A photocatalytic reaction system by collecting sunlight, the system including: a light collector, a light conduction device, and a photoreactor. A transparent protective cover is disposed on the top of a housing of the light collector. A light-collecting convex lens group is disposed beneath the protective cover in the transmission direction of the sunlight. The housing of the light collector is provided with a solar radiation measuring device. An azimuthal main shaft and the pitch main shaft are separately provided with the servo motors and are rotatable in relation to each other by tracking the sunlight under the drive of the separate servo motors. The sunlight collected by the light-collecting convex lens group is converged into a convergent light when passing through the light conduction device and the convergent light is directed to the photoreactor. The photoreactor functions to transmit full-spectrum rays of sunlight.

A method of manufacturing a transparent pane, in particular a glass pane, which includes on at least one of its main surfaces a surface structure including an assembly of specified individual motifs in relief, in particular pyramids, cones, or truncated cones, created by embossing or by rolling. A structure is created on the surface of the pane constituted by individual motifs, based on one or more basic motifs but which are distinguished from each other by their depth, their height, and/or the perimeter of their base area, and/or by the position of their peak with respect to their base. With this variation, formation of intensity peaks of the reflected light is prevented and at the same time a high quality of light trapping is obtained by panes suitable, for example, for solar applications.

The invention relates to a solar lens panel (2) comprising a number of light collecting elements (2) placed next to one another and a number of light guides (4) corresponding to the number of light collecting elements (3); one light guide (4) including a light incident surface (5) is assigned to each light collecting element (3), and each light guide (4) is retained in a holding element (14) at a distance (8) from the light collecting elements (3); said distance (8) between the light collecting elements (3) and the light incident surfaces (5) of the light guides (4) corresponds at least approximately to the focal length of the light collecting elements (3). The light incident surfaces (5) of the light guides (4) are located inside the holding elements (14).

Polymeric sheets suitable for use as solar concentrators in solar thermal devices are provided. Also provided are solar thermal devices incorporating the polymeric sheets. The polymeric sheets have two oppositely facing surfaces. A first pattern is defined in the first surface and a second pattern is defined in the second surface. The first pattern is designed to reduce the reflectance of light incident upon the first surface relative to the first surface in the absence of the first pattern and to channel incident light through the sheet onto the second surface. It does so by redirecting photons incident upon the first surface over a broad range of incident angles into transmittance angles that are more closely aligned with the surface normal of the polymeric sheet. The second pattern is designed to focus the photons transmitted to the second surface of the sheet onto a focal surface, such as a receptacle containing a heat-transfer medium.

A rigid deformable reflector for heating a target, the rigid deformable reflector having a reflective surface capable of being rigidly deformed, a backing surface capable of supporting the reflective surface, and a concave shape. A method of deforming a rigid deformable reflector utilizing a deforming mechanism, wherein the rigid deformable reflector has a reflective surface and the deforming mechanism has a base and an actuator, the method having the steps of: placing a rigid deformable reflector onto the deforming mechanism, and activating the actuator thereby causing a first force to be applied to the rigid deformable reflector and deforming the shape of the rigid deformable reflector beyond its elastic limit.

A light guide apparatus that can redirect light impinging on the apparatus over a wide range of incident angles and can concentrate light without using a tracking system and methods for fabrication.

The invention provides a plant for production of energy, comprising any type of heat or energy source including but not limited to solar power sources, nuclear reactors, fossil fuel plants, wind power plants, tidal power plants, waste heat power plants and geothermal sources, operatively arranged at an input side of the plant, and heat delivery or energy production means such as turbine-electric generator sets, operatively arranged at a delivery side of the plant. The plant is distinctive in that it further comprises a thermal energy storage with integrated heat exchanger, comprising a solid state thermal storage material, a heat transfer fluid and means for energy input and output, wherein: the storage comprises at least one heat transfer container, solid state thermal storage material is arranged around the heat transfer container, the heat transfer container contains the heat transfer fluid and the means for energy input and output, so that all heat transferring convection and conduction by the heat transfer fluid takes place within the respective heat transfer container, the thermal energy storage with heat exchanger has been arranged inside thermal insulation, and the solid state thermal energy storage with heat exchanger, has been arranged between the input side and delivery side of the plant for storage and heat exchange of thermal energy, the storage is coupled directly or via an additional heat exchanger to the source and the storage is coupled directly or via an additional heat exchanger to the delivery side of the plant.