GLOBAL SOLAR ENERGYTRANSPORTATIONNETWORK

BACKGROUND

[0001] The present invention is related to energy systems. More particularly, the present invention is related toa global solar energytransportationnetwork for efficient energy transportation of solar energy from day time zones to night time zones.

[0002] Solar energy is the most abundant form of renewable energy available on the earth. The potential of solar energy is limitless. And since it is a natural and sustainable source of energy that can be converted to other energy forms it finds a wide variety of applications such as solar electricity, solar heating appliances, solar cooling appliances and also solar lighting applications.

[0003] It is well known that the solar power is collected using solar panels made from silicon and other materials and thin film solar deployments. Solar power installations where one or more of these solar power gathering unit devices are tied together are referred to as arrays. Solar energy collected by the solar panels and consequently converted to other suitable forms of energy.

[0004] However, one limitation of solarenergy collection has been its variability at a given site, which although predictable, is very time dependent increasing and decreasing from morning to noon to evening, and thus not a continuous source. Moreover, it is not only variable but also unreliable as atmospheric and climatic factors such as clouds, weather, dust and aerosols induce changes in the incident sunlight on the surface of earth.

[0005] Also, the lack of efficient solar energy transportation devices poses a huge challenge to the transportation of solar energy over large distances. Thus, most solar energy devices are collected and converted almost immediately which results in a drop in efficiency.

[0006] Therefore,there is a need for a global network that provides continual collection of solar energy and also a robust global solar energy network that enables the to and fro transportation of solar energy to from locations situated in day time zones to locations present in night time zones.

SUMMARY

[0007] Briefly, according to one embodiment of the invention, a solar energy transportation system for transporting solar energy is provided. The solar energy transportation system comprises one or more solar energy collectors configured to collect solar energy and are configured to be enabled in the presence of solar energy. The system further includes one or more solar energy converters configured to receive the collected solar energy from the one or more solar energy collectors and configured to be enabled in the presence of minimal solar energy. The solar energy collectors and solar energy converters are distributed across a plurality of time zones thereby forming a global network. The system further includes one or more guiding devices configured to couple the solar energy collectors to the solar energy converters.

[0008] In another embodiment, a method for transporting solar energy is provided. The method comprises collecting solar energy at a first plurality of locations using solar energy collectors, wherein the first plurality of locations are in day time zones. The method further includes transporting the solar energy to a second plurality of locations via optical conduits; wherein the second plurality of locations are in night time zones. The method also includes converting solar energy to a corresponding alternate energy using solar energy converters.

DRAWINGS

[0009] FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a global network of energy nodes implemented according to aspects of the present technique;

[0010] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of solar energy transportation system implemented according to aspects of the present technique;

[0011] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a solar energy collector implemented according to aspects of the present technique;

[0012] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a control system implemented according to aspects of the present technique;

[0013] FIG. 5 is diagrammatic representation of steering devices coupled together at an energy node implemented according to aspects of the present technique;

[0014] FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B illustrates an example embodiment of the interconnection between energy nodes of the global network over different terrains; and

[0015] FIG. 7 is a flow chart describing one method by which energy is transported according to aspects of the present technique.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The present technique describes an embodiment of a solar energy transportation system that is configured to collect solar energy using one or more solar energy collectors located at day time zones. The system also includes one or more solar energy converters located at a night time zones and configured to receive the collected solar energy and convert it to other useful energy forms such as electricity, heat or other alternative forms of energy. The solar energy transportation system further includes one or more guiding devices configured to couple the solar energy collectors and the solar energy converters.

[0017] As used herein, day time zones refer to areas that are receiving direct sunlight and night time zones refer to areas that are not receiving sunlight at a given point of time. It may be noted that multiple times zones collectively form the day time zone and the night time zone. In other words, at any given time of the day, a day time zone refers to areas where the sun is above the horizon and all other areas form the night time zone.

