Segmented Reflection Panel for Agrovoltaic Light Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agrovoltaic systems face challenges in balancing energy generation and plant growth, particularly in low light conditions, where partial shading approaches can be detrimental to light-loving plants, and spectral filtering approaches often result in low photon-electron efficiency and increased system complexity.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight, off-axis reflector design with multiple facets is introduced, which filters incident sunlight to maximize light transmission to plants while reflecting unused wavelengths for energy generation. This design ensures homogeneous illumination and minimizes shading, allowing for optimal energy production and plant growth across varying light conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If partial shading approach is used with semi-transparent PV cells, then electricity generation is enabled, but plant growth is hindered especially in low light conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The reflection panel is divided into multiple facets or reflective regions that are differently oriented to reflect sunlight onto different portions of the PV module surface, creating homogeneous illumination while maintaining high light transmission to plants
Solution Approach 2:
Different facets of the reflection panel have different orientations optimized for specific functions: some facets reflect sunlight onto PV modules for energy generation, while others allow direct sunlight transmission to plants, creating local optimization of light distribution
2Productivity
If spectral filtering approach is used with wavelength-selective PV cells, then plant growth requirements are met, but photon-electron efficiency remains low
Solution Approach 1:
A reflection panel acts as an intermediary optical element between sunlight and the PV module, using multiple facets to redirect and concentrate specific wavelengths onto the PV surface while allowing other wavelengths to pass through to plants, thereby improving spectral utilization efficiency
3Adaptability or versatility
If thin-film dichroic filters are used for spectral separation, then wavelength-selective filtering is achieved, but system complexity and cleaning difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the spectral filtering function from complex multi-element optical systems and implements it through a simplified reflection panel with multiple facets, removing unnecessary optical elements while maintaining the essential wavelength-selective filtering capability
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using filters to block unwanted wavelengths, the invention uses reflective facets to actively redirect desired wavelengths onto the PV module, inverting the conventional filtering approach and simplifying the optical path
4Device complexity
If fixed orientation systems are used, then system simplicity is maintained, but energy generation efficiency decreases due to angle of incidence dependencies
Solution Approach 1:
The reflection panel incorporates adjustable or movable facets that can dynamically change their orientation angles to optimize sunlight reflection onto the PV module throughout the day and across different seasons, maintaining high energy generation efficiency while adapting to varying solar positions
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
The system achieves enhanced energy generation while providing maximum light to plants, optimizing energy production at any time of day and in any season, and adapting to different plant varieties and densities, thus addressing the limitations of prior art.
Implementation Method 1
the reflection panel is configured to filter an incident sunlight thereby letting a first portion of said sunlight pass through it and reflecting a second portion of said sunlight
Implementation Method 2
each being configured to homogeneously reflect said second portion of incident light on a collecting surface of said energy generation module
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an energy generation device (1) comprising a reflection panel (11) presenting a reflecting surface, an energy generation module (12) and a holding structure (13) holding the reflection panel (11) and the energy generation module (12) together, wherein the reflection panel (11) is configured to filter an incident sunlight thereby letting a first portion of said sunlight pass through it and reflecting a second portion of said sunlight, characterized in that said reflecting surface presents a plurality of reflective regions (11′, 11″, 11′″) differently oriented with respect to each other and each being configured to homogeneously reflect said second portion of incident light on a collecting surface of said energy generation module (12).