This invention provides a solar fluid heating panel with fluid conduits that allow a fluid to be heated by the sun. It also provides a mounting system and weather sealing system that allow the panels to replace a traditional roof. The roof replacing panels can be installed quickly using mounting brackets attached to roof purlins. The panels can allow natural ambient light to enter the building while harnessing the sun's energy to heat fluid within the conduits.

A concentrated solar thermal receiver is mounted on a tower to receive concentrated solar thermal energy from a concentrating array of solar reflectors. The receiver comprises a single layered array of tubes configured to carry a heat transfer fluid such as sodium and defining in combination an exposed concentrated solar thermal energy receiving surface. The array of tubes have a lower fluid inlet header communicating with an inlet conduit, and an upper fluid outlet communicating with an outlet conduit. The tubes are arranged in a serpentine configuration and define a fluid flow path which is predominantly transverse and upward. The receiver includes a thermally insulating cover movable between an open position and a closed position in which the solar thermal energy receiving surface is covered to block or reduce the incidence of solar flux on the tubes or to reduce heat loss from the array of tubes when they are not operational.

A method for improving the efficiency of a solar heating system based on absorbing heat from solar radiation into the outer surface of a concrete wall. The heat transfer device makes use of a fluid in a tube system to transfer heat from the outside of the wall to the inside of the wall. The inside wall is then used to heat air that is passed over it, and that air is then used to heat up a heat storage system.

A modular integrated thermal-electric roofing system is disclosed. The system may include a thermal collector system configured with a photovoltaic system. The thermal collector system may include a liquid flowing through thermal tubing that may be heated by the sun. A pump and thermal control system may extract thermal energy from the liquid. A series of photovoltaic tiles may be configured on top of the thermal tubing to collect solar energy and convert it into electricity, and to aid in the heating of the thermal tubing. On doing so, the thermal tubing may cool the photovoltaic tiles. The system may be modular for easy installation. The system may also be mounted onto a support structure and may be portable and/or transportable.

A Silver Lining solar transfer module incorporates roof solar photovoltaic cells in a cased layer sandwiched between two water-handling layers. The bottom waste heat layer contains heat transfer pipes tuned for absorbing heat from the bottom of the photovoltaic layer and to dissipate heat into cool water pumped through the transfer pipes from ground level. The top cascade layer uses a casing transparent to solar radiation at the wavelengths used by the solar photovoltaic cells and containing a cascade of relatively cool water pumped from ground level, absorbing heat from the photovoltaic layer. The Silver Lining module is installed with a vertical slant, so that water is gravity fed from the top edge to the bottom edge in the waste heat layer and cascade layer. Fire sprinklers are incorporated into the plumbing of a system of Silver Lining solar transfer modules and provide protection to the roof in fire emergencies.

The invention relates to enclosed solar parabolic trough reflector systems for thermal heat generation that can ultimately be used in various applications. The system includes a modular dual arch building design with a transparent building envelope and a reflector assembly connected within the building through a bearing assembly. The system is particularly suited for solar heat collection in harsh environment.

A hybrid receiver for a concentrator photovoltaic-thermal power system combines a concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) module and a thermal module that converts concentrated sunlight into electrical energy and thermal heat. Heat transfer fluid flowing through a cooling block removes waste heat generated by photovoltaic cells in the CPV module. The heat transfer fluid then flows through a helical tube illuminated by sunlight that misses the CPV module. Only one fluid system is used to both remove the photovoltaic-cell waste heat and capture high-temperature thermal energy from sunlight. Fluid leaving the hybrid receiver can have a temperature greater than 200? C., and therefore may be used as a source of process heat for a variety of commercial and industrial applications. The hybrid receiver can maintain the photovoltaic cells at temperatures below 110? C. while achieving overall energy conversion efficiencies exceeding 80%.

A heat concentrator device for a solar power system includes an evacuated hollow body with a bottom, side walls, a top and an airtight cap. Portions of the side walls have inwardly reflective surfaces for concentrating solar radiation into the chamber toward a heat sink, which is positioned in the bottom of the chamber. The heat sink also is hollow and has an inlet port formed in one of its opposite side walls and an outlet port formed in the other for heat transfer fluid to flow into and out of the heat sink. Circuitous passageways form a maze that connects the inlet and outlet ports thus maximizing heat transfer to/from system fluid(s) within the heat sink. The sidewalls of the chamber of the device extend below the heat sink to form a partial vacuum chamber between its bottom and the heat sink. The device is mounted to a reflective dish of a solar power system in a unique way adding additional solar energy collection efficiencies.

A heat recovery system includes a compressor, a solar panel, and a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger in fluid connection to form a closed circuit. The compressor is configured to facilitate fluid movement in the fluid circuit between the solar panel, the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger. The solar panel includes a plurality of solar cells connected in parallel, and each solar cell includes a plurality of metal tubes for fluid to pass through. A temperature sensor is mounted within each of the solar cells and configured to measure temperature inside the respective solar cell. Each solar cell is connected to the circuit via a respective pressure valve, and the status of the pressure valve is configured to depend on the measurement of the temperature sensor in the respective solar cell.

A heat exchange assembly for heating a pool includes a housing that defines an internal space. The housing has a top that is open. A lid, which is complementary to the top and substantially transparent, is sealably couplable to the housing to cover the top. A tube is loopedly positioned in the internal space. The tube has opposing endpoints that are positioned through the housing. Each of a pair of couplers is coupled singly to the endpoints of the tube. The lid is configured to allow sunlight to pass through the lid into the internal space, wherein the internal space is heated relative to the ambient environment. The tube is configured to transfer heat from the internal space to liquid passing through the tube. The couplers are configured to couple the tube to a reservoir of liquid, such as a pool.