[0018] FIG. 1 is an example embodiment of a solar energy transportation system implemented according to aspects of the present technique. As can be seen in FIG.l, area 12A covers all regions that receive solar energy from sun 11 and is thereby referred to as the day time zone. The night time zone 12B refers to areas that do not receive sunlight. As a result of rotation of earth on its own axis and due to earth's revolution around sun, different parts of the earth gets varied amount of sunlight at different times during the year. To ensure that the varied sunlight is captured effectively, the solar energy transportation system 10 comprises a plurality of energy nodes distributed across the earth to form a global network.

[0019] Energy nodes are distributed across a plurality of time zones around the earth thereby forming a global network. As shown in FIG.l, the earth is divided into four quadrants 14,16, 18 and 20 respectively. The energy nodes are arranged to form a global network spread across hemispheres. Quadrants 14 and 16 collectively form the eastern hemisphere and quadrants 18 and 20 form the western hemispheres.

[0020] Each quadrant comprises several energy nodes. For simplicity, only five energy nodes are shown in each quadrant 14, 16, 18 and 20. However, it should be understood that each quadrant comprise of several hundreds of energy nodes. Energy nodes in quadrant 14 are denoted by 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D and 14E. Similarly, energy nodes in quadrant 16 are denoted by 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D and 16E, energy nodes in quadrant 18 are denoted by 18A, 18B, 18C, 18D and 18E and energy nodes in quadrant 20 are denoted by 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D and 20E.

[0021] Each energy node comprises a plurality of solar energy collectors, solar energy converters and a plurality of guiding devices (not shown). The energy nodes further comprises a plurality of steering devices configured to steer solar energy to a corresponding solar energy converter. The energy nodes are all controlled by corresponding control systems which will be described in further detail below.

[0022] In one example embodiment shown in FIG.l, maximum sunlight is available in parts of quadrants 14 and 16 of the eastern hemisphere. Thus, sunlight is collected at the energy nodes 14A through 14D and 16A through 16D. The collected sunlight is then transported to areas in quadrants 18 and 20 which is within the night time zone.

[0023] The transported sunlight is then converted to other useful forms of energy at energy nodes 18A through 18D and/or 16A through 16D. As described above, the global network for transportation of solar energy is formed to facilitate continual collection of sunlight across earth. The manner in which the energy transportation system operates is described in further detail below.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a solar energy transportation system implemented according to aspects of the present technique. The solar energy transportation system is implemented across energy node 14A and energy node 14B. The solar energy transportation system comprises solar energy collector 32, steering devices 34, solar energy converter 38 and control system 40. Each block is described in further detail below.

[0025] Solar energy collector 32 is configured to collect solar energy generated by the sun. Examples of solar energy collectors include concave mirrors or lenses, with either parabolic or paraboloid sections, linear Fresnel mirror arrangements, etc. The solar energy collector is configured to direct light into the steering device 34. The collected solar energy is transported to solar energy converter 38 of energy node 14B where it is eventually converted to other forms of energy.

[0026] Steering devices 34 are configured to steer the solar energy from the solar energy collectors 32 located in the day time zone to a solar energy converter 38 located remotely. In one embodiment, the solar energy converter is located in another energy node. In one embodiment, the solar energy collector is coupled to the solar energy converter using guiding device 36.

[0027] In one embodiment, the guiding device includes optical conduits formed like a hollow cylindrical pipe. The guiding device is flexible to enable easy coupling between energy nodes typically located over large distances. Further, the optical conduits are formed using metamaterials and characterized to have a negative refractive index. In a further embodiment, the metamaterial is formed using alternating structures of plasmonic material and dielectric material. In one embodiment, the plasmonic material and the dielectric material are arranged in a helical pattern.

[0028] Control system 40 is coupled to the solar energy collector 32 and the steering device 34. The control system 40 is configured to enable the solar energy collector 32 in the presence of sunlight. Further, the control system 40 is configured to enable the solar energy converters in the presence of minimum solar energy. In addition, the control system 40 is also configured to generate control signals to the steering device to enable the transportation of solar energy to a specific energy node.

[0029] The solar energy converter 38 is configured to convert the solar energy to alternate energy forms like thermal energy, electricity, etc. The solar energy converter 38 is physically separate from the solar energy collector 32. In addition, by using optical conduits 34 the solar energy collector and the solar energy converter is separated by a large distance thus providing a new degree of freedom for system design. The operation of the solar energy collector is described in further detail below.

