JP3390656B2 - Photovoltaic power generation, heat collection, snow melting method and device therefor - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for performing solar power generation and solar heat collection and snow melting using a solar cell during a snowfall season in a cold region, and particularly for efficiently utilizing solar energy. It aims to realize more efficient photovoltaic power generation, heat collection and snow melting by collecting heat and using it for snow melting.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art So-called photovoltaic power generation, which converts solar light energy into electric energy using a solar cell, is a solar cell laid on the roof of a house, for example, facing the sun. The system which receives and receives is widespread.

[0003]

However, in this photovoltaic power generation, the solar cell generates heat when converting sunlight into electric energy, and the solar cell itself is directly heated by receiving the sunlight. Therefore, the temperature rise of the solar cell inevitably occurs. However, the efficiency of conversion from light energy to electric energy of solar cells is usually 30 ° C.
It has the property of suddenly decreasing when the temperature becomes high with the front and back as boundaries.
Therefore, in order to efficiently perform solar power generation, it is important to cool the solar cell so as to suppress the temperature rise of the solar cell during light reception.

On the other hand, when this solar power generation is carried out in regions where there is a relatively large amount of snowfall, such as Hokkaido, Tohoku, Hokuriku, and San'in, the problem is that snow accumulates on solar cells It is to block light. That is, when the weather recovers after the snowfall and solar power generation becomes possible, if there is snow on the solar cell, sunlight will be reflected and it will not reach the solar cell, and power generation will be disabled. . Therefore, in order to efficiently perform solar power generation in a region where much snowfall occurs, it is necessary to quickly remove the snow accumulated on the solar cells before and after the weather recovery.

Therefore, the present invention provides an advantageous solution to the heat generation of the solar cell and the snow accumulation on the solar cell, which is a problem in performing the solar power generation, thereby making the solar power generation with higher efficiency. The purpose is to provide a method to be achieved together with the device. In snowy areas, in particular, compared with heat collection energy in non-snowy areas, solar energy reflected on the snow surface can also be used, so 20%
Since the extra heat can be collected as described above, the application of the present invention is significant. That is, another object of the present invention is to propose a measure for improving the heat collection efficiency.

[0006]

The inventors of the present invention not only simply cool the solar cell that has generated heat but also recover the heat generated in this solar cell part so that it can be reused, and collect the recovered heat in domestic hot water. In addition to using it for such purposes, we have conducted diligent research toward the realization of the remaining issue, which is to use it for snow melting on solar cells. As a result, the inventors have developed the present invention having the following gist structure.

As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems and achieve the above-mentioned objects, the inventors have conceived the present invention having the following constitution. That is, the gist of the present invention is as follows. (1) When performing solar power generation using a solar cell during snowfall in a cold region, the solar cell is laid on a heat transfer plate that is in close contact with a heat transfer tube that serves as a heat medium passage, and the solar light is being received. The heat generated from the battery is transferred to the heat medium via the heat transfer plate and the heat transfer tube and is recovered in the heat storage tank for use, while when the surface of the solar cell has snow, the heat carried by the heat medium. A method for solar power generation, heat collection, and snow melting, in which the snow is melted on the surface of the solar cell by recirculating and supplying the solar cell through a heat transfer tube and a heat transfer plate.

(2) The solar power generation described in (1) above.
In the heat collecting / snow melting method, it is a preferred embodiment to use a boiler for heating the circulating heat medium when snow melting on the surface of the solar cell is required.

(3) In the solar power generation / heat collection / snow melting method according to the above (1) or (2), when snow melting on the surface of the solar cell is required, a condenser of a heat pump is provided on the back surface of the solar cell. It is a preferred embodiment to mount and heat the solar cell with the heat of condensation of the heat pump to melt the surface of the solar cell.

(4) The above (1), (2) or (3)
In the solar power generation / heat collection / snow melting method described, a heating wire is arranged on a glass portion or a heat transfer plate on the surface of the solar cell, and the heating wire is electrically heated by using a general power source or solar cell power generation, thereby generating a solar cell. Performing surface snow melting is a preferred embodiment.

