THERMOELECTRIC ACTIVE STORAGE EMBEDDED HYBRID SOLAR THERMAL AND PHOTOVOLTAIC WALL MODULE

Abstract

Solar collection and storage module systems as building blocks are provided to build walls or shingles of buildings to transform any buildings into stabilized power generation stations and tie to power grid to form power grid-interactive efficient buildings. The solar collection and storage module system comprises a hybrid photovoltaic and thermal panel, thermoelectric modules, thermal storage package, control system, and battery storage. The incident sunlight is partially converted into electricity directly by the photovoltaic part of the system directly, and rest part is transformed into heat which is extracted, boosted to high temperature, and stored into the thermal storage package by the thermoelectric modules operating in cooler mode at this movement. At night or in cloudy days, the stored heat flow through the thermoelectric modules, which are switched to generator mode by the control system, generating electricity. In the module system, the cogenerated heat is stored in thermal energy format and outputted in electrical energy format; the total conversion efficiency of the module system is significantly improved. When the module systems are used as wall modules or shingles to build buildings, the encapsulation properties of the buildings are substantially improved.

Claims

1. An solar collection and storage module system as building block comprises: a) a hybrid photovoltaic and thermal panel; b) thermoelectric modules; c) a thermal storage package with a buried heat exchanger; d) frames with insulation materials; e) a battery storage; f) a control system, wherein the thermoelectric modules contact on the backside of the hybrid photovoltaic and thermal panel, and the buried heat exchanger in the thermal storage package contact on the backside of the thermoelectric modules; the hybrid photovoltaic and thermal panel is connected to the battery storage with cables and the control system is connected to the thermoelectric modules and the battery storage with cables, when in operation, the incident sunlight on the hybrid photovoltaic and thermal panel is partially converted into electricity and partially into heat, the electricity is conducted to the battery for storage, and the heat is extracted, boosted to high temperature and transferred to the thermal storage package by the thermoelectric modules as coolers at this movement, when at night or in cloudy days, the stored heat in the thermal storage package flow out through the thermoelectric modules which is switched to the generator mode by the control system to generate electricity.

2. The hybrid photovoltaic and thermal panel of claim 1, comprises a transparent glazing, a solar cell array, a metal sheet, which are laminated and sealed.

3. The thermoelectric modules of claim 1, contact the backside of the metal sheet of claim 2 with their front sides.

4. The thermal storage package of claim 1, comprises a front insulation layer, a heat exchanger, thermal mass, and backside insulation layer.

5. The heat exchanger of claim 4, contacts to the backsides of the thermoelectric modules of claim 3.

6. The frames of claim 1, pack the hybrid photovoltaic and thermal panel of claim 2, the thermoelectric modules of claim 3, and the thermal package of claim 3 together and provide the side insulation layers.

7. The control system of claim 1, swatches the thermoelectric modules from cooler mode to generator mode.

8. The solar collection and storage module systems of claim 1, are used as wall modules to construct walls, and shingles to construct roofs of buildings.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0014] FIG. 1 is the overview of the hybrid photovoltaic and solar thermal wall module package with thermoelectric activated thermal storage.

[0015] FIG. 2 is the profile section view of the hybrid photovoltaic and solar thermal wall module package with thermoelectric activated thermal storage.

[0016] FIG. 3 is the assembly of the photovoltaic panel and thermoelectric module.

[0017] FIG. 4 is the assembly of the heat exchanger embedded into the thermal mass packed into the insulation materials.

[0018] FIG. 5 is the block diagram indicating the connection of the components inside of the hybrid photovoltaic and solar thermal wall module package with thermoelectric activated thermal storage.

[0019] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram indicating the installation of the hybrid photovoltaic and solar thermal packages with thermoelectric activated thermal storage into building as wall and shingle modules.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Reference will now be made in detail to the present exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

[0021] Referring to FIG. 1, the entire module is packed with frames 60, wherein the glazing 11 of the hybrid photovoltaic and thermal panel serves as the transparent cover of the module.

