WO2011024084A2 - Solar thermal energy concentrating building material - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention comprises a building material being a triangular shaped elongated hollow section or panel forming an elongated hollow triangular pyramid having three edges, sides or legs that form high strength structural wall components and structural roof components by connecting a series of the congruent triangular shaped elongated sections together by suitable watertight fastener means. The hollow section being translucent to sunlight on a least one side and having a mirrored surface or Fresnel lens on at least one side in order to concentrate sunlight into the hollow Interior of the section onto a strip of photovoltaic (PV) modules in order to generate DC electrical power or onto an a linear absorber capable of receiving and absorbing solar radiation in order to generate concentrating solar thermal power.

Description

Solar Thermal Energy Concentrating Building Material

Background

Solar Energy has been used since the dawn of mankind and there are thousands of solar power designs that take advantage of the abundant sunlight provided by our sun. Solar photovoltaic cells covert sunlight directly into electricity. The price and availability of these units is becoming much more favorable. Honeywell is working on roof tiles that will produce electricity with built in photovoltaic electricity generation that are attached to structural building materials but are not themselves load bearing capable. Clear glass with built in solar photovoltaic capability allows visibility and light while producing power. This product is attached to a frame and also is not load bearing. However, there are only a very limited number of solar power generating products designed to be used in association with green building construction and none of these are structural in nature. They are merely attached to structural buildings.

Green building has become a global phenomenon, driving innovation in the products that are used and the buildings in which we live and work. What started with a handful of government buildings utilizing first-generation sustainable building products is now a worldwide movement, with commercial construction and residential building moving to the fore in sustainability.

Voluntary standards and government mandates are driving growth in green building, as awareness of environmental issues has increased in developed and developing countries.

The global green building materials market continues to grow. The worldwide green building materials market was valued at $455.3 billion in 2008, and NextGen Research forecasts the market will grow at an annual rate of nearly 5% to reach $571 billion by 2013.

Buildings are one of the heaviest consumers of natural resources and account for a significant portion of the greenhouse gas emissions that affect climate change. In the U.S., buildings account for 38% of all CO₂ emissions, use 13.6% of all potable water, and consume 72% of all electrical power generation. Commercial and residential developers need to assess the total life cycle of all the building products and materials they utilize, as they can have a substantial, lasting effect on the environment.

Commercial office buildings will be the largest non-residential target sector for green building products over the forecast period, according to the study, which also found that both the new residential building and home improvement sectors present significant opportunities for green building products manufacturers. The $9.2 billion green roofing product segment accounted for the largest share of demand for green exterior building materials in 2008, owing to the vast size of the roofing market. Roofing products may contribute toward LEED certification by reducing the heat island effect, reducing rainwater runoff and incorporating recycled materials. The green roofing product segment includes "cool" reflective roofing, vegetative roofing, and roofing products produced using recycled materials. The market for roofing totaled 245 million squares in 2008. The nonresidential market accounts for the larger share of the total, and in both markets re-roofing generates the overwhelming majority of demand. This reliance on re-roofing applications substantially insulates this market from the volatility of new construction, but at the expense of faster growth. Asphalt shingles account for the majority of roofing demand, as they are the most popular roofing product used in the residential market.

Demand for green roofing accounted for one-quarter of the total roofing market in 2008, or 62 million squares. The majority of demand for green roofing is concentrated in the nonresidential market, because the materials that are popular in this market— metal roofing and membranes— are widely available with reflective characteristics. This is especially true of metal roofing products, which generally qualify as "cool" roofing, but are used infrequently in the residential market.

Since 1998, demand for green roofing grew from 37 million squares to 62 million squares, the vast majority of this growth coming through greater market penetration, as the roofing market is slow growing. Market penetration— which grew from 16 percent in 1998 to 25 percent in 2008 - - was helped by the relative strength of the nonresidential roofing market in 2008, which tends to use green roofing products more intensively. Indeed, the overall roofing market declined between 2003 and 2008 as residential construction collapsed, while demand for green roofing surged with nonresidential building construction.

The use of solar radiation to heat water is the most commonly used solar technology. Very small scale low-temperature prior art solar flat panels or evacuated tube generally circulate water through them in order to heat the water to relatively low temperature in the range of 130 to 170 degree Fahrenheit. The hot water is then stored in an insulated tank for later use. One of the problems with this type of use is that it provides only very limited benefit. The hot water within the system is heated in only a few hours. Then the system just sits there for hours providing no benefit unless more hot water is needed.

