A bladed solar thermal receiver for absorbing concentrated sunlight is disclosed. The receiver includes a plurality of panels arranged in a bladed configuration for absorbing sunlight. The bladed configurations can be radial or planar. The receiver design increases the effective solar absorptance and efficiency by providing a light trap for the incident solar radiation while reducing heat losses from radiation and convection.

An inflatable non-imaging solar concentrator based concentrating solar thermal and photovoltaic system powered water desalination system comprises a concentrating electricity and heat cogeneration subsystem, a battery storage subsystem, a thermal storage subsystem with electric heater, a thermal power regeneration subsystem, and a water distillation system with electric heater. The inflatable non-imaging solar concentrator makes the concentrating system substantially low cost, and the hybrid solar thermal and photovoltaic panels used to construct the cogeneration receiver make the system ultra-high efficient. The cogenerated thermal energy is stored in a thermal storage and the cogenerated electric energy is stored in a battery storage to heat the stored thermal energy to pre-set high temperature for thermal power regeneration. The thermal energy after thermal power generation is used to desalinize water with assistance of electric heater powered by the stored electricity. An extra conventional photovoltaic system is added to compensate the concentrating hybrid solar thermal and photovoltaic system.

An inflatable non-imaging solar concentrator based concentrating solar thermal and photovoltaic system powered water desalination system comprises a concentrating electricity and heat cogeneration subsystem, a battery storage subsystem, a thermal storage subsystem with electric heater, a thermal power regeneration subsystem, and a water distillation system with electric heater. The inflatable non-imaging solar concentrator makes the concentrating system substantially low cost, and the hybrid solar thermal and photovoltaic panels used to construct the cogeneration receiver make the system ultra-high efficient. The cogenerated thermal energy is stored in a thermal storage and the cogenerated electric energy is stored in a battery storage to heat the stored thermal energy to pre-set high temperature for thermal power regeneration. The thermal energy after thermal power generation is used to desalinize water with assistance of electric heater powered by the stored electricity. An extra conventional photovoltaic system is added to compensate the concentrating hybrid solar thermal and photovoltaic system.

The invention can make up the entire roof of a building or vehicle, or be integrated into a portion of said roofs. This invention utilizes and reduces the amount of solar radiation that enters a building or vehicle via the roof. This system can include a water holding tank or a plurality of tanks, heat exchangers, fire sprinkler heads and various glazing options. Said heat exchangers are contained between the rafters or trusses, and takes advantage of thermal syphoning to store energy in said tank or said plurality of tanks. Additionally, this roof system can function as a fire suppression apparatus and a skylight apparatus that allows natural light into the structure, and may be integrated with LED lighting to illuminate the skylight glazing and interior space. The exterior upper covering may consist of a glazing material like tempered glass coupled with additional roofing elements or standard upper covering assemblies.

A solar water-heating panel is provided, comprising a plurality of risers configured for utilizing solar radiation impinging thereon to heat a fluid therein. Each riser comprises a riser wall defining a fluid path for flow therethrough of the fluid. The panel further comprises one or more headers for facilitating delivery of the fluid between the panel and an external source of the fluid. The risers are parallely-arranged and separate from one another, and each comprises a longitudinal fin projecting sidewardly therefrom toward, and contacting, an adjacent riser.

A photovoltaic thermal (PVT) system for coupling to a solar panel, includes: thermal parts, including: a copper sheet comprising a first side and a second side opposite the first side, where the first side is for coupling to a back of the solar panel; at least a first plurality of heat pipes coupled to the second side of the copper sheet; and at least a first manifold coupled to ends of the first plurality of heat pipes; and an insulation layer coupled to the thermal parts, where if the thermal parts are coupled to the back of the solar panel, the copper sheet receives heat transferred from the solar panel and transfers the heat to the first plurality of heat pipes, and the first plurality of heat pipes transfers the heat to the first manifold. The PVT system manages the temperature of the solar cells in the solar panel.

The advanced hybrid tank is a multifunctional tank with a shape that makes for easy construction and assembly while maximizing the ability of thermal syphoning. This invention can store an inlet liquid and thermal energy from a thermal collector, for outlet usage in multiple applications. The tank typically has a coupling side and a thermal syphoning side which together allows for coupling with an advanced PV cooling panel, an advanced thermal focusing panel, or a roof structure.

Proposed is a hybrid energy generation device using sunlight and solar heat including a photovoltaic panel in which a plurality of photovoltaic cells are arranged on a front side thereof, a first heat storage pipe having an inlet through which heat transfer fluid is introduced, and having a first slit hole formed on a side thereof in a longitudinal direction, a second heat storage pipe disposed to face the first heat storage pipe, having an outlet through which the heat transfer fluid is discharged, and having a second slit hole formed on a side thereof in a longitudinal direction, two or more third heat storage pipes arranged to connect the first heat storage pipe and the second heat storage pipe, and each having a third slit hole formed on a side thereof in a longitudinal direction, and a heat dissipation panel laminated on a back side of the PV panel.

A bladed solar thermal receiver for absorbing concentrated sunlight is disclosed. The receiver includes a plurality of panels arranged in a bladed configuration for absorbing sunlight. The bladed configurations can be radial or planar. The receiver design increases the effective solar absorptance and efficiency by providing a light trap for the incident solar radiation while reducing heat losses from radiation and convection.

A bladed solar thermal receiver for absorbing concentrated sunlight is disclosed. The receiver includes a plurality of panels arranged in a bladed configuration for absorbing sunlight. The bladed configurations can be radial or planar. The receiver design increases the effective solar absorptance and efficiency by providing a light trap for the incident solar radiation while reducing heat losses from radiation and convection.