An optical light-transmission element for a solar energy assembly having a solar cell includes at least one harvesting portion for directing solar light onto the solar cell. For optimum operation of the solar energy assembly, the optical light-transmission element and the solar cell have to be carefully aligned. In order to facilitate the alignment, the optical light-transmission element further comprises at least one alignment control portion for concentrating the solar light onto a second focusing region, which is spaced apart from the primary focusing region. A method for aligning such a solar energy assembly involves focusing light on a focusing region that is spaced apart from the solar cell, and adjusting at least one of the position of the solar cell and the harvesting region until the focusing region is located at a predetermined target zone, which is spaced apart from the solar cell.

Disclosed is an optomechanical system (10) for capturing and transmitting incident light (40) with a variable direction of incidence to at least one collecting element (31, 31′, 31″, 31″′, 31A, 31B), with an optical arrangement (20) able to capture a beam of the incident light (40), concentrate the captured beam of the incident light, and transmit one or more concentrated beams (50) of the incident light to the at least one collecting element (31, 31′, 31″, 31″′, 31A, 31B), and a shifting mechanism for moving the optical arrangement (20) with respect to the at least one collecting element (31, 31′, 31″, 31′″, 31A, 31B), wherein the moving of the shifting mechanism is controllable in such a way that, for any direction of incidence of the incident light (40), the one or more concentrated beams (50) of the incident light can be optimally collected by the at least one collecting element (31, 31′, 31″, 31′″, 31A, 31B), In this optomechanical system (10), the optical arrangement (20) comprises a first optical layer made of optical lenses having an aspheric curvature, and at least one surface of the lenses has a polynomial curvature with multiple orders. Furthermore, the present invention also relates to a corresponding method for capturing and transmitting incident light with a variable direction of incidence to at least one collecting element.

A solar energy powered Stirling duplex cooler is presented which includes a Stirling engine and a Stirling cooler. The Stirling engine drives the Stirling cooler to produce cold temperatures for refrigeration or air conditioning. The Stirling duplex cooler includes a solar concentrator to focus high temperature solar radiation upon the Stirling engine expansion space. The Stirling duplex cooler further includes a thermal storage tank to receive and store heat rejected from the cooler expansion space. This stored heat is used to operate the cooler at night. A flywheel connected operatively to engine and cooler expansion space pistons and a crankshaft connected operatively to engine and cooler compression space pistons actuate the pistons to move a working fluid between the expansion and compression spaces.

An inflatable divergent Fresnel lens and non-imaging CPC based non-tracking high concentration ratio solar concentrator system comprises a flexible domed divergent Fresnel lens, and an inflatable non-imaging CPC concentrator with a domed transparent top cover and a flat transparent bottom cover. Where, the flexible domed divergent Fresnel lens is attached onto the said domed transparent cover of the said inflatable non-imaging CPC concentrator. When in operation, the oblique incident sunlight including beam light and diffuse light onto the domed divergent Fresnel lens, is deflected to change its direction, and consequently change its original incident angle relative to the said CPC concentrator from large to small, then eventually fall in the acceptance half-angle to be concentrated by the said CPC in large concentration ratio.

Solar power collection systems characterized by using a collimated or otherwise concentrated beam of solar radiation to directly heat a porcelain or other high-heat capacity ceramic heating element by contact with an absorption surface on the element, which element in turn heats a thermal storage medium by conduction, methods of using the systems for collecting solar energy, and applications of the systems are disclosed.

A double-sided light-concentrating solar apparatus and system. The apparatus comprises a front-side concentrating groove (110), a back-side concentrating groove (110′), and a photovoltaic panel (120) provided at the bottom of each concentrating groove. Each concentrating groove comprises two groove walls (111, 112; 111′, 112′) extending along the bottom; opposite surfaces of the two groove walls are reflecting surfaces; the open side of each of the two groove walls forms an opening of the concentrating groove; the opening direction of the front-side concentrating groove (110) is opposite to the opening direction of the back-side concentrating groove (110′). According to the double-sided concentrating solar device, sunlight (LL) can be concentrated and received from two different directions, thereby enhancing direction adaptability and expanding device mounting methods.

A solar energy powered Stirling duplex cooler is presented which includes a Stirling engine and a Stirling cooler. The Stirling engine drives the Stirling cooler to produce cold temperatures for refrigeration or air conditioning. The Stirling duplex cooler includes a solar concentrator to focus high temperature solar radiation upon the Stirling engine expansion space. The Stirling duplex cooler further includes a thermal storage tank to receive and store heat rejected from the cooler expansion space. This stored heat is used to operate the cooler at night. A flywheel connected operatively to engine and cooler expansion space pistons and a crankshaft connected operatively to engine and cooler compression space pistons actuate the pistons to move a working fluid between the expansion and compression spaces.

A solar energy powered Stirling duplex cooler is presented which includes a Stirling engine and a Stirling cooler. The Stirling engine drives the Stirling cooler to produce cold temperatures for refrigeration or air conditioning. The Stirling duplex cooler includes a solar concentrator to focus high temperature solar radiation upon the Stirling engine expansion space. The Stirling duplex cooler further includes a thermal storage tank to receive and store heat rejected from the cooler expansion space. This stored heat is used to operate the cooler at night. A flywheel connected operatively to engine and cooler expansion space pistons and a crankshaft connected operatively to engine and cooler compression space pistons actuate the pistons to move a working fluid between the expansion and compression spaces.

The various embodiments described herein include devices and systems for thermal energy storage. A single-temperature-thermal-energy storage (SITTES) system for desalinating seawater and/or producing electrical power is described. The SITTES system includes insulated tanks, a molten eutectic salt media arranged within the insulated tanks, heat exchangers arranged within the insulated tanks, and an outlet. In the SITTES system the heat exchangers are coupled to one another and configured to transfer heat between the salt media and a seawater media, and the outlet is configured to output a steam portion of the seawater media, thereby providing desalination of the portion of the seawater media and steam for electrical power generation.

A solar energy powered Stirling duplex cooler is presented which includes a Stirling engine and a Stirling cooler. The Stirling engine drives the Stirling cooler to produce cold temperatures for refrigeration or air conditioning. The Stirling duplex cooler includes a solar concentrator to focus high temperature solar radiation upon the Stirling engine expansion space. The Stirling duplex cooler further includes a thermal storage tank to receive and store heat rejected from the cooler expansion space. This stored heat is used to operate the cooler at night. A flywheel connected operatively to engine and cooler expansion space pistons and a crankshaft connected operatively to engine and cooler compression space pistons actuate the pistons to move a working fluid between the expansion and compression spaces.