Most solar technology used today is merely placed on the roofs and walls of existing building structures and most of these are very small in size and thereby only produce a very small quantity of either solar heat or of electrical power production at a relatively high cost.

Electricity is also produced by the use of concentrated solar radiation in association with various power cycles such as the Rankine and Sterling cycles that is concentrated to higher temperatures. Solar trough technology produces temperatures in the 750 deg. F. range and solar dish technology can reach temperature levels greater than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat rejected from these power cycles may be used for space heating in a process known as "co-generation" of combined power and heat (CPH). All power cycles use a temperature differential in order to work. The higher temperature is the heat source and the lower temperature is used for heat rejection. A power cycle heats a material call the "working fluid" that reacts to the heat input by expanding and increasing in pressure, which essentially provides a push or force to a prime mover that can be a turbine or piston. In order to repeat the process, the working fluid must be cooled so that it returns to its original state, thus reducing in pressure in volume. Now the heating process can be repeated with more mechanical movement being once again attained. These actions continuously repeat themselves over and over in a continuous cycle in order to produce power.

Because power cycles need both an upper and lower temperature supply in order to work, it is necessary to provide cooling to go along with the heat source. A heat source alone cannot produce power. The most common form of cooling used within the power industry is evaporative cooling. However, many locations do not have good water supplies as a lot of water is used in the process and discharge of the heated by-product water into river and streams creates environmental hazards. Heat rejection to air is becoming more common, but this process requires much larger heat exchanger surface area because of the much lower sensible heat capacity of air as compared to the large heat capacity provided by latent heat water evaporation that is far more efficient.

Evaporative cooling (the evaporation of water in air) is counter-intuitive physics, because "you apply heat to get cooling", which sounds like an oxymoron. In fact, there must be heat available for evaporation to take place. The explanation lies in the fact that there are two types of heat; "sensible heat" that merely changes the temperature while the same phase is maintained and "latent heat" whereby a phase change is created. In regard to water, it takes on the order of five times more latent heat thermal energy to phase change (boil) the liquid to steam with no temperature change then it does to increase its sensible temperature from near freezing to near boiling, without causing a phase change of the water.

A continuous evaporation process such as evaporative cooling is dependent on a continuous heat source, such as solar thermal energy, the heat load produced by a building or activities like manufacturing processes that take place within the building, and the net result is cooling. The two major causes of prior art evaporative cooling processes to perform poorly are: (1) high humidity levels within the ambient air; and, (2) water needed for evaporation is not available. Conveniently, solar energy supply and cooling energy demand tend to coincide.

A Chicago university explains an experiment they conducted in which water is placed in a pan within an oven having a temperature of 450 deg. F.; and, the water temperature never rises above 212 deg. F., the boiling point of water, as long as any water remains at all because latent heat evaporation removes more thermal energy from the water (cools) than is added to the water by the sensible heat provided by the oven. The present inventor devised his own experiment whereby heat from a hair dryer with a hot air temperature of 155 deg. F. is applied to tap hot water having a temperature of 130 deg. F. that resulted in the temperature of the water dropping to 78 deg. F. at which point it reached equilibrium then remained at that temperature. The experiment effected 52 deg. F. latent heat evaporative cooling of the water by applying heat to the water from hot air at 25 deg. F. higher temperature than the water's temperature. Ask almost anyone and they will quickly respond that the hair dryer will increase the water temperature ~ not cool it!

If the pressure were to be reduced in the above experiment, the evaporative cooling equilibrium temperature would be much lower. Conversely, if the pressure were substantially increased evaporation would not take place at all (the pressure cooker which causes water to remain in the liquid state at very high temperatures at increased pressure) and the temperature of the water would actually rise. Also, air humidity has a great effect on evaporation with the best results being attained by "dry air" and poor results being attained in water vapor saturated air. This is in response to the "partial pressure" laws that effect evaporation of liquids in a container in which the liquids have no vapor pressure. Each liquid will evaporate and produce its own partial vapor pressure within the container based on its percentage of the total volume, which applies to water within air. If there is no water vapor present in the air, water will evaporate almost regardless of temperature to meet its partial pressure law requirement, which is the reason water evaporates at room temperature on a table top or floor— even though the boiling point of pure water is much higher.

Robert D. Hunt, the present inventor has filed U. S. Provisional Patent Number US61/072,072 titled "Evaporative Cooling and Air Compression Combined Cycle Applied to a Rankine Cycle or Hunt Power Cycle, Having Fresh Water Production" dated March 27, 2008 that discloses that discloses power cycles using a closed-loop evaporative cooling cycle that dries air before it goes to the evaporator so that the evaporation process is more efficient with water being produced by the process.

