Internationale Partnersuche

Innovation & Technologie Angebot

Compact solar collector with linear Fresnel concentrator and triple movement.

Country of Origin: Spain
Reference Number: TOES20170131001
Publication Date: 31 January 2017

Summary

A Spanish research group in renewable energies has patented a compact solar collector with a linear Fresnel concentrator and triple movement for collecting and concentrating solar energy over a heat transfer fluid, which carries it to where it can be used providing a new thermal and electrical technology for the building industry. Companies operating in the energy and building sectors are sought to develop applications of the described technology under license agreements.

Description

In 2014, 54% of the world's population lived in urban areas and collectively consumed 75% of the world's resources. By 2050, 66% of the world's population is expected to be urban, so it is essential to minimize energy consumption in the urban environment.



In the European Union, the building sector represents one of the largest consumers of energy. The EU therefore promotes a series of guidelines to encourage the use of energy alternatives for buildings.



There are several renewable energy systems that can be used in the building sector for the production of electricity and heat. Solar thermal and photovoltaic systems are currently the most widely used, especially in regions where annual solar radiation is high, as is the case in southern European countries.



However, in the configurations of such systems, the primary concentrator and the secondary concentrator lack movement, so a large area is needed for its implantation to be effective in solar uptake. In addition, because of their lack of movement, there is a loss of energy due to the fact that, during a large part of the solar capture period, the solar beams do not strike the ends of the absorber tube. In addition, such lack of movement causes the secondary concentrator to be arranged at a certain distance from the primary concentrator, which limits the installation of other concentrators.



Researchers at a Spanish university working in renewal energies have developed a compact solar collector with a linear Fresnel concentrator and triple movement, comprising a fixed structural system, a mobile structural system that can roll in the North-South direction pivoting with respect to a primary axis in the East-West direction, a primary concentrator system composed of a number of rows of mirrors that can flip in the East-West direction pivoting with respect to a reflector axis in the North-South direction and a secondary concentrator system that can roll in the direction North-South pivoting with respect to a secondary axis in the East-West direction. The secondary concentrator comprises an absorber tube(s) through which a heat transfer fluid flows and collects the energy projected by the mirrors and transports it.



The present invention is applicable in those sectors in which equipment for the generation of thermal energy from radiation is manufactured or used, such as in the building sector, where hot water, heating and/or cooling and electrical energy are simultaneously required. Due to its high efficiency, it is also applicable to water purification and desalination.



The researchers would like to reach license agreements with companies operating in the energy and building sectors to develop applications of the described technology.



The university is a public institution oriented to education, research and technology transfer. However, it is not one of its capacities or goals to manufacture industrial products or distribute them commercially. Therefore, the university seeks to sign a patent licence agreement for a company to manufacture and commercialize the above-described technology.

Advantages and Innovations

The present invention allows:

- to maximize the absorption of solar energy by the secondary concentrator system, 

- to reduce the surface required for installation, 

- to reduce the separation between several concentrators when installed together and to optimize their application in heating or cooling, since it allows to obtain more energy in the winter months than of the summer months, or vice versa. 

It allows solar tracking over time in an optimal way and it can also concentrate solar radiation more efficiently thanks to the possibility of having a triple movement. This makes possible to produce very efficient equipment, but at the same time very compact. In addition, thanks to its flexibility of movement, the surface necessary for its installation is reduced, which is another important parameter in building applications, where the available space is usually circumscribed to the floor of the building.

Its configuration also allows all reflected sunbeams in the North-South direction to strike the absorber tube, regardless the time of day and day of the year, avoiding the energy losses at the tube end.

Stage Of Development

Available for demonstration

Requested partner

Companies that operate in those sectors which manufacture or use equipment for the generation of solar thermal energy.  For instance, suitable partners could be construction related companies for those projects which require at the same time electricity, hot water, heating and cooling. The high efficiency of this technology makes it also suitable for water purification and desalination.

Task to be performed: Applications of the described invention.