 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "battery unit") formed in this manner are attached to the window frame 10. There are no restrictions on the method of attaching the battery unit to the window frame 10; methods such as fitting it together without gaps using frictional holding force, engaging the battery unit with a mounting device (for example, an L-shaped hook) that is pre-attached to the window frame 10, and fixing it using screws and bolts can be used. In particular, forming a recess in the window frame 10 and detachably attaching the peripheral portion of the storage battery 40 to the recess makes installation and removal easier and facilitates maintenance of the storage battery 40, which is therefore preferable.

[0047] [others] The solar cell 30 is connected to the main power supply of the structure (hereinafter referred to as the "main power supply") via a power switching circuit. The power switching circuit is also equipped with a means for detecting the amount of charge stored in the storage battery 40. When the power switching circuit detects that the storage battery 40 is fully charged, it can cut off the power supply to the storage battery 40 and supply power to the main power supply. When it detects that the power stored in the storage battery 40 is below a predetermined standard value, it can cut off the power supply to the main power supply and supply power from the solar cell 30 to the storage battery 40.

[0048] The power switching circuit can be configured using elements or electronic components such as relays, power semiconductors, ICs, LSIs, switching elements, and microcontrollers, as needed. Furthermore, the main power supply can be equipped with an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Furthermore, by providing a device to measure SOC (State of Charge), which is an indicator representing the charge rate or charge state, it is possible to confirm that there is no degradation of the storage battery 40 and to estimate the remaining charge of the storage battery 40 under charging and discharging conditions. Furthermore, a battery management system (BMU) can be installed to detect abnormalities such as overvoltage, overtemperature, and leakage current in the battery 40.

[0049] (2) Operation of this energy storage system The operation of this energy storage system S will be explained. The electricity generated by the solar cells 30 of the power generation window W is stepped up or down to a predetermined voltage by a transformer, converted to DC current by a converter, and stored in the battery 40. The stored electricity is converted to AC current by an inverter 51 and supplied to desired electrical devices (personal computers, mobile phones, etc.) via the outlet 52.

[0050] At this time, if the power switching circuit operates and the battery 40 reaches a fully charged state, power is supplied from the solar cell 30 to the main power supply of the structure. On the other hand, if the battery 40's charge falls below a predetermined standard value due to the use of connected electrical equipment, power storage from the solar cell 30 to the battery 40 will resume.

[0051] (3) Effects of this energy storage system This energy storage system S allows for the generation of electricity using the windows of a structure, storing that electricity in a battery 40, and supplying it to electrical equipment used within the structure. Therefore, it can be suitably used as an emergency power source during disasters, such as for charging low-power electrical devices like mobile phones. Furthermore, it reduces the installation area of ​​batteries that were previously installed inside the structure, and also reduces the amount of wiring between the solar cells 30 and the battery 40, contributing to the effective use of space within the structure.

[0052] Furthermore, the battery 40 used in this power generation window W is only a few millimeters thick, and its shape can be freely designed, so it can be formed into a shape that is attached to the entire inner edge of the window frame 10.

[0053] Furthermore, since this power generation window W uses a lithium polymer battery 40, there is no need to consider ignition, etc., and it has high safety performance. Furthermore, by attaching the solar cells 30 to the entire surface of the glass plate 20 and the storage battery 40 to the entire inner edge of the window frame 10, it becomes possible to store a large amount of energy.

[0054] Furthermore, in this power generation window W, the window frame 10 is rectangular in shape, and the storage battery 40 is formed in a rectangular frame shape (window frame shape), and one side is attached to the glass plate 20 via a resin plate 41 and an adhesive layer 42, thus ensuring ease of installation.

[0055] Although an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the design of each element can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0056] This invention exemplifies the minimum necessary components, and other necessary components may be added as long as they do not hinder its effects. Furthermore, as explained above, the constituent materials, etc., for realizing each component of this invention are merely examples, and the best constituent materials, etc., can be selected and used depending on the embodiment. In the above embodiment, the power generation window is configured with a glass plate, but it may also be configured by fitting the solar cell into the window frame without a glass plate. Furthermore, the lithium polymer battery does not necessarily have to be in the shape of a rectangular frame; it may be formed in a shape corresponding to the window frame shape and one side may be attached to a support. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] S Energy Storage System W Power generation window 10 Window frame 20 glass plates 30 Solar Cells 40. Rechargeable batteries (lithium polymer rechargeable batteries) 41 Resin plate (support) 42 Adhesive layer 43 Laminate layer 44 Negative electrode 44a, 46a electrode terminals 45 Electrolyte layer 46 Positive electrode 47 Heat dissipation layer 48 heat dissipation fins 51 Inverter 52 outlets

Claims

1. A window frame, a glass plate installed inside the window frame, and a solar cell attached to the surface of the glass plate, A power generation window characterized by comprising: a lithium polymer storage battery attached to the back side of the surface of the glass plate to which the solar cell is attached, in a manner attached to the entire inner edge of the window frame.

2. The aforementioned window frame is rectangular in shape. The power generation window according to claim 1, characterized in that the lithium polymer battery is formed in the shape of a rectangular frame and one side is attached to a support.

3. A power storage system comprising a power generation window according to claim 1 or claim 2, and an output device connected to the lithium polymer battery.

4. The energy storage system according to claim 3, characterized in that the solar cell is an organic thin-film solar cell.

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