Robert D. Hunt, the present inventor has filed U. S. Provisional Patent Number 61/131,895 titled "Solar Air Conditioning and Heating Process" dated June 13, 2008, that discloses that discloses a solar power cycle using a closed-loop evaporative cooling cycle that dries air before it goes to the evaporator so that the evaporation process is more efficient with water being produced by the process and recycles the water in order to eliminate the need of evaporative cooling water.

Robert D. Hunt, the present inventor has filed International Patent Application Number

PCT/IB2008/001667 titled "Ultra-Low Temperature Power Cycle Engine" dated June 19, 2008 that discloses a combined evaporative heating and cooling cycle used in association with an air or gas compression refrigeration and heating cycle that produces heat at useful temperatures, refrigeration, cooling, and fresh water production. The patent discloses an evaporative cooling method that removes moisture from the air before it is fed into the evaporator using a mild compression and subsequent cooling closed-loop process that condenses the water vapor to the liquid phase and recycles the water back to the evaporator so that a water supply is not needed; and, discloses a partially closed alternative process that takes in a portion of its process air from the atmosphere and a fresh water supply is produced from water vapor contained in ambient air.

Robert D. Hunt, the present inventor has filed for patent protection of a U. S. Provisional Patent Number 61/202,806 titled, "Solar Building Material that Forms Structural Roofs, Walls, Privacy Fences, etc." on April 8, 2009. The patent discloses the innovation of making a concentrating solar power building material that possesses structural strength that may be used in conventional building construction as a replacement for metal or wood studs, beams, rafters, and sheet metal siding or other wall and roof envelope prior art technologies, included herein in its entirety.

The first test units of the solar concentrating power building material were successfully constructed using wire cut Styrofoam as an insulating body to create the desired pyramid shape used in the design of the solar component of the product. The fabrication of these prototypes was very labor intensive. Epoxy resins and fiber were applied to the Styrofoam in order to produce a smooth hardened surface to protect the Styrofoam and to provide a surface sufficiently flat and smooth in order to apply mirrored film on the reflective surfaces of the units; and, then glass panels were required to be installed in a separate step that had to be bonded to the Styrofoam body. Structural metal I-beams were imbedded into the Styrofoam core and reinforced with the epoxy resin and fiber to complete the assembly. Due to the degree of labor and materials needed to hand fabricate these early prototypes it became obvious that an alternative improved means of manufacturing the solar building material of the present invention was badly needed.

The goal of the present patent application is to go beyond the government's current stated goal of "net-zero energy" residential and commercial buildings and to reach an even higher goal of attaining "net-plus energy" buildings in which the envelopes of residential and commercial buildings act as concentrating solar power plants that produce far more energy than they consume with the building being capable of providing all of their space conditioning and power needs and of providing substantial power to the national electrical grid in order to help secure America's and the world's energy independence and to reduce our reliance on polluting, depleting fossil fuels, while providing tremendous economic benefit to its users.

Robert D. Hunt, the present inventor has filed for patent protection of a U. S. Provisional Patent Number 61/275,164 titled, "Extruded Interlocking Translucent Polycarbonate Concentrating Solar Power (CPS) Building Material for Thermal or Photovoltaic (PV) Power Generation, Space Conditioning, Water Heating, and Lighting Applications" dated August 26, 2009. The patent discloses the innovation of making a concentrating solar power building material using a high strength clear polycarbonate material that is extruded into long sections in order to manufacture the elongated triangular hollow sections. The invention of the extruded clear material was created in order to solve issues related to the previous opaque solar building material patent's difficult method of fabrication using a Styrofoam body- Disclosure

A solar thermal energy concentrating building material capable of providing a high strength green building envelope for buildings and other structures being capable of constructing waterproof enclosed space and being capable of generating concentrating solar power is hereby disclosed. The invention comprises a triangular shaped elongated hollow section or panel forming an elongated hollow triangular pyramid shaped building material having three edges, sides or legs that form high strength structural wall components and structural roof components by connecting a series of the congruent triangular shaped elongated sections together by interlocking sections, or by overlapping sections in order to construct watertight roofs and walls that are mounted onto a wood, metal or composite material structural frame.

At least one side of the hollow section is translucent to sunlight with this clear side directed toward the incoming solar radiation at an approximate ninety degree angle incident to the sunlight. Each triangle has a mirrored surface on at least one side in order to reflect solar radiation or has a Fresnel Lens on at least one side to refract sunlight into the hollow interior of the section to an elongated linear fixed focal point. Both of these methods may be used together.

