University of California

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Solar Enterprises International, LLC

3m Innovative Properties Company

Arch Development Corporation

Other

Nioptics Corporation

The University of Chicago

Teledyne Lighting and Display Products, Inc.

Argonne National Laboratory

Solargenix Energy LLC

North American Philips Corporation

Gas Technology Institute

Solfocus, Inc.

Roland Winston

Benjamin A Jacobson

Robert L Holman

Robert M Emmons

Philip Gleckman

Weiya Zhang

David Pelka

Harald Reis

Harald Ries

George Panagotacos

Xiaohui Ning

Randy Gee

Philip L Gleckman

Lun Jiang

Kevin Michael Balkoski

David Gerard Jenkins

Hamid Ali Abbasi

William A Parkyn, Jr

Aleksandr Kozlov

David F Cygan

Jill F Goldenberg

Eli Yablonovitch

Joseph J O'Gallagher

Neil A Gitkind

Stuart A Rice

Joseph T Buontempo

Joseph O'Gallagher

William Duff

Gilbert E Cohen

A concentrator tube comprises a reflector portion having two walls; and an aperture closing an opening to the reflector portion. The aperture and the reflector portion extend longitudinally. The aperture is substantially flat relative to curvature of the reflector portion.

Solar thermal concentrator and method of forming same

A hybrid solar system including a hybrid solar collector using non-imaging optics and photovoltaic components and a heat transfer and storage system in thermal communication with the hybrid solar collector, the heat transfer and storage system using particle laden gas as thermal media to simultaneously generate and store electricity and high temperature dispatchable heat.

Hybrid solar system

An apparatus is disclosed including: a trough shaped reflector extending along a longitudinal axis and including at least one reflective surface having a shape which substantially corresponds to an edge ray involute of the absorber.

Solar thermal concentrator apparatus, system, and method

An optical device is disclosed including: a non-imaging secondary concentrator having an entry aperture and an exit aperture, and configured to receive light focused by a primary focusing element from a source onto the entry aperture. The non-imaging secondary concentrator includes: a first portion proximal the entry aperture; and a second portion proximal the exit aperture which is not rotationally symmetric about an optic axis. The optical device further comprises a means for homogenizing the light focused onto the entry aperture of the secondary concentrator.

Light concentration apparatus, systems and methods

An optical device is disclosed including: a non-imaging secondary concentrator having an entry aperture and an exit aperture, and configured to receive light focused by a primary focusing element from a source onto the entry aperture. The non-imaging secondary concentrator includes: a first portion proximal the entry aperture which is rotationally symmetric about an optic axis; and a second portion proximal the exit aperture which is not rotationally symmetric about the optic axis.

An optical concentrator is disclosed which includes an imaging, aplanatic optical element having a front surface with a one-way light admitting portion, a back surface with a reflective portion, and an interior region of refractive material disposed between the front and backs surfaces.

An optical collector is disclosed which includes an imaging, aplanatic optical element having a front surface with a one-way light admitting portion, a back surface with a reflective portion, and an interior region of refractive material disposed between the front and backs surfaces.

Light collection apparatus, system and method

An apparatus for collecting solar energy includes a receptacle adapted for receiving solar thermal energy; an insert located within the receptacle, the insert being a heat pipe adapted to transfer heat; and an absorption device positioned proximate to and substantially conforming to at least a portion of an internal surface of the receptacle and thermally coupled to the insert. The insert enters the receptacle substantially at a cross-sectional center of the receptacle, and further inside the receptacle, the insert shifts to become closer to the absorption fin.

Apparatus and method for solar thermal energy collection

An optical device for collecting light and selectively outputting or concentrating the light. A layer has an optical index of refraction n, and top, bottom and side surfaces defining an angel of inclination &#x3c6;. A back surface spans the top, bottom and side surface. A first layer is coupled to the bottom surface of the layer and has an index of refraction n. The first layer index ncauses light input through the back surface of the layer to be preferentially output into the first layer. A second layer is coupled to the bottom of the first layer and selectively causes output of light into ambient. Additional layers, such as alight polarization layer, a polarization converting layer and a post LCD diffuser layer can be used to make preferential use of polarized light of diffuse light having passed through the LCD layer to enhance viewing of the output light.

Luminaire device

An optical device for collecting light and selectively outputting or concentrating the light. A layer has an optical index of referaction n, and top, bottom and side surfaces defining an angel of inclination &#x3c6;. A back surface spans the top, bottom and side surface. A first layer is coupled to the bottom surface of the layer and has an index of refraction n. The first layer index ncauses light input through the back surface of the layer to be preferentially output into the first layer. A second layer is coupled to the bottom of the first layer and selectively causes output of light into ambient. Additional layers, such as alight polarization layer, a polarization converting layer and a post LCD diffuser layer can be used to make preferential use of polarized light of diffuse light having passed through the LCD layer to enhance viewing of the output light.

An optical device for collecting light and selectively outputting or concentrating the light. A layer has an optical index of referaction n, and top, bottom and side surfaces defining an angle of inclination &#x3c6;. A back surface spans the top, bottom and side surface. A first layer is coupled to the bottom surface of the layer and has an index of refraction n. The first layer index ncauses light input through the back surface of the layer to be preferentially output into the first layer. A second layer is coupled to the bottom of the first layer and selectively causes output of light into ambient. Additional layers, such, as alight polarization layer, a polarization converting layer and a post LCD diffuser layer can be used to make preferential use of polarized light of diffuse light having passed through the LCD layer to enhance viewing of the output light.

A solar collector with external reflector. A solar collector includes a glass housing having a heat pipe disposed within the housing and a light reflector disposed external to the housing.

Solar collectors with evacuated receiver and nonimaging external reflectors

Growing community of inventors

Merced, CA, United States of America

Roland Winston