[0022] Referring to FIG. 2, the module consists of hybrid photovoltaic and thermal panel 10 which comprises the glazing 11, solar cell array 12, and the metal sheet 13, thermoelectric module 20, thermal storage package 30 which comprises the top insulation layer 31, heat exchanger 32, thermal mass 33, and backside insulation layer 34, and frames 60 with side insulation materials. The hybrid photovoltaic and thermal panel 10 is laminated and sealed; the thermoelectric modules 20 are attached to the backside of the metal sheet 13; the heat exchanger 32 is attached to the thermoelectric modules surrounded by the insulation layer 31; the heat exchanger 32 is buried into the thermal mass which is insulated by the back side insulation layer 34 and the side insulation materials within frames 60. When in operation, the incident sunlight penetrates through the glazing 11 and reaches the solar cell arrays 12; a portion of the sunlight is converted into electricity directly, and rest become heat; the heat is extracted, boosted its temperature, and transferred to the heat exchanger 32 by the thermoelectric modules 20; the heat exchanger 32 distributes the heat into the thermal mass 33. When at night or in cloudy days, the stored heat in the thermal mass 33 transferring through the heat exchanger 32 and the thermoelectric modules 20, is converted back into electricity by the thermoelectric modules 20 which is operating in the generator mode at this movement.

[0023] Referring to FIG. 3, the assembly of the hybrid photovoltaic and thermal panel 10, thermoelectric modules 20, and insulation layer 31, is further illustrated.

[0024] Referring to FIG. 4, the assembly of the heat exchanger 32, thermal mass 33 and the backside insulation layer 34 is further illustrated.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 5, the entire hybrid photovoltaic and thermal panel, thermoelectric module, and thermal storage module system comprise the hybrid photovoltaic and thermal panel 10, thermoelectric modules 20, thermal storage package 30, battery bank 40 and control system 50. When in operation, the sunlight 1 shines on the hybrid photovoltaic and thermal panel 10, which cogenerates electricity and heat, the cogenerated electricity is conducted to the battery bank 40, and the cogenerated heat 2 is transferred to thermoelectric modules and boosted up to higher temperature heat 3, then transferred into the thermal storage package 30. At night or in cloudy days, the stored heat 4 flow through the thermoelectric modules 20 to convert it back to electricity with control system 50 to switch the operating modes of the thermoelectric modules from cooler to generator, the heat 5 dissipated from the thermoelectric modules 20 is transferred back to the hybrid photovoltaic and thermal panel 10. The thermoelectric module generated electricity is conducted to battery bank 40 through the control system 50.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 6, the hybrid photovoltaic and thermal panel, thermoelectric module, and thermal storage package systems are integrated into the building roofs 100 as shingles and the walls 200 as wall modules to form the envelope of building.

[0027] From the description above, a number of advantages of the solar collection and storage module become evident. The solar collection and storage module not only generates both electrical energy and thermal energy to dramatically increase the total conversion efficiency of solar system, but also stores the generated thermal energy, this enables the whole building built with the solar collection and storage modules to be a large scale power generation and storage system. The storage of the solar collection and storage modules not only make the building body into a large scale energy storage, but also significantly improve the encapsulation properties of the building as the building shares the two layers of the insulation of the storage with the solar collection and storage modules. The solar collection and storage module's photovoltaic conversion efficiency is improved by the thermoelectric modules when they are working in the cooler mode, in the meantime, the cogenerated heat is boosted to high temperature by the thermoelectric modules, so that the heat is stored in the thermal mass at high temperature and the conversion efficiency of the thermoelectric modules is improved when they are working in the generator mode. The cogenerated heat is stored in thermal energy form but outputted in electric energy form. The solar collection and storage system forms a compact package with a control system to have potential to make the package a smart component of building.