The focal point that receives the concentrated solar radiation may be a strip of high gain photovoltaic (PV) modules in order to generate DC electrical power with fewer modules being needed due to concentrating the sunlight. Alternately, the elongated fixed focal point in the interior of the panel may be a linear absorber capable of receiving and absorbing solar radiation in order to generate concentrating solar thermal power by concentrating the sunlight to two times or greater than its normal intensity. The concentrated energy is transferred through the absorber to an internal thermal fluid capable of heat transfer in order to provide a heat source for a thermal power cycle. The concentrated solar energy is produced by concentrating the sunlight to two times or greater than its normal intensity with the concentrated energy being transferred through an absorber to an internal thermal fluid capable of heat transfer in order to provide a heat source for a thermal power cycle, such as the Rankine, Sterling or Ericcson power cycles.

The degree of concentration of the sunlight establishes the operating temperature of the power cycle. Due to the constraints of the translucent materials used, the amount of solar radiation concentration intensity is limited to maintain an acceptable temperature level that will not harm the materials.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention is a novel extruded interlocking, clear polycarbonate, clear acrylic, tempered glass or other clear high strength translucent substance capable of withstanding high temperatures and being UV resistant being the material from which the clear solar building material triangular shaped structural elongated sections are manufactured in order to allow natural light transmission into the interior of enclosed space formed further described in Figure 1 and Figure 2.

The solar building material provides a means of fabricating a green building envelope consisting of complete roof and wall systems that is capable of producing significant quantities of concentrated solar thermal energy that may be used for photovoltaic (PV) electrical power generation and/or for solar thermal electrical power generation, space conditioning that includes both heating and cooling, and cooking, clothes drying, water heating, water desalination being produced by the solar building material during periods of sunlight; and, may be used in lighting applications because natural light is able to pass through the clear polycarbonate material.

The solar building material may be manufactured by extrusion of the polycarbonate or acrylic material into long hollow triangular pyramid shaped sections that interlock. The concentrated solar building material forms the building's exterior and interior envelope, being its structural walls and roof that are attached to a frame that is attached to its foundation in order to support sustainable building design and structural integrity; being a green building envelope consisting of complete load-bearing roof and wall systems that provide an improved substitute for

conventional prior art building envelope systems, such as metal siding, wood, and composite material wall board; being readily applicable to traditional construction approaches such as pre- manufactured building systems, pre-engineered metal frame building packages, manufactured homes, as well as stud-built custom construction. The solar building material is a substantial improvement as compared to convention building construction in its ability to generate renewable energy solar power, ability to provide energy savings, and its ability to withstand extremes of wind force, such as wind storms, hurricanes and tornadoes due to the high strength of the solar building material.

Within a residential or commercial building constructed of the solar building material, any section of a wall or ceiling may be used as a window or skylight in order to receive natural or diffused lighting because visible light and direct visibility are not blocked by use of the reflective window tinting film. Alternatively, insulation may be accomplished by the use of insulating gases such as argon and krypton that will allow natural lighting and potentially visibility into building made of the solar building material.

A reflective mirrored silver film coating on the exterior of the solar building material panels concentrate sunlight into a heat receiving or photovoltaic (PV) solar radiation receiving focal point. This intensifies the temperature level in order to provide higher temperatures that are useful for electrical power generation via thermal power cycles or in the alternative focuses the heat onto high intensity PV modules, which significantly reduces the cost of PV generated power as far fewer PV modules are needed. Therefore, the solar building material panels uniquely may be used in association with the production of solar thermal energy production or be used in the production of photovoltaic electrical power or both as PV solar modules work better when they are cooled.

Use of the mirrored film causes reflection of the solar radiation away from the polycarbonate material and results in subsequent removal of heat along with deflection of the UV radiation away from the UV resistant polycarbonate material to the heat receiver or focuses the light onto high intensity PV module strips, which significantly reduces the heat load on the poly material and further extends the material's life. Alternatively a mirrored metal particle surface may be sprayed directly onto the polycarbonate material by vacuum sputtering deposition technology as part of the initial manufacturing process, which would eliminate the need of a mirrored film to provide concentration of the sunlight.