[0030] Referring now to FIG. 3, an example embodiment of solar energy collector implemented in a solar energy transportation system is shown. The solar energy collector 40 is configured to collect and collimate solar energy to enable its transportation to various other devices. The solar energy collector comprises a concentration system 42 and a collimation system 44. Each component is described in further detail below.

[0031] The concentration system 42 is configured to collect solar energy by using mirrors or lenses to focus a large area of sunlight onto a small area. Examples of concentration systems include parabolic troughs, dish Stirlings and concentrating linear Fresnel reflectors. The concentration system 42 directs sunlight towards the collimation system 44.

[0032] The collimation system 44 is configured to achieve collinear alignment of the collected solar energy. The rays of collimated light 46 are parallel and therefore spread slowly, as compared to non-collimated light, as it propagates. The light is collimated to avoid dispersion with distance thus enabling solar energy transportation over large distances using optical conduits.

[0033] The collimated solar energy can be effectively directed towards the solar energy converters using a steering device. The steering device along with the solar energy collectors enables the transportation of solar energy of very large distances. The solar energy collectors and the steering devices are controlled by a control systems described in further detail below.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a control system implemented to control and steer solar energy within the solar energy transportation system. The control systems are located at the energy nodes and are used to steer the solar energy appropriately across multiple energy nodes. The manner in which the control system operates is described in further detail below.

[0035] As shown in FIG.l, the energy nodes 14A and 14B are present in day time zones and energy node 20 C are present in night time zones. The control system operates to enable the transport of solar energy from, for example, energy node 14A to energy node 20E. An example embodiment, where solar energy is transported from energy node 14A to energy node 20E is described below.

[0036] Control system 50A at energy node 14A is configured to generate a control signal that enables the steering of the collected solar energy towards energy node 14B. A steering device 52A is coupled to the solar energy collector to steer the solar energy towards the direction of energy node 14B. At energy node 14B, the control system 5 0B generates a control signal that enables the steering device 52B to steer the solar energy towards energy node 14C (not shown). The process continues till the destination energy node is reached (energy node 2EC).

Thus, the control systems enable the energy nodes to be interconnected to form a global network.

[0037] In a further embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the various legs of the energy node is connected with multiple steering devices 62 to steer light energy in a bi-directional manner thereby allowing energy to flow from an arbitrary energy node to another energy node in a controllable but dynamically adjustable way. The flow of energy and its direction is controlled by modifying the optical properties of the steering devices. The manner in which the energy nodes are interconnected across different geographical terrains is described in further detail below.

[0038] FIG. 6A and 6B illustrates an example embodiment of the interconnection between energy nodes of the global network over different terrains. The energy nodes form a grid over ground, underground, or underwater. The interconnection of the energy nodes are achieved by using towers, pylons, tunnels, trenches, or combinations thereof.

[0039] FIG. 6A is a depiction of energy nodes interconnected using towers 72, 74 and 76 through optical conduit 78. Similarly, in FIG. 6B the energy nodes are interconnected using pylons 80, 82 and 84 through optical conduit 86. The inter-connections between energy nodes are done based on geographical conditions of the area such as availability of sunlight, wind, pressure, temperature, humidity or combinations thereof. The trade off between number of nodes and the angular separation is determined by relative losses in optical conduits, bends and the node steering device.

[0040] In one example embodiment, the energy nodes are separated by a distance of about 10 km. In another embodiment, the energy nodes are separated by a distance of about 50km. In one embodiment, towers of about 50 meters height or underground tunnels of about 100 meters in depth are used. In another example embodiment, the energy nodes are placed apart at longitudinal or latitudinal angles of about 0.05° to about 5°.

[0041] Thus solar energy is transported over large distances and across various geographical terrains using the techniques described above. The manner in which solar energy is transported from a day time zone to a night time zone is described below.

