Solar tracking apparatus and field arrangements thereof

Abstract

A solar tracker assembly for mounting one or more solar tracking units, which can be adapted for use with various solar energy modules such as photovoltaic modules and heliostat mirrors, is provided. Each assembly comprises a frame of four sides connected at leg assemblies, each leg assembly being adapted for mounting a solar tracking unit. The frame may be configured as an oblique-angled, rhombus or diamond frame with a cross member extending between the closer-spaced leg assemblies. A set of frames may be arranged in the field with adjacent sides of adjacent frames being parallel, with spacing arms of predefined lengths interconnecting adjacent pairs of frames, to provide a desired hexagonal grid spacing.

1 . A field of interconnected solar tracking units, the field comprising:
 a plurality of solar tracking units arranged in a hexagonal grid arrangement, each solar tracking unit of the plurality of solar tracking units having between two and six neighboring solar tracking units,   wherein movement of each solar tracking unit of the plurality of solar tracking units in relation to at least one axis of said solar tracking unit is controlled by a local control unit, each local control unit controlling up to four solar tracking units of the plurality of solar tracking units, said up to four solar tracking units being mounted on a single oblique-angled, rhombus frame associated with said local control unit.   
     
     
         2 . The field of interconnected solar tracking units of  claim 2 , the field thus comprising a plurality of frames, each frame comprising four leg assemblies connected by sides of substantially equal length, the leg assemblies being adapted for mounting a corresponding solar tracking unit, the frame comprising a greater diagonal defined by a distance between two of the four leg assemblies separated by a greater distance and a lesser diagonal defined by a distance between a remaining two of the four leg assemblies separated by a lesser distance. 
     
     
         3 . The field of interconnected solar tracking units of  claim 3 , each frame of the plurality of frames being interconnected by at least one spacing arm of predetermined length to an adjacent frame, the at least one spacing arm thus maintaining a regular spacing among the plurality of solar tracking units to provide the hexagonal grid arrangement. 
     
     
         4 . The field of interconnected solar tracking units of  claim 3 , wherein adjacent sides of adjacent pairs of frames are substantially parallel. 
     
     
         5 . The field of interconnected solar tracking units of  claim 4 , each frame comprising a pair of sides substantially parallel to a cardinal direction. 
     
     
         6 . The field of interconnected solar tracking units of  claim 5 , wherein at least some of the spacing arms are substantially parallel to the cardinal direction. 
     
     
         7 . The field of interconnected solar tracking units of  claim 6 , wherein others of the spacing arms are substantially parallel to either the lesser diagonal of a frame to which the spacing arm is attached, or to a side of the frame to which the spacing arm is attached other than a side of the pair of sides substantially parallel to the cardinal direction. 
     
     
         8 . The field of interconnected solar tracking units of  claim 7 , wherein each of the frames is in substantially a same orientation. 
     
     
         9 . The field of interconnected solar tracking units of  claim 7 , wherein the plurality of frames is arranged in alternating parallel columns of frames in opposing orientations, the frames within each column being arranged in substantially a same orientation and having a pair of sides substantially parallel to the column. 
     
     
         10 . The field of interconnected solar tracking units of  claim 7 , wherein the others of the spacing arms interconnected adjacent columns of frames, and comprise both spacing arms parallel to the lesser diagonal of the frame to which the spacing arm is attached, and spacing arms parallel to the side of the frame to which the spacing arm is attached other than a side of the pair of sides substantially parallel to the cardinal direction. 
     
     
         11 . The field of interconnected solar tracking units of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more solar tracking units comprise either one or more heliostat mirrors or one or more photovoltaic modules. 
     
     
         12 . The field of interconnected solar tracking units of  claim 1 , wherein the local control unit is configured to control movement of the up to four solar tracking units in relation to two axes. 
     
     
         13 . The field of interconnected solar tracking units of  claim 1 , wherein each frame is associated with a distinct local control unit, the field of interconnected solar tracking units further comprising a global control unit in communication with each distinct local control unit, the global control unit being adapted to issue instructions controlling each local control unit. 
     
     
         14 . The field of interconnected solar tracking units of  claim 3 , each frame further comprising a cross member of a defined length extending substantially along the lesser diagonal and being fixed to each of the two leg assemblies separated by the lesser distance. 
     
     
         15 . The field of interconnected solar tracking units of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of solar tracking units mounted on the plurality of frames thus interconnected are mutually ballasted. 
     
     
         16 . A field of interconnected solar tracking assemblies, the field comprising:
 a plurality of solar tracker assemblies with a plurality of solar tracking units mounted thereon, each solar tracker assembly comprising:
 an oblique-angled, rhombus frame comprising four leg assemblies interconnected by sides of substantially equal length; and 
 one or more solar tracking units of the plurality of solar tracking units mounted on one or more of the four leg assemblies, movement of the one or more solar tracking units in relation to at least one axis being controlled by a local control unit associated with the solar tracker assembly, 
   the plurality of solar tracker assemblies being arranged such that the plurality of solar tracking units mounted thereon define a substantially hexagonal cellular arrangement comprising a plurality of at least two adjacent clusters of cells of the cellular arrangement, each cluster comprising a central cell surrounded by six immediately adjacent cells, each of said clusters comprising solar tracking units controlled by at least three different local control units.   
     
     
         17 . The field of interconnected solar tracking assemblies of  claim 16 , wherein at least one of said clusters comprises six solar tracking units controlled by four different local control units. 
     
     
         18 . The field of interconnected solar tracking assemblies of  claim 17 , wherein frames of adjacent solar tracker assemblies of the plurality of solar tracker assemblies are interconnected by spacing arms of predetermined length, the spacing arms thus maintaining spacing for the substantially hexagonal cellular arrangement;
 all of the frames having substantially the same orientation and having a greater diagonal and a lesser diagonal, all of the frames being arranged in columns along a first direction, at least some of the spacing arms being substantially collinear with the lesser diagonal of a frame to which the spacing arm is connected, and others of the spacing arms being substantially collinear with a side of each frame to which the spacing arm is connected, said side extending substantially parallel to the first direction.   
     
     
         19 . The field of interconnected solar tracking assemblies of  claim 17 , wherein frames of adjacent solar tracker assemblies of the plurality of solar tracker assemblies are interconnected by spacing arms of predetermined length, the spacing arms thus maintaining spacing for the substantially hexagonal cellular arrangement, all of the frames having a greater diagonal and a lesser diagonal;
 the plurality of solar tracker assemblies being arranged in columns along a first direction, a first set of columns comprising a set of solar tracker assemblies arranged in a first orientation, the first set of columns being interleaved with a second set of columns comprising a set of solar tracker assemblies arranged in a second orientation different from the first orientation,   at least some of the spacing arms being substantially collinear with a side of a frame to which the spacing arm is connected, at least some of said sides extending substantially parallel to the first direction, and others of the spacing arms being substantially collinear with the lesser diagonal of a frame to which the spacing arm is connected.   
     
     
         20 . The field of  claim 18 , wherein the first direction is a north-south direction.