The concentrating solar power (CSP) building material disclosed herein for thermal,

photovoltaic, and lighting applications provides a green building envelope consisting of complete roof and wall systems featuring solar renewable energy, sustainable building design, and structural integrity. The green building envelope consisting of complete roof and load-bearing wall systems proves an improved substitute for conventional prior art building envelope systems, such as metal siding, wood, and composite material wall board, and is readily applicable to traditional construction approaches (e.g. both pre-manufactured systems, as contained in a pre- engineered metal building package or a manufactured home, as well as stud-built custom construction). Research, development, and testing has resulted in the base building material consisting of an extruded interlocking clear polycarbonate material providing a strong, highly insulated building material that can serve as a structural roof or load-bearing wall.

Optionally, solar electrical power may be produced by two means: (1) by using solar

concentrating power (CSP) that uses intensive photovoltaic modules also known as "high-gain" PV modules that may be applied to the outer circumference of the hot water channel at the region where the concentrated sunlight is directed to generate solid state produced DC electrical power. The water is heated by solar heat that conducts through the high gain modules, which co- produces electrical power and hot water for thermal mass solar energy storage and for conventional water heating applications, such as; bathing, dish and clothes washing, heated pools and hot tubs, etc.; and, (2) by using solar thermal power cycles, such as the Rankine power cycle that heats and boils a working fluid increasing the pressure and volume of the gaseous phase working fluid that powers a prime mover in order to run an electrical generator to produce electrical power, which is then is cooled via heat rejection and condensed back to the liquid state and is pumped under pressure back into the boiler (vaporizer) in a continuous closed loop- process. Alternately, the Sterling cycle or other power cycles may be used. Heat rejected from the power cycle may be used for space conditioning in CHP co-generation, using the by-product heat of electrical power generation in a useful manner. Each of these methods to generate electrical power has its advantages and disadvantages. PV technology has traditionally been very expensive and less efficient than thermal power cycles but the cost of PV modules is dropping and concentrator solar technology uses fewer modules than does conventional PV technology as the sunlight is concentrated to a lesser number of high-gain PV modules that further reduces the price. PV has no moving parts as it is a solid state technology which is obviously advantageous. Thermal power cycles involve the use of a prime mover, such as a turbine or piston engine, but is generally more cost effective and produces substantially more power than does PV technology. Equipment space is required and the equipment needs regular servicing and parts replacement along with having negative noise and vibration associated with its use. The right electrical power generation method to be used in association with the solar building material would thereby be influenced by a number of factors such as the specific site, the amount of power that is required, and obviously economic factors.

DC electrical current produced by CSP PV modules is stored in high capacity batteries for later use. In solar powered buildings the electrical storage capacity is usually much greater than is used in conventional building, if any battery storage is used at all as many prior art buildings have no battery electrical power storage capability.

The direction that PV systems are heading toward is lower cost. The solar building material of the present patent application is a light focusing apparatus that concentrates the either on to a PV high intensity module (high intensity means it is designed to take the much higher heat load produced by the magnifying glass effect of concentrating the light into one area) or alternatively, the light can be focused on a water hot water channels that are an absorber of thermal energy for the thermal solar power cycle.

Operation of the solar building material will do both i.e. concentrate light on a high intensity PV module strip, then cool the strip with the flowing water by indirect heat exchange that will remove heat from the high intensity PV module strip, which by extension makes the modules produce more power as they lose efficiency as they heat up as an additional benefit of the combined use. Electricity is produced by the PV modules, and useful heat is still produced that can drive a thermal solar power if desired or alternately the heat may be used for heat energy storage, space heating etc.

Co-production of hot water, hot air, electrical power via the use of high intensity photovoltaic cells or using thermal power cycles, evaporative cooling, fresh water production, etc. allows many more useful processes and products to be produced at the same time within the CSP building material system of the present patent than is possible by any other prior art competing solar product.

For grid connected residential and commercial buildings, excess power produced by solar power is sold to the local utility company. Power companies are required to purchase the power by Federal law. Due to current law in many states and due to pending national legislation that requires utility companies to generate a portion of their power from renewable energy resources, most power companies are actively seeking renewable energy generated power and will pay a premium in order to attain the power. The use of arrays of electrical power storage batteries provides a means to sale power to the grid during period of peak need when rates are the highest and to assure that it is not necessary to purchase power during these high rate periods. This process provides cost saving from not having to purchase power during peak periods and also produces a potential income stream from the sale of power.

The ability of residential and commercial building to produce more energy than the consume, store the electrical energy within batteries, or store energy via compressed air energy storage means, perform electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen and oxygen using excess electrical power so that the hydrogen may be stored and used later as a combustive means to generate electrical power while creating useful co-generated heat, etc. gives buildings constructed of the CSP building material of the present patent the capacity to provide power to the grid during peak usage periods and during times of need.

