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.

Examples are provided herein that relate to solar heating with a solar refraction device. One example provides a solar heating system, comprising a container configured to enclose contents within the container in a closed configuration, and a solar refraction device comprising a lens array assembly having a plurality of lens array sub-assemblies, the lens array assembly configured to refract solar energy impinging on the lens array assembly to focus refracted solar energy at a plurality of focal points positioned to heat the contents enclosed within the container, each focal point corresponding to a corresponding lens array sub-assembly of the plurality of lens array sub-assemblies.

The invention relates to a passive tracking device for tracking the position of the sun, which comprises a hollow parallelepiped casing through which the solar radiation entering through a first lens located at the upper end of the parallelepiped casing passes towards a discriminating reflector arranged at the lower end of the same casing; the tracking device redirects as much incoming radiation as possible towards side chambers for absorbing radiation, heating a working fluid contained in the side chamber; producing a volumetric expansion in the working fluid that, communicating with shafts for the rotation of the tracking device, allows the orientation with the normal/perpendicular position with respect to the position of the sun, and to guide the alignment direction of other tracking devices for collecting energy in devices for collecting photovoltaic and/or thermal energy that are mechanically connected to the tracking device.

A concentrated solar power generation system includes a movable platform having a groove, a Fresnel lens located in the groove of the movable platform, a header located below the Fresnel lens, a plurality of heat collection tubes arranged in a circular array, a reflector with a tapered surface, and a support base. The header has a water circulation pipe, an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe. The inlet pipe and the outlet pipe each are communicated to the water circulation pipe. A lower end of each of the heat collection tubes is fixed on the support seat, and an upper end of each of the heat collection tubes contacts the water circulation pipe. The reflector is mounted on the support base and located in a space enclosed by the heat collection tubes.

A solar energy utilization device, comprising a light energy utilization device and at least one liquid light condensing device. The liquid light condensing device is filled with a transparent liquid. The liquid light condensing device has at least one photoreceptor capable of transmitting sunlight into the transparent liquid and a reflector that reflects incident sunlight. In the liquid light condensing device, the sunlight that is reflected by the reflector and then transmitted to the photoreceptor from the transparent liquid forms a total reflection phenomenon, such that the sunlight is prevented from being refracted from the photoreceptor after being reflected by the reflector into the transparent liquid. Thus more sunlight is condensed onto a light energy utilization part of the light energy utilization device, thereby improving the light condensing efficiency.

A solar energy utilization device (1000), solar light emitted from a transparent liquid (200) to a light receiver (120) in the apparatus (1000) forming total reflection; in addition, a light energy utilization portion (310) is laid above the bottom wall (112) of a light concentrating tank (110), better facilitating the concentration of solar light on the light energy utilization portion (310) by a liquid light concentrating apparatus (100), thereby preventing the solar light from being refracted from the light receiver (120) after being reflected by the light concentrating tank (110) into the transparent liquid (200), concentrating more solar light on the light energy utilization portion (310) of the light energy utilization apparatus (300), and increasing the light concentrating efficiency.

A light collector (1), a plurality of densely distributed light collecting protrusions (11) protruding upward from the light collector (1), and a light collecting curved surface (111) is provided on the light collecting protrusions (11) in a curved manner; a plurality of densely distributed Fresnel lenses (12) protruding downward from the light collector (1), and a light emitting curved surface (121) being provided underneath the Fresnel lenses (12) in a curved manner. The light collector (1) of the present invention has low production cost and an effect of increasing light usage rate.

A solar energy collector includes: a solar energy collection tube having an absorption medium flow path for allowing an absorption medium to flow therethrough; a lens configured to concentrate solar energy on the solar energy collection tube; and an actuator configured to move the solar energy collection tube or the lens based on an incidence angle of the solar energy so that the solar energy is focused on the solar energy collection tube.

An optical device and systems using an optical device are provided, where the optical device may be configured for collimating incoming light rays. The optical device may include a host medium substantially comprised of a transparent material and an array of substantially transparent structures embedded within the host medium. The structures of the array each include a convex side presented to the incoming light rays and a concave side that passes light rays through toward the output face of the host medium, collimating the rays. Multiple stages of arrays may be provided in the optical device, typically with lengthening aspect ratios and increasing indexes of refraction in a direction from the input face toward the output face. The systems may use the optical device for using an exterior light to illuminate an interior space in a building or to generate power.

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.