Direct solar hydro-electric integrated system and concentrating heliostat for same

Claim 2

In an existing hydro-electric power plant including a hydroelectric generator means of given capacity powered by water stored in a reservoir upstream of said hydro-electric generator means, an electrical transmission network connecting said hydroelectric generator means to an electrical load, the improvement comprising: a solar power generator means having a capacity matching that of said hydro-electric generator means, and said transmission network including means for selectively connecting either or both of said generator means to said electrical load, whereby, integrating the solar and existing hydro-electric power plant permits the output of the power installation to be increased without an overall increase in the use of water stored by said reservoir.

Claim 3

The hydro-electric power plant as claimed in claim 1, wherein said solar power generator means is remote from said hydro-electric generator means.

Claim 4

In an existing hydro-electric power plant including a hydro-electric generator means of given capacity powered by water stored in a reservoir upstream of said hydro-electric generator means, an electrical transmission network connecting said hydro-electric generator means to an electrical load, the improvement comprising: a solar power generator means having a capacity matching that of said hydro-electric generator means, and said transmission network including means for selectively connecting either or both of said generator means to said electrical load, whereby, integrating the solar and existing hydro-electric power plant permits the output of the power installation to be increased without an overall increase in the use of water stored by said reservoir, Further comprising an auxiliary hydro-electric generator means powered by water from said upstream reservoir, a second reservoir downstream of said auxiliary hydro-electric generator means fluid coupled thereto for storing at least that volume of water passing through said auxiliary hydro-electric generator means from said upstream reservoir, means for terminating operation of said auxiliary hydro-electric generator means during operation of said solar powered generator means, and means for supplying excess electrical power from said solar powered generator means to said auxiliary hydro-electric generator for driving the generator thereof as a motor and operating said turbine as a pump, while said auxiliary hydro-electric generator means is fluid coupled between said reservoirs for pumping back at least the volume of water passing from said upstream reservoir to said downstream reservoir therethrough to further increase the total power generation of said power plant, without the necessity of an increased use of the available water supply.

Claim 5

In an existing hydro-electric power plant including a hydro-electric generator means of given capacity powered by water stored in a reservoir upstream of said hydro-electric generator means, an electrical transmission network connecting said hydro-electric generator means to an electrical load, the improvement comprising: a solar power generator means having a capacity matching that of said hydro-electric generator means, and said transmission network including means for selectively connecting either or both of said generator means to said electrical load, whereby, integrating the solar and existing hydro-electric power plant permits the output of the power installation to be increased without an overall increase in the use of water stored by said reservoir, Further comprising an auxiliary hydro-electric generator means powered by water from said upstream reservoir, a second reservoir downstream of said auxiliary hydro-electric generator means fluid coupled thereto for storing at least that volume of water passing through said auxiliary hydro-electric generator means from said upstream reservoir, means for terminating operation of said auxiliary hydro-electric generator means during operation of said solar powered generator means, and means for supplying excess electrical power from said solar powered generator means to said auxiliary hydro-electric generator for driving the generator thereof as a motor and operating said turbine as a pump, while said auxiliary hydro-electric generator means is fluid coupled between said reservoirs for pumping back at least the volume of water passing from said upstream reservoir to said downstream reservoir therethrough to further increase the total power generation of said power plant, without the necessity of an increased use of the available water supply.

Claim 6

In a thermal energy conversion system including a heat receiver defining a planar solar ray receiving aperture at right angles to a north-south axis passing through said plane, the improvement comprising: a concentrating heliostat positioned on said axis at some distance from said aperture plane, said heliostat comprising: at least one array of spherical, concave mirrors, means for mounting each of said mirrors for orthogonal pivoting about a point passing through the center of said mirror, each of said means having a radius of curvature unique to its position with respect to said aperture to provide focusing about the center of said aperture, sensor/servo mechanisms for pivoting said mirrors independently orthogonally about said center pivot point to track the bisector of the angle between the sun-mirror vector and the heat receiver-mirror vector to effect concentrated solar energy focusing at said solar ray receiving aperture of said receiver over a significantly smaller surface area than the surface area of each mirror, whereby, said heat receiver is subjected to highly concentrated surface solar radiant energy, and wherein the concentration of the rays leaving each mirror takes the form of a linear pattern at a focal plane corresponding to the solar ray receiving aperture and said linear pattern of each mirror rotates balancing the concentrated energy at the focal plane.

Claim 7

In a thermal energy conversion system including a heat receiver defining a planar solar ray receiving aperture at right angles to a north-south axis passing through said plane, the improvement comprising: a concentrating heliostat positioned on said axis at some distance from said aperture plane, said heliostat comprising: at least one array of spherical, concave mirrors, means for mounting each of said mirrors for orthogonal pivoting about a point passing through the center of said mirror, each of said means having a radius of curvature unique to its position with respect to said aperture to provide focusing about the center of said aperture, sensor/servo mechanisms for pivoting said mirrors independently orthogonally about said center pivot point to track the bisector of the angle between the sun-mirror vector and the heat receiver-mirror vector to effect concentrated solar energy focusing at said solar ray receiving aperture of said receiver over a significantly smaller surface area than the surface area of each mirror, whereby, said heat receiver is subjected to highly concentrated surface solar radiant energy, and wherein the concentration of the rays leaving each mirror takes the form of a linear pattern at a focal plane corresponding to the solar ray receiving aperture and said linear pattern of each mirror rotates balancing the concentrated energy at the focal plane.

Claim 8

The thermal energy conversion system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said plurality of spherical, concave mirrors comprise a fan shaped array diverging in the direction away from the solar ray receiving aperture of the heat receiver, said fan shaped array being aligned with the north-south axis of the heat receiver and with said mirrors being inside a conical approach angle which is not greater than 45* relative to said north-south axis of the heat receiver.

Claim 9

The thermal energy conversion system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said fan shaped array of spherical, concave mirrors rise in elevation progressively from said heat receiver such that the mirrors closest to the heat receiver do not block the reflected rays from the mirrors more remote from the heat receiver.

Claim 10

The thermal energy conversion system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said heat receiver is tubular in form and is double ended to define two verticl solar ray receiving apertures at corresponding focal planes, and said fan shaped array of mirrors comprise two in number, one being positioned to the south of the heat receiver and facing north and the other being positioned north of the heat receiver and facing south and wherein one of said fan shaped arrays has its mirrors mounted on the same horizontal plane while said other array has its mirrors at progressively vertically raised positions in a direction away from said heat receiver.

Claim 11

The thermal energy conversion system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the surface area of said solar ray receiving aperture is approximately one twenty-fifth the surface area of each spherical, concave mirror of the concentration heliostat.

Claim 12

The thermal energy conversion system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the surface area of said solar ray receiving aperture is approximately one twenty-fifth the surface area of each spherical, concave mirror of the concentration heliostat.

Claim 13

The thermal energy conversion system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the surface area of said solar ray receiving aperture is approximately one twenty-fifth the surface area of each spherical, concave mirror of the concentration heliostat.

Claim 14

The thermal energy conversion system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the surface area of said solar ray receiving aperture is approximately one twenty-fifth the surface area of each spHerical, concave mirror of the concentration heliostat.