SBIR Phase I: Optoelectronic Solar Tracking Device

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目研究的是一种新型光学元件(OE)，它使用薄板中的液晶(LC)来引导阳光。任何使用聚焦太阳光的技术都必须考虑到太阳的运动。几十年来，这一直是通过物理移动聚焦光学元件和/或目标(例如光伏电池)来实现的，从而使系统始终与太阳对准。该项目开发了一种简单的、自由运动的跟踪系统，其中LC的折射率随低电压信号不断变化，以使聚焦的阳光在太阳全天移动时保持在目标上。该技术适用于任何集中式太阳能应用。该项目的目标是在材料配置和制造技术方面优化OE的设计元素，并为实验室和现场测试建立原型。第一阶段将解决三个相互关联的设计问题。它们是1)通过消除来自各种界面的不需要的反射来最大化装置的太阳能吞吐量，2)最大化太阳入射角度的接受范围，以及3)降低成品装置的商业化成本。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是它对能源部门的经济、国家能源安全和全球气候变化的影响。该项目开发的独特波束控制技术将使现场能源生产在经济上更加可行，这将产生减少电网耗电量的立竿见影的效果。这将降低对集中式发电厂的需求，其中绝大多数发电厂通过燃烧化石燃料来发电，以及老化的输电线路基础设施。减少美国的电力消耗量将改善国家能源安全，不仅通过加强经济，还通过减少美国必须从海外购买的化石燃料的数量。减少发电所消耗的化石燃料将减少美国的碳足迹，进一步减轻全球气候变化的影响。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project investigates a novel optical element (OE) that uses liquid crystal (LC) in thin panels to steer sunlight. Any technology using focused sunlight must account for the motion of the sun. For decades this has been accomplished by physically moving the focusing optics and/or the target (a photovoltaic cell, for instance) so that the system is always aligned with the sun. This project develops a simple, motion-free tracking system where the refractive index of the LC is continuously varied with a low-voltage signal to keep the focused sunlight on the target as the sun moves throughout the day. The technology is applicable to any concentrated solar application. The project goals are to optimize design elements of the OE with respect to materials configuration and manufacturing technique, and to build prototypes for lab and field-testing. Phase 1 will address three interconnected design issues. These are 1) maximizing solar throughput of the device by eliminating unwanted reflections from various interfaces, 2) maximizing the acceptance range of solar incidence angles, and 3) lowering the cost of the finished device for commercialization. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be its effect on the economics of the energy sector, national energy security, and global climate change. The unique beam steering technology developed in this project will make on-site energy production more economically viable, which will have the immediate effect of reducing the amount of power drawn from the grid. This will lower the demands on centralized power plants, the vast majority of which produce electricity by burning fossil fuels, and on the aging transmission line infrastructure. Reducing the amount of electricity consumed in the U.S. will improve national energy security not only by strengthening the economy, but also by reducing the amount of fossil fuel the U.S. must purchase offshore. Reducing the amount of fossil fuel burned to make electricity will reduce the carbon footprint of the U.S., further mitigating the effect of global climate change.