Solar energy generation and storage system

Abstract

A solar energy system including a plurality of solar panels mounted at an angle on a flotation device floating on a body of water is provided. A mechanism rotates the flotation device to substantially track the sun as it traverses the sky. The rotation of the flotation device and angled solar panels increases the proportion of incident sunlight that impacts the panels in an approximately perpendicular direction, allowing the sunlight to be absorbed by the panels and converted to electrical energy. The system also stores the energy collected during the day for later use.

1 . A solar energy system comprising:
 a flotation device floating on a body of water;   a plurality of solar panels supported on the flotation device, each of the solar panels being inclined relative to the surface of the water; and   a mechanism for rotating the flotation device on the body of water to substantially track the sun as it moves across the sky.   
     
     
         2 . The solar energy system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a second body of water located at a higher elevation than the first body of water;   a pump electrically coupled to the solar panels and configured to pump water from the first body of water to the second body of water;   a turbine positioned between the two bodies of water to extract energy from water flowing from the second body of water to the first body of water.   
     
     
         3 . The solar energy system of  claim 1 , further comprising a mechanism for adjusting the direction in which the solar panels are inclined. 
     
     
         4 . The solar energy system of  claim 1 , further comprising a controller that controls the mechanism for rotating the flotation device. 
     
     
         5 . The solar energy system of  claim 4 , wherein the controller comprises a sensor that senses the position of the sun. 
     
     
         6 . The solar energy system of  claim 1 , wherein the solar panels are electrically coupled to an external power grid. 
     
     
         7 . The solar energy system of  claim 1 , wherein the solar panels are selected from the group consisting of single crystalline devices, polycrystalline silicon devices, amorphous silicon devices, microcrystalline silicon devices, and compound semiconductor devices. 
     
     
         8 . The solar energy system of  claim 1 , wherein the flotation device comprises a plurality of flotation segments connected together. 
     
     
         9 . The solar energy system of  claim 8 , wherein the flotation segments are hexagonal. 
     
     
         10 . The solar energy system of  claim 9 , wherein the flotation segments are connected together by triangular brackets. 
     
     
         11 . A solar energy system comprising:
 a shaft disposed within a body of water;   a plurality of flotation devices floating on the body of water and connected together to surround the shaft;   a plurality of solar panels mounted on the flotation devices at an angle relative to the horizon; and   a motor attached to at least one of the flotation devices to rotate the flotation devices about the shaft.   
     
     
         12 . The solar energy system of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a second body of water at a higher elevation than the first body of water;   first and second channels connecting the first body of water to the second body of water;   a pump electrically coupled to the solar panels and positioned in the first channel to pump water from the first body of water to the second body of water;   a turbine positioned in the second channel to extract energy from water flowing from the second body of water to the first body of water.   
     
     
         13 . The solar energy system of  claim 12 , further comprising
 a second shaft fixed in the second body of water;   a plurality of second flotation devices floating on the second body of water and connected together to surround the second shaft;   a plurality of solar energy panels mounted on the second flotation devices at an angle relative to the horizon; and   a second motor attached to at least one of the second flotation devices to rotate the second flotation devices about the second shaft.   
     
     
         14 . The solar energy system of  claim 11 , wherein the flotation devices are hexagonal. 
     
     
         15 . The solar energy system of  claim 11 , further comprising a controller for controlling the motor to rotate the flotation devices to track the sun. 
     
     
         16 . The solar energy system of  claim 15 , wherein the controller is configured to control the motor to rotate the flotation devices approximately 360° in 24 hours. 
     
     
         17 . The solar energy system of  claim 11 , further comprising a mechanism for adjusting the angle at which the solar panels are mounted on the flotation devices. 
     
     
         18 . The solar energy system of  claim 11 , further comprising bearings located between the shaft and the flotation devices. 
     
     
         19 . The solar energy system of  claim 11 , wherein the body of water comprises capacity for storing surplus water. 
     
     
         20 . A solar energy system comprising:
 first and second bodies of water, the second body of water being located at a higher elevation than the first body of water;   at least one flotation device floating on at least one of the bodies of water;   a plurality of solar panels mounted at an angle on the flotation device;   a mechanism for rotating the flotation device to track the sun;   a pump electrically coupled to the solar panels and configured to pump water from the first body of water to the second body of water; and   a turbine positioned between the first and second bodies of water to extract energy from the water flowing from the second body of water to the first body of water.