A protective transparent enclosure, such as a greenhouse, encloses a concentrated solar power system having line-focus solar energy concentrators. The line-focus solar energy concentrators have a reflective front layer, a core layer, and a rear layer. The core and the rear layers, when bonded with the reflective front layer, enable the line-focus solar energy concentrator, in some embodiments, to retain a particular form without additional strengthening elements. In some embodiments, the core layer and/or the rear layer are formed by removing material from a single piece of material.

The present invention relates to a method for collecting sunlight through an image method by tracking the sun using a dish-shaped light collector or a paraboloidal light collector and, and to a method and an apparatus for transmitting high-density light as the collected sunlight to a remote place, to which the light is applied, and for generating super-high-density light by combining, in a multi-stage manner, the high-density light obtained through a plurality of light collectors. A first concaveparaboloidal reflector of a paraboloidal light collection unit can collect light, transmit the collected light to the remote place, and provide an efficient and quantitative use environment to an applied device by using a paraboloidal reflector set including: a first concave-paraboloidal mirror in which a slope of a paraboloide is provided to make a narrow width so that downward reflection is greater than or equal to 90% by an angle between an incident angle at an inner point of a paraboloidal mirror and a normal surface, the angle being larger than a critical angle, and which has an opening formed at the lower side of a central axis thereof; and a second convex-paraboloidal reflector, which has a small diameter, shares a focus of the first concave-paraboloidal mirror, and has a miniaturized shape of the first concave-paraboloidal mirror at a focal portion without an opening at a central axis thereof.

A CSP system including a reflector and a receiver for concentrating the solar radiation incident on the reflector onto the receiver, comprising a shadow blind and a shadow receiver as well as a colour and/or brightness digitizing sensor arranged to detect the shadow of the shadow blind on the shadow receiver in order to determine a deviation of the actual shadow position from a target shadow position, a tracking means configured to adapt the position of the reflector and the receiver according to the deviation.

A scalable parabolic or disc shaped mirror, that is formed and maintained by inflating, with air or inert gas, a rigid polymer membrane envelope, that is pre-formed, and such that when inflated, forms this parabolic or disc shape, governed by a center supporting pole, and ring around circumference of the mirror. The top half of the ballooned envelope is made of a clear transparent membrane through which the sun's rays pass through and on to the lower inner lower surface, which is coated with reflective surface. The balloon is skewered through the middle of each membrane, and clamped with flanges to hermetically seal the envelope. The pole or center structure is anchored and hinged at the base so the Pneumatic Mirror can be articulated to face towards the sun, thus focussing the energy to whatever device is at the focal point.

A method is provided for using asymmetrically focused photovoltaic conversion in a hybrid parabolic trough solar power system. Light rays received in a plurality of transverse planes are concentrated towards a primary linear focus in an axial plane, orthogonal to the transverse planes. T band wavelengths of light are transmitted to the primary linear focus, while R band wavelengths of light are reflected towards a secondary linear focus in the axial plane. The light received at the primary linear focus is translated into thermal energy. The light received at the secondary linear focus is asymmetrically focused along a plurality of tertiary linear foci, orthogonal to the axial plane. The focused light in each tertiary linear focus is concentrated into a plurality of receiving areas and translated into electrical energy. Asymmetrical optical elements are used having an optical input interfaces elongated along rotatable axes, orthogonal to the axial plane.

A light-concentrating lens assembly for a solar energy system, the assembly comprising a plurality of concentrically arranged paraboloid mirror reflectors, a conical light guide extending below the plurality of paraboloid mirror reflectors, an inner central cone disposed along a central axis of the concentrically arranged paraboloid mirror reflectors, and a compound paraboloid concentrator disposed beneath the inner central cone.

A receiver system for a Fresnel solar plant is provided that includes an absorber tube defining a longitudinal direction, a mirror array that runs parallel to the longitudinal direction and is used for concentrating light beams onto the absorber tube, and a support frame for the absorber tube and the mirror array. A first suspension for holding the absorber tube and a second suspension for holding the mirror array or at least parts of the mirror array are independently mounted on the support frame. The first suspension has first compensation device while the second suspension has second compensation device. The first and second compensation devices allow for different expansions of the absorber tube and the mirror array or at least parts of the mirror array in the longitudinal direction.

A hybrid steam power plant is disclosed using the steam generator as a sub-construction for a solar receiver.

A concentrating solar collector module includes improvements in performance and assemblability. In one configuration, the module includes a reflector having a reflective front surface shaped to concentrate incoming solar radiation onto a focal line, first and second rails, one rail attached to each edge of the reflector, and a set of truss connectors attached to the rails. The truss connectors and rails may form ways that enable constrained sliding engagement of the truss connectors along the rails before attachment of the truss connectors to the rails. The module may also include a plurality of framing members connected to the truss connectors and forming a structural lattice that cooperates with the reflector to lend rigidity to the solar collector module. At least some of the framing members may be disposed in front of the front reflective surface.

A novel portable solar energy system includes a solar concentrator, a thermal storage device, an azimuth adjustment system, an elevation system, and a heat exchanger, all mounted on a rotatable support frame. In a particular embodiment, the thermal storage device remains at a fixed vertical height and fixed tilt orientation when adjustments are made to the azimuth adjustment system and/or the elevation adjustment system.