Abstract:
A portable solar power collection and storage system integrated into a body affixed to a towable trailer vehicle, which in a preferred configuration may require no complicated setup steps or even no setup steps at all, and may be not wind vulnerable due to integrated body construction with substantially contained rather than extended solar panel(s). The system may further include water pumping and treatment equipment.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application No. 61/110,865 filed Nov. 3, 2008, hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The field of the present disclosure relates to photovoltaic electrical generation or more particularly to portable renewable electrical power generation and water purification and desalination systems. 
         [0003]    Various apparatus have been introduced to address the need for renewable energy power generation and water treatment, but the present inventors have recognized that all suffer shortcomings in various ways.
       OK Solar, Solar Cube, Solar OnLine Australia, World Water and Mobile Solar Power offer trailer mounted solar power generation equipment that requires setup time and capability and exposes collector panel arrays to wind damage.   Power Cube 600 from Reluminati offers deployable array of solar collectors from a box they call portable, but which weighs 2000 lb. This unit is not very portable and exposes panels to wind damage.   Saraceno U.S. Pat. No. 6,863,827 (2005) describes a portable system with solar collection and water purification but is limited to time delay operation and a cabinet-sized frame not suitable for larger capacity applications.   Browe U.S. Pat. No. 7,150,153 (2006) describes a similar cart mounted system but it lacks integrated solar collectors and requires wind-vulnerable externally deployed array.   Gidden et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,501 (1999) describes a cart-mounted system similar to Browe, with the same deficiencies.   First Water systems describes a cart-mounted system similar to Browe&#39;s and having deficiencies.       
 
       SUMMARY 
       [0010]    The present invention is directed to a portable photovoltaic electricity generator, storage, and delivery system. Preferred embodiments may include:
       Integrated water treatment system.   Integrated shunt system to pump water to store or utilize additional electricity generated after system batteries are fully charged.   Auxiliary input from other sources of electricity for storage or pumping.   Integrated switch or switches to allow the user to select power output and operating options.   Integrated monitoring and data collection system to track system power generation and operating parameters. The monitoring and data collection system may have the ability to remotely notify user(s) of system usage metrics through an Internet connected wireless modem or mobile telephony data network.       
 
         [0016]    A preferred portable system is a solar power collection and storage system configured in a body with all elements contained and mounted without substantial extensions and protrusions that preferably requires no or minimal setup and is not wind vulnerable, and may contain water pumping and water treatment equipment. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a side perspective view of a portable photovoltaic generator system according to a preferred embodiment; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a top perspective view of the system of  FIG. 1 , shown with the photovoltaic collector panel removed for visibility of one arrangement of major internal components; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of the major functional elements of one embodiment of portable photovoltaic generator station with water pumping and water treatment equipment. 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a side view of a portable photovoltaic generator system, shown in an optional position oriented about an included axis of rotation to accomplish elevation angle adjustment to better absorb incident solar radiation. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0021]    Details of the preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings.  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  illustrate a mobile photovoltaic electricity generator station  5  constructed on a trailer  10  and arranged to contain the major system functional elements, and having one or more photovoltaic solar collector panels  24 , such as Sharp model number ND-224U1F, affixed to the upper part of the trailer body such as HaulMaster model 2575, without extending away from that body in such a manner as to be vulnerable to common wind forces. The station  5  includes the trailer  10  having a trailer hitch  12 , a trailer body or bed (comprised of a front body surface or wall  14 , a rear body surface  16 , a side surface  18  and an opposing side surface  20 ), and a plurality of wheel assemblies  22  with a wheel assembly rotation axis  23 . Each of the front, rear, and side surfaces  14 ,  16 ,  18 , and  20  are connected to form an enclosed space inside the trailer  10  for containing and protecting other system elements. 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  illustrates the station  5  of  FIG. 1  with the photovoltaic solar collector panel, designated as item  24  in  FIG. 1 , removed to reveal the enclosed space inside the trailer  10 , and a preferred arrangement of some of the internal elements. A multiplicity of batteries  26 , such as Deka model MK S8D G LTP, inverter  28 , such as Wagan Tech model Industrial 5000, and any optional self-priming electric pump  30  with suitable voltage and current requirements, and water treatment equipment  32  are disposed about the wheel assembly rotation axis  23  such that the sum of their individual weights multiplied by their individual distances fore or aft of said axis results in a balance of the trailer  10  as a whole around that axis that provides downward force at hitch  12  for secure hitch attachment to the towing vehicle and limits that downward force at the hitch  12  to an amount suitable for human lifting of the trailer hitch for tilting about the axis of rotation  23  for elevation orientation toward the sun. Water treatment equipment  32  preferably includes water purification filters such as General Electric model GXSV65F, or a reverse osmosis water purification system such as General Electric model Merlin 320, or a water desalinator such as those used in marine applications. 
         [0023]    Still referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the enclosure formed by the front, rear, and side surfaces  14 ,  16 ,  18 , and  20  of the trailer assembly  10 , combined with the upper enclosing surface formed by the photovoltaic collector panel  24  and the floor  11  of the trailer  10  are arranged to be sufficiently ventilated by ventilation ports  19  in any of the said enclosure surfaces  14 ,  16 ,  18  or  20 , or floor  11 , so as to maintain suitable operating temperature for the components  26 ,  28 ,  32 , as well as any other temperature sensitive items which may be installed therein. 