Further, the present invention employs an apparatus having the following essential configuration when implementing the above-described method of photovoltaic power generation, heat collection, and snow melting. (5) A solar battery cell is laid on a heat transfer plate that is disposed in close contact with a heat transfer tube that serves as a passage for the heat transfer medium, and a heat storage tank that stores the heat transfer medium is disposed at an extension position of the heat transfer tube. together, to accommodate the heat medium by connecting between them in the pipe to be circulated, and
In addition, a pump is installed in the circulation path of the heat medium toward the heat transfer tubes.
Installed to recirculate the heat transfer medium in the heat storage tank to the heat transfer tube.
A solar power generation / heat collecting / snow melting device characterized by being configured to perform snow melting on the surface of a solar cell .

(6) The solar power generation according to (5) above.
In the heat collecting / snow melting device, a boiler is installed in the circulation path of the heat medium toward the heat transfer tube, and the boiler is
-Make sure that hot water is returned to the heat transfer tube by another pump.
The configuration is a preferred embodiment.

(7) In the solar power generation / heat collection / snow melting apparatus described in (5) or (6) above, it is a preferred embodiment to attach a condensing part of a heat pump to the back surface of the solar battery cell.

(8) The above (5), (6) or (7)
In the solar power generation / heat collection / snow melting device described, the glass part or the heat transfer plate covering the solar battery cell is arranged so that the heating wire can be electrically heated so that the snow accumulation on the cell can be achieved. This is a preferred embodiment.

(9) In the solar power generation / heat collecting / snow melting device described in (5), (6), (7) or (8) above, the solar battery cell, the electric heating tube and the electric heating plate serve as a unit panel. It is a preferred embodiment that it is integrated.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The solar power generation, heat collection, and snow melting methods of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. First, it is conventional to lay a panel (hereinafter, simply referred to as a “panel”) in which a solar cell 1 is installed on a roof of a building and use it for photovoltaic power generation. Is generally obtained. Here, in laying the panel, a heat transfer plate 5 such as an aluminum plate is installed between the installation surface such as a roof and the solar cell 1, for example.
The solar battery cells 1 are arranged on the heat transfer plate 5. However, the solar cell and the heating plate, and the heating tube described later,
It is preferable to integrate these into a unit panel and install the unit panel.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the unit panel, for example, is installed on the installation surface 3 of the roof so as to fit between the rafters on the roof plate. In its installation, a heat transfer plate 5 is laid on the installation surface (field plate) via a heat insulating material 4, and the panel is installed on the heat transfer plate 5. The heat transfer plate 5 is provided with, for example, a recess in which a heat transfer tube 6 through which a heat medium such as water or an antifreezing liquid passes is housed and brought into close contact therewith. That is, the heat transfer tubes 6 are arranged at predetermined intervals,
For example, each of the plurality of solar cells 1 arranged in parallel is embedded and arranged in the heat insulating material 4. Here, for the heat transfer tube 6, a relatively thin tube made of a material having high thermal conductivity such as aluminum or copper is used.

As described above, the heat generated along with electricity from the solar cell can be recovered during solar power generation. The heat generated from this solar cell is the heat transfer plate 5, which is in surface contact with the back surface of the cell 1. Next, it is transferred to the heat medium in the heat transfer tube 6 via the heat transfer tube 6 that is in close contact with the heat transfer plate 5, and is recovered in a heat storage tank described later and used as hot water. As a result, on the other hand, the solar battery cell 1 is cooled, so that efficient power generation is possible.

In this way, the heat transferred to the heat medium is recovered in the heat storage tank 8 through the pipe 7. When the heat medium is water, the warmed water (hot water) obtained by recovering the heat is stored in the heat storage tank 8 as it is, and when an antifreeze liquid is used as the heat medium, the heat storage tank 8 is used.
The heat exchange is performed between the high temperature antifreeze liquid and water, and the obtained hot water is stored in the heat storage tank 8. The hot water thus obtained is
For example, it can be used for hot water supply and heating in a house.

The snow accumulated on the solar cell is detected by a snow temperature sensor 11 such as a snow temperature / precipitation snow controller, a temperature / precipitation snow controller, or an optical fiber type snow sensor, and the solar heat collecting hot water or the heating hot water of the boiler is supplied. Then, the snow is automatically melted. At that time, as shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable to switch the switch S according to the four seasons or the like to perform an operation that matches the situation. For example, in the winter, the snow sensor 11 is operated to check the presence or absence of snow, and if there is snow, the heat collecting hot water from the solar cell, particularly the hot water of the heat storage tank or the hot water of the boiler is used to operate the snow melting circuit 12. As a result, the snow is melted, and after the snow is melted or when there is no snowfall, the operation of generating power by the solar cell and operating the heat collecting circuit 13 to store heat in the heat storage tank 8 is performed.