Heating and cooling of the building's interior space is accomplished by radiant means that is supplemented by indirect heat exchange means. Temperature controlled water flows in a circular path around the entire circumference of the building, comprising roofs, walls, and flooring that radiate hot or cold temperatures to the interior space at the specific temperature of the water. The radiant heating and cooling is augmented by indirect heat exchange with air withdrawn from the building interior that is either heated or cooled by coming into contact with thermal mass energy storage liquids that are respectively either hotter than the withdrawn interior air or is cooler than the interior air and then the conditioned air flows back into the interior of the building. The indirect heat exchange process also includes mixing outside air into the stream of circulated interior air and includes humidity control of the blend of inside and exterior fresh air supply that is needed to provide oxygen to the building's occupants.

The use of an active vacuum within the evaporative cooling channel or within the hot air channel provides vacuum insulation for structures made of the CSP building material of the present invention; and, because all of the heat energy from solar radiation or radiated from outside hot air is absorbed by the layer of temperature controlled water within the evaporative cooling channels, high insulation value of almost unlimited R value may be achieved for buildings constructed using the concentrator solar building material of the present invention. Likewise, cold temperatures radiated to the building exterior during cold periods are also absorbed by this boundary of temperature controlled water that is warmer than the outside ambient temperatures because of solar heating of the water that stores the thermal energy within its large volume of mass. An active vacuum would only be applied on the hot air channels to provide additional insulation during periods of extended cold while there is no solar radiation. Evaporative cooling with active vacuum negative pressure or active positive pressure works very well in hot zones in which the primary heating and cooling load is cooling with very low heating requirements. In evaporative cooling heat is converted to cooling. Solar heat or heat loads conducted to the exterior walls of the building and lower pressure due to the active vacuum cause evaporation of the water at a substantially lower temperature than ambient temperature.

The temperature at which water evaporates is controlled by the pressure, so controlling the pressure within the evaporative cooling channel, allows active control of the water temperature that is regulated by small changes in pressure. The thermostat of the evaporative cooling system is the system pressure regulator as it is capable of fully controlling the temperature of the water over a very substantial range of temperature from close to freezing to near boiling based on the pressure and amount of heat input being sufficient to reach the higher temperature range. From the above description it is obvious that a comfortable room temperature for space conditioning is easily maintained by the active vacuum and positive pressure regulation means of temperature control proposed herein in the present patent application.

Temperature control, regulation of the amount of fresh air brought into the building, control of the temperature of thermal mass solar energy storage systems, temperature control of the cooling or heating water contained within the evaporative cooling channels that is accomplished by control of the pressure within the evaporative cooling channels, etc. for building structures constructed of the solar building material is accomplished by use of programmable logic computers (PLCs) that continuously monitor numerous functions within and outside of the building, such as internal air temperature, the water temperature within the evaporative cooling channel that provides radiant space conditioning to the interior of the building, the amount of negative or positive pressure within to the evaporative cooling channel that regulates evaporation and or heating of the water, the temperature of the hot water produced by the hot water channels, the temperatures of the stored hot and cold water reservoirs, the amount of electricity being produced by either or both CSP PV DC electrical power generation and/or produced by solar thermal power cycles, which can generate either AC or DC electrical current) with use of the evaporative cooling channel as a means of heat rejection for the power cycle, the outside air temperature and wind velocities, water production and usage, determine the amount and temperature of the solar radiant heat energy being delivered to the building by the sun, the amount of electrical charge currently held by the storage batteries, etc.

The logic code written for the PLC to control the building must assess numerous inputs and then correlate all of the data into a coordinated building control mechanism that optimizes the performance of the building, in regard to space conditioning, inhabitant comfort, efficient energy utilization, water consumption, lighting control, and other parameters measured and used in regard to operation of the solar powered building of the present invention. The PLC checks inputs using ultra-high-speed electrical computer components and sensors. The code is known as a "ladder" because it follows a logical progression moving from one rung to the next then starts over at the beginning of the ladder. If all the inputs remain the same, the PLC does nothing other than to keep checking over and over the same inputs at very high speed. However, when the inputs change the unit is programmed by its logic code to make predetermined commands to various switches, valves, etc. that it controls. Using PLC technology that works in this manner, control of the solar building of the present invention is optimized.

Human processes like breathing increases the humidity level of the interior of buildings.