[0042] FIG. 7 is a flow chart describing one method by which solar energy is transported from a day time zone to a night time zone. The process 90 describes a manner in which sunlight collected at a day time zone is transported to a night time zone for subsequent conversion to alternate forms of energy. Each step of the process is described in further detail below.

[0043] At step 92, in the day time zone, solar energy generated by the sun is collected by solar energy collectors. . The solar energy collectors are also coupled to a control system, which is configured to enable or disable the solar energy collectors based on a plurality of parameters. The plurality of parameters includes a time of the day, amount of sunlight, wind, atmospheric pressure, etc.

[0044] At step 94, the collected solar energy is transported to solar energy converters located in the night time zone. In one embodiment, optical conduits are used to transport the solar energy. In one embodiment, the solar energy is received at the night time zone after having traversed through distances over 10 kms.

[0045] At step 96, the received solar energy is converted into an alternate energy form such as thermal energy, heat energy, electricity, etc. The efficiencies of utilization of solar energy is maximized by appropriate local conversion into thermal, electrical forms as required, or using light itself for illumination purposes.

[0046] Thus, the proposed technique makes use of solar energy even during night times by collecting and transporting light from adjacent time zones and forming a global network to enable transport across the globe and facilitating light energy use at any time of the day.

[0047] The above described techniques have several advantages including collection of light in remote areas and at different times during the day and effective resource utilization. The sunlight transported across the globe allows availability of steady, reliable and dependable source of energy. The global solar energy transportation network allows significant improvement in energy efficiencies and uses of renewable energies. The use of sunlight for illumination without conversion to electricity and back gives high system level efficiency.

[0048] For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or "an" should be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations).

[0049] While only certain features of several embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as all within the true spirit of the invention.

CLAIMS:

1. A solar energy transportation system for transporting solar energy, the solar energy transportation system comprising:

one or more solar energy collectors configured to collect solar energy and are configured to be enabled in the presence of solar energy;

one or more solar energy converters configured to receive the collected solar energy from the one or more solar energy collectors and configured to be enabled in the presence of minimal solar energy; wherein the solar energy collectors and solar energy converters are distributed across a plurality of time zones thereby forming a global network; and

one or more guiding devices configured to couple the solar energy collectors to the solar energy converters.

2. The solar energy transportation system of claim 1, further comprising a steering device coupled to the solar energy collectors and configured to steer the solar energy towards solar energy converter.

3. The solar energy transportation system of claim 2, wherein the solar energy collectors and solar
energy converters are located in the eastern, western, northern and the southern hemisphere.

4. The solar energy transportation system of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of energy nodes, wherein each energy node comprises at least one solar energy collector and one solar energy converter.

5. The solar energy transportation system of claim 4, wherein the one or more energy nodes are interconnected to form the global energy network.

6. The solar energy transportation system of claim 6, wherein a minimum distance between two energy nodes is about 10 km to about 50 km.

7. The solar energy transportation system of claim 6, wherein the energy nodes can be placed apart at longitudinal or latitudinal angles of about 0.05° to about 5°.

8. The solar energy transportation system of claim 1, wherein the one or more guiding devices comprise an optical conduit and configured to guide the solar energy to the energy conversion area.

9. The solar energy transportation system of claim 9, wherein the optical conduits are formed using metamaterials.

10. The solar energy transportation system of claim 1, further comprising a control system coupled to the solar energy collectors and the solar energy converters and configured to enable or disable the solar energy collectors based on a plurality of parameters.

11. The solar energy transportation system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of parameters include a presence of sunlight.

12. A method for transporting solar energy from a day time zone to a night time zone, the method comprising:

collecting solar energy at a first plurality of locations using solar energy collectors, wherein the first plurality of locations are in day time zones;

transporting the solar energy to a second plurality of locations via optical conduits; wherein the second plurality of locations are in night time zones; and

converting solar energy to a corresponding alternate energy using solar energy converters.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising forming the optical conduits using metamaterials characterised with a negative refractive index.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the metamaterials comprises plasmonic materials and electric materials; and wherein the plasmonic material alternates with the dielectric material.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the first plurality of locations and the second plurality of locations form a global solar energy network.