On the other hand, since there is no snowfall in the spring, summer and autumn, the hot water is stored in the heat storage tank 8 so as to be used for daily life by operating the power generation and heat collecting circuit 13 at all times. . For example, as shown in FIG. 1, it is preferable to connect a tap water pipe between the heat storage tank 8 and the boiler 10 as shown in the figure to obtain hot water by utilizing solar heat collecting energy.

On the other hand, if snow is found on the solar battery cells 1 in winter, etc., the above-mentioned solar heat collecting system is used to circulate the collected hot water or boiler heated hot water. Melt snow on cell 1. For example, when the temperature (T ₂ ) of the heat storage tank 8 is higher than the temperature (T ₁ ) of the solar cell 1 by 2 ° C. or more, the valve V _{1 is} closed,
When the valve V _{2 is} opened, the snow-melting circuit works, and the hot water in the heat storage tank 8 is directly circulated or the circulating antifreeze liquid that has exchanged the heat of the hot water is circulated from the pipe 7 to the heat transfer pipe 6, and the heat medium in the heat transfer pipe 6 ( The heat transfer plate 5 is heated through hot water or an antifreeze solution, which heats the solar battery cells 1 and thus melts the snow on the cells 1. In this case, if 2 ° C. ≧ T ₁ −T ₂ , it means that the amount of heat required for snow melting is not sufficiently guaranteed by the amount of heat stored in the heat storage tank 8. Therefore, for example, with the valves V ₁ and V ₂ closed, the boiler 10 It is recommended that high temperature water or high temperature antifreeze liquid obtained by another means be joined to the pipe 7 to secure the amount of heat required for snow melting. On the other hand, when the temperature (T ₁ ) of the solar battery cell 1 is higher than the temperature (T ₂ ) of the heat storage tank 8 during non-snow, etc., the pump P ₁ operates to open the valve V ₁ and collect the heat. Will start.

Here, in addition to the above-mentioned example, the light sensor r as shown in FIG. 4 is used as the snow cover sensor 11 to judge that there is snow when no light is sensed during the day. On the other hand, at night, it is possible to employ a sensor of a type that senses light from the projector e and judges snowfall.

In the above system, the power generation from the solar battery cell 1, heat collection, and snow melting at the time of snow accumulation use a heat medium such as water or an antifreeze as the heat collecting hot water from the cell and, if necessary, the boiler 10. By using the heated hot water together, these hot water are circulated between the heat transfer tube 6 and the heat storage tank 8, whereby the electricity and heat from the solar cell are recovered and, if necessary, the boiler is also used together. Melt snow.

In the present invention, snow melting on the solar cell may be performed by another independent means. For example, a method of using a heat pump Hp, arranging the condensing part on the back side of the solar battery cell 1, heating the cell 1 in the condensing part that becomes high temperature by the action of the heat pump, and performing snow melting on its surface is a method. May be. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the heat pump Hp includes a condensing part 12 and ground water (10 to 15) which are piped on an electric heating plate 5 below the solar cells 1 installed on the roof.
Evaporator to obtain circulating water of 5 ± 5 ℃ by heat exchange with
A circulation pipe is connected to 13 and a pump 14, a compressor 15 and an expansion valve 16 for pumping groundwater are connected to the circulation pipe. The operation will be described.
The circulating water at 10 ° C reaches the compressor 15 and heats up to 60 ± 10 ° C, then enters the condensing section 12, heats the solar cell 1 and melts the snow on it, thereby 10-20 The circulating water that has dropped to about ℃ drops to −10 to −20 ° C. when passing through the expansion valve 16 part, but due to heat exchange with the ground water in the evaporation part 13, the temperature rises to 5 ± 5 ° C. again, It is configured to reach the compressor 15. That is, the heat pump Hp may be used instead of the boiler 10 shown in FIG. 1 or in combination with the boiler 10 to perform continuous and effective snow melting.