Moisture related problems include corrosion, mold, and mildew, respiratory and maintenance of good health. The humidity level of buildings of the present invention is controlled by use of liquid or dry desiccant materials that absorb water vapor from the air. Desiccant coolers make air feel cooler by removing moisture. Because they do not actually cool the air, desiccant cooling is used in combination with the evaporative cooling process to lower air temperature. In desiccant cooling systems, a "desiccant" substance is used to absorb moisture in the air. When the desiccant becomes saturated, heat is used to remove moisture from, or regenerate, the desiccant material for repeated use. The drying process heats the air with the subsequent dry air being cooled before being returned to the conditioned space. A supply of distilled water from water vapor in ambient fresh air supplies is gained by use of desiccant materials via the solar drying process that removes the water vapor from the desiccant material and it is cooled and condensed to liquid phase water.

Benefits of desiccant dehumidification include savings through reduced refrigeration through reduced latent loads, reduced building maintenance, eliminates fungal amplification in ductwork, increased comfort, and allows increased ventilation, increases useful life of carpets and furniture that are damaged by the presence of high moisture levels, reduced health risks associated with air-borne infectious agents, decreased levels of indoor CO2, lower energy costs.

The HVAC industry has begun turning to Demand Controlled Ventilation (DCV) systems to solve the problems of too little and too much air exchange. The systems employ CO2 sensors to gauge the number of occupants in a room and adjust the fresh air supply accordingly. Since DCV systems are based on CO2 concentrations, they adjust not only to the number of occupants but to their level of activity as well. For example, air exchange in a room in use by a Jazzercise group will be greater than the same room in use by the same size group attending a lecture. The amount of energy DCV systems can save is commensurate with the indoor/outdoor air temperature difference. If a large conference room is empty on a freezing February day, for example, there is no need to draw in large amounts of frigid outside air, forcing the system to waste energy to heat the air.

The method of the present invention retains the desiccant material within pipes or troughs that allow a flow of interior air to interact with the material or alternately allow very hot dry air produced by the air channels of the concentrating solar building material from which the building is constructed to interact with the desiccant material in order to accomplish the solar drying process. While a first linear pipe or trough provides interior humidity reduction for the building, a second pipe or trough is recharged via solar drying. Then, the inputs of the pipes or troughs are alternately switched so that sufficient recharged desiccant material is always available to maintain the humidity level of the building enclosure.

The above desiccant moisture removal process is apart from and is a separate process from the evaporative cooling process that also uses desiccant materials to dry air within a closed loop before the dry air flows to the evaporative cooling channels in association with solar heated water. Extremely efficient evaporation is performed in accordance with the partial pressure laws and a continuous supply of heat energy to drive the process is provided externally by solar thermal energy and is provided internally by heat conducted to the water from the interior of the building. The desiccant material is alternately taken offline when saturated and is heated in order to recharge the material, while a second volume of dry desiccant material is being used online by the evaporative process until it becomes saturated. The water vapor removed from the saturated desiccant material via heating to distill the water out of the desiccant material is then

subsequently cooled via heat rejection to the outside air or to processes as part of a thermal power cycle that causes condensation of the water vapor to liquid phase water that is returned to the evaporative cooling channels in a closed-loop cycle in order to provide evaporative cooling for space conditioning without the need of a water supply and without adding moisture to the air within the building.

The above described process of the present invention may also be used in a partially closed cycle by bringing in a continuous fresh air supply to the desiccant dryers; and, then subsequently to the evaporative cooling channels that will result in the production of fresh water for the building that is derived from water vapor contained in the ambient supply that is condensed, hi higher humidity climates, substantial quantities of water may be produced in by the process of the present patent as air may contain as much as five percent (5%) moisture by volume.

A large volume of water storage is accomplished by the solar buildings of the present invention. Water produced from harvesting water vapor from ambient air that is brought into the buildings to provide fresh air and water captured by collection of rainwater is stored in underground tanks in order to provide substantial thermal mass energy storage of both hot and cold water resources. Highly insulated tanks or insulated pipes are used to store hot water at temperatures approaching the boiling point of water and buried tanks or pipes that are not insulated with direct contact to the earth are used to store cool water having a temperature generally below 70 deg. F. These tanks or pipes are constructed having heat exchange metal rods or using heat pipe technology in order to conduct ambient ground temperatures to the water within the tanks or pipes.