         [0024]    Also in further detail, now referring to the diagram in  FIG. 3 , a number of photovoltaic panels  24  is an electrical power source that provides electrical power to charge controller  25 , with an optional sensor  8  monitoring the amount of electrical current collected from panels  24 . Additionally, various external power sources of direct current, such as a wind turbine generator  40 , additional photovoltaic panels  41 , hydroelectric generator  42 , and human powered generator  43 , may be connected to generation station  5  through auxiliary direct current input connector  48 . Such auxiliary direct current input may be regulated or limited to prevent damage to generation station  5  by use of current limiter  37  before such current is provided to charge controller  25 . An optional sensor  8  may be used to monitor the amount of electrical current collected from such external sources. Such a current limiting device may be an off-the-shelf item or may be assembled from common components to limit passing of current to safe levels. Additionally, the power system of an external vehicle such as the towing vehicle  46  may be used as a power source, connected through towing vehicle connector  49  to charge controller  25  through another current limiter  37  with an optional sensor  8  monitoring the amount of electrical current collected through that connector. Any or all said power sources may provide electrical current to charge controller  25 . Charge controller  25  manages electrical current directed to batteries  26  to properly effect charging and avoid overcharging batteries  26 , and provides alternate electrical current path by included automatic shunt control system  36  when batteries  26  are fully charged and can no longer receive additional electrical current. Flexcharge Model NC25A-24 is one example a suitable off-the-shelf charge controller with such automatic shunt control. Also, batteries  26  may be arranged in various parallel and series configurations to operate at various system voltages. Optionally, a sensor  8  may be used to monitor said battery charge and shunt current. The batteries  26  provide electrical power to output management switch  27 , with optional sensors  8  monitoring current so directed. The shunt control system  36  may provide electrical power to optional pump  30  in order to make use of excess power when batteries are full and cannot store any more. Output management switch  27  may be manipulated by user to guide output electrical current to various destinations, including inverter  28 , optional pump  30  and optionally, water treatment equipment  32 , or external direct current output connector  35 , and to control passage of inverter  28  alternating current output to municipal utility electrical grid  39  through optional municipal utility grid output connector  38 , with all such guided outputs optionally monitored by sensors  8 . Inverter  28  may convert direct electrical current to alternating current suitable for use by common appliances and electrical equipment, and provide that alternating electric current to alternating current outlet sockets  34 . Additionally, optional sensors  8 , shown at multiple points, and selected to sense current or voltage, may be monitored, and have the data collected from them by monitoring system  50 , comprising sufficient sensor signal processing electronics, memory, and display or transmission control electronics, such as might be found in microprocessor based data collection equipment, to report such data and make it available to users through display equipment  54  or transmit it to remote locations through transmission interface  56 . Transmission interface  56  may be a common computer network connector or a radio frequency wireless interface to standard Internet communication network, or wireless telephone communication modem suitable for connection to community wireless telephone system. The term modem is used as a common designation of a modulator/demodulator device for interfacing between communication equipment and a network for transmission of such communication. 
         [0025]    The structural components of trailer  10  of  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  4  may be constructed of steel or aluminum assembled by welds or suitable fasteners selected for adequate strength for safely towing the trailer assembly  10  over normal and rough road conditions. Elements shown inside the trailer assembly  10  body may be separated by internal compartment walls not shown. Construction details further include arrangement of the trailer  10  body elements such that the generator system  5  may be positioned in a tilted attitude around the axis  23  of the wheel assembly  22  to achieve directing/orienting the photovoltaic collector panel  24  substantially toward the incident solar radiation  65  when trailer hitch  12  is disconnected from the towing vehicle, as shown in  FIG. 4 . Suitable devices may be used to secure the trailer  10  to ground  40  in the chosen tilted attitude, such as jacks, wheel chocks or stakes and guys, if the ground is uneven or sloped. Construction details further include arrangement of heavy components such as batteries  26 , inverter  28 , pump  30  and water treatment equipment  32  in such a manner that balance of the assembled system in trailer  10  around the axis  23  of the wheel assembly  22  accomplishes the desirable balanced attributes of providing proper hitch weight to the towing vehicle for towing stability and allowing human powered hand positioning of the generating station  5  to adjust the elevation angle as in  FIG. 4 . Control elements requiring human access may be mounted on any of the described surfaces of trailer assembly  10   
         [0026]    In a preferred configuration, the electricity generation system is designed as a mobile platform for transportation to various localities and positioning in both declination and daily solar transit to collect the solar irradiation. The system may provide power delivery and water treatment in a mobile platform by virtue of its unitized, non-wind-vulnerable, ready-to-use integrated construction with no need for user setup upon arrival at use location. It is designed for simple orientation to the solar source, complimented by an automatic shunt feature allowing for non-monitored function. 
         [0027]    The generation station  5  in its preferred construction may provide one or more of the following advantages: 
         [0028]    a substantially-sized solar powered generation station that is readily and conveniently movable, 
         [0029]    the orientation of the solar power collection surface is adjustable toward incident sunshine for maximizing solar collection efficiency, 
         [0030]    components of the station are self-contained and do not require assembly and disassembly for transport thus avoiding or minimizing setup time and difficulties, 
         [0031]    avoiding exposure to wind damage, which is a common concern for existing deployed photovoltaic generator collector arrays, 
         [0032]    providing a portable solar power generator that does not require a high level of user technical knowledge to setup or operate nor require wind vulnerability judgment. 
         [0033]    In a preferred embodiment, the generation station may comprise a solar powered generator that may be transported, setup and operated by unskilled consumers, by businesses whose knowledge lies in other areas but for whom off-grid power is required, by disaster relief agencies who must deploy power generation or water treatment systems to be operated by untrained personnel in remote areas, and by remote performance venue operators where power generation is needed without normally associated audible noise. The generation system may thus have one or more of the following advantages or attributes: useful for portable, quiet, renewable energy or water treatment; a system with few or no setup requirements, no fueling requirements, and no weather protection requirements. 
         [0034]    Though the present invention has been set forth in the form of its preferred embodiments, it is nevertheless intended that modifications to the disclosed systems and methods may be made without departing from inventive concepts set forth herein.