Further, snow melting can be carried out by utilizing electricity obtained by solar power generation. That is, by embedding a heating wire such as a nichrome wire in the glass covering the surface of the heat transfer plate or the panel and energizing it by using a general power source or solar power generation, the heat transfer plate or the solar battery cell 1 is The glass part to be covered is made to generate heat, and this heat causes snow melting on the cell. In the above description, the snow melting on the solar cells has been mainly described, but the present invention can be naturally applied to the snow melting on the entire roof and other places depending on the way of laying the pipes and panels.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, the cooling of the solar cell, which has been a problem when performing solar power generation,
Achieved in the form of effective use of solar heat (heat collecting hot water), and even if snowfall is observed on the solar cell, it can be used for snow melting by using the heat collected from the solar heat collecting hot water, the boiler heating hot water, or the condensation heat of the heat pipe. Since the power generation failure is avoided by implementing the above, the solar power generation can be efficiently performed. Moreover, the present invention can realize economical snow melting of roofs and recovery of solar thermal energy in a snowy area with one device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a procedure of photovoltaic power generation according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a solar cell installation structure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an operating procedure of a solar power generation system.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of a snow cover sensor.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of the snow melting system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 panel 2 DC current 3 installation surface 4 insulation 5 heat transfer plate 6 heat transfer tubes 7 conduits 8 heat storage tank 9 conduits 10 boilers 11 Snow sensor 12 Condensation section 13 Evaporator 14 pumps 15 compressor 16 expansion valve e Floodlight r light receiver Hp heat pipe

Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-9-96451 (JP, A) JP-A-10-62017 (JP, A) JP-A-8-250756 (JP, A) JP-A-5-82817 (JP , A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01L 31/04-31/078 F24J 2/00-2/52

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. When performing solar power generation using a solar cell during snowfall in a cold region, the solar cell is laid on a heat transfer plate that is in close contact with a heat transfer tube that serves as a passage for a heat medium, and the solar cell is receiving light. The heat generated from the solar cell is transferred to the heat medium through the heat transfer plate and the heat transfer tube and is collected in the heat storage tank for use, while when there is snow on the surface of the solar cell, it is carried by the heat medium. A method for photovoltaic power generation, heat collection, and snow melting, characterized in that snow is melted on the surface of the solar cell by recirculating heat and supplying the heat to the solar cell via a heat transfer tube and a heat transfer plate. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a boiler is used to heat the circulating heat medium when the surface of the solar cell needs snow melting when the solar heat from the solar cell is insufficient. Solar power generation, heat collection, snow melting method. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the solar heat from the solar cell is insufficient and snow melting on the surface is required, the condensing part of the heat pump is attached to the back surface of the solar cell. A method for photovoltaic power generation, heat collection, and snow melting, which comprises melting the snow on the surface of the solar cell by heating the solar cell with the condensation heat of 1. 4. The solar cell according to claim 1, wherein heat rays are arranged on a glass portion or a heat transfer plate on a surface of the solar cell, and the heat rays are electrically heated by using a general power source or solar power generation. Photovoltaic power generation / heat collection / snow melting method characterized by performing snow melting on the surface. 5. A solar battery cell is laid on a heat transfer plate which is disposed in close contact with a heat transfer tube which is a passage for the heat transfer medium, and a heat storage tank which stores the heat transfer medium is disposed at an extension position of the heat transfer tube. Along with
These are connected by piping to accommodate the heat medium in a circulatory manner, and further, a pump is provided in the circulation path of the heat medium toward the heat transfer tubes.
The heat transfer medium in the heat storage tank to return to the heat transfer tube.
By doing so, it is designed to melt snow on the surface of the solar cell.
Photovoltaic power generation, heat collection, and snow melting equipment characterized by being made. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, in the circulation path of the heat medium toward the heat transfer tube, when disposed boiler
Together, the boiler hot water is transferred to the heat transfer pipe by another pump.
Photovoltaic power generation / heat collection / snow melting device characterized by being configured to be returned to 7. The solar power generation / heat collection / snow melting device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein a condensing portion of a heat pump is attached to the back surface of the solar battery cell. 8. The device according to claim 5, 6 or 7, wherein a heating wire is arranged so as to be capable of electrically heating a glass portion or a heat transfer plate covering the solar battery cell so as to achieve snow melting of snow accumulated on the cell. The solar power generation, heat collection, and snow melting equipment that is characterized. 9. The apparatus according to claim 5, 6, 7 or 8, wherein the solar battery cell, the electric heating tube and the electric heating plate are formed as a unit panel. apparatus.