The technology disclosed herein for thermal mass energy cool water storage differs from conventional ground-loop heating and cooling technology in that a large volume of water having a long retention time within the ground is used. Heat pump ground loop technology merely uses a small diameter pipe designed for fast heat of exchange of the water within the pipe with the earth that uses a fast flow of water or another heat exchange medium that quickly passing through it and the retention time of the fluid is very brief and volume of fluid is very low. The long retention time of the process of the present patent gives the water time to reach ground temperature and beneficially provides a the large volume of water that is retained so that a large amount of cool water thermal mass energy storage capability is accomplished, which is not attained by prior art heat pump systems. Nor, is harmful refrigerants or energy consuming compressors used in the process of the present invention.

The storage of a large volume of both hot water (approximately 200 deg. F.) and cool water (below 65 deg. F.) provides thermal mass of significant volume to accomplish space

conditioning of buildings constructed of the solar building material of the present invention. The use of indirect heat exchange of air from the interior of the building with the cool water thermal mass energy storage when space cooling is desired or indirect heat exchange of air from within the building with hot water thermal mass energy storage accomplishes space heating when desired. This process that uses two water temperatures in regard to thermal mass energy storage accomplishes heating long after the sun stops providing thermal energy due via indirect heat exchange with the large thermal mass volume of stored hot water within the insulated vessels that was produced by solar thermal radiation previously and accomplishes cooling via indirect heat exchange with the large thermal mass volume of stored cool water that is continuously producing in response to long retention time ground cooling. The ground loop is also used for heat rejection of heat from the building to the ground or is used for heat rejection for a thermal power cycle to the ground.

The most common form of cooling in regard to solar power is absorption cooling systems that do not use chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants harmful to the ozone layer; however, they do use ammonia that is a very volatile organic compound (VOC) being flammable, toxic, corrosive, can cause asphyxiation, and has the potential to freeze-burn humans, because the liquid phase ammonia readily evaporates at room temperature with the potential of causing severe injury or death. Absorption cooling equipment is costly and expensive to install. Its use is strong in the commercial market but is minimal in the residential market. Absorption cooling may be used in association with the solar building material of the present patent as a means to provide lower temperature refrigeration than is provided by evaporative cooling as described herein.

Absorption cooling refrigerators and freezers are capable of reducing the electrical load of buildings constructed of the solar building material in which solar heat provides the energy source needed to drive the absorption cooling process with only minimal electrical use needed.

In regard to the present patent application, the absorption chiller units use concentrated heat provided by the hot water channels of the solar building material that are the walls and roof of the building to produce cooling and refrigeration. The use of absorption cooling systems can be beneficial to provide an alternative lower temperature means of refrigeration that can supplement the evaporative cooling system provided by the evaporative cooling channels of the present invention in order to provide additional lower temperature cooling for space conditioning, as well as being used as absorption technology refrigerators and freezers.

Heat management in extremely cold environments requires additional operational procedures designed to conserve thermal mass stored energy. In an extremely cold region that is subject to days of extreme cold without sunlight, conservation of previous gained heat is paramount. The best management method is this event is to store the hot water thermal mass in a highly insulated environment under positive pressure to prevent any evaporation that would cool the water. With the solar building material of the present invention this can be best accomplished by placing a vacuum on the outermost air circulation channels to cause them to form a vacuum insulated region that will insulate the water retained within the water channels that would remain under positive pressure.

In the above process, the active vacuum negative pressure would be switched from the evaporative cooling channels to the hot air channels to produce the desired result of conserving the temperature of the room temperature hot water by insulating it from the outside cold. During periods of no solar radiation and while using the hot air channels to provide additional vacuum insulation for the building, additional space heating can still be attained by indirect heat exchange with the very hot water thermal mass that was produced by the hot water pipes during solar periods that was stored in highly insulated tanks of pipes for this later use. The interior heat from the space heating will radiate to the water within the evaporative cooling channels and keep it warm enough to prevent freezing for several days. If the water temperature continues to drop in the evaporative cooling channels it will become necessary provide heat by conventional electrical or fuel combustion means. If that is not possible for some reason, then the water must be drained out of the channels to prevent freezing. The active vacuum should then be placed on this area as well to provide still further insulation value.

The dimension of the pyramid shape of the present patent determines the area of sunlight that is concentrated onto the heat receiver with greater area of solar radiation being concentrated onto a focal point thereby producing higher solar thermal energy temperatures at the focal point that are transferred to the receiver. Solar trough technology with reflective troughs thirteen feet in width can attain temperatures on the order of eight hundred degrees F. in order to provide high levels of heat for electrical power generation. Molten salts are used to store higher temperatures in regard to thermal mass energy storage. Molten salts have the capability to hold heat with temperatures as high as 1,200 degrees F. These high temperatures have the ability to perