Deployable Solar Panel Arrays for Storm Resilience
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing threat of power outages due to storms or deliberate attacks on the power grid, combined with peak demand issues during severe temperature conditions, necessitates a reliable and rapid backup power solution that can supplement the main electricity supply.
Innovation Solution
The development of storm-resistant, modular energy collection and storage systems that utilize solar or wind energy collection equipment, which can be quickly deployed and retracted to avoid damage during severe weather, and store energy in battery banks for later use in the power grid or critical infrastructure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If solar panels and wind turbines are permanently installed in open areas for maximum energy collection, then energy collection efficiency is improved, but vulnerability to storm damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements deployable solar panel arrays and wind turbine assemblies that can be dynamically deployed to open areas for optimal energy collection and then retracted into protected housings when severe weather is anticipated. This dynamic capability allows the system to transition between maximum productivity mode and storm protection mode, resolving the contradiction between energy collection efficiency and storm vulnerability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is divided into modular components including separate solar panel assemblies, wind turbine assemblies, and protected housing units. Each component can be independently deployed or retracted, allowing selective protection of energy collection equipment while maintaining operational flexibility. This segmentation enables the system to address both high productivity and storm resistance requirements.
2Loss of time
If energy collection equipment is made mobile and transportable for rapid deployment to crisis locations, then response time to power outages is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into integrated modular units that include energy collection equipment, protective housings, battery storage systems, and control mechanisms all in single transportable packages. This merging of functions reduces the overall system complexity compared to having separate systems for each function, while maintaining rapid deployability to crisis locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular units are designed to perform multiple functions: energy collection, energy storage, power distribution, and self-protection. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, thereby reducing system complexity while enabling rapid response to various crisis scenarios including natural disasters and deliberate attacks on the power grid.
3Power
If solar panels are deployed in large arrays across open land for maximum power generation, then power output is improved, but exposure to axial and radial wind currents increases
Solution Approach 1:
The solar panel arrays are designed to be deployable and retractable rather than permanently fixed. When severe weather with high wind currents is anticipated, the arrays can be retracted into protected housings, dynamically adjusting the system's exposure to wind while maintaining maximum power generation output during calm conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes weather monitoring and control capabilities that anticipate severe weather conditions before they arrive. This allows the solar panel arrays to be retracted in advance of high wind currents, preventing damage before it occurs. The preliminary anti-action of retracting the arrays eliminates the harmful effect of wind exposure while preserving the ability to generate maximum power when conditions are favorable.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides a reliable and rapid means to restart energy collection and supply backup power, ensuring continuous electricity supply during outages and peak demand periods, while minimizing damage from severe weather conditions.
Implementation Method 1
solar or photovoltaic (PV) panels
Implementation Method 2
wind turbines
Implementation Method 3
a bank of storage batteries
Data Source
AI summary
A permanently fixed or transportable power generation station employs one or more shelter structures, containing a chain or series of photovoltaic solar panels on wheeled support frames, each hinged one to the next. The system can be deployed onto a large, relatively flat land area, e.g., unprepared or prepared land surfaces, where the solar panel chain(s) can be extended out and secured by various attachment methods which may include external tracks, cable or bracket attachment systems. Wind turbines on the housings can be raised or tipped up for collection of wind-generated energy. The captured energy is stored in a bank of housed storage batteries and can be delivered to the local electric grid, used for electric vehicle charging stations or provided for primary or back-up power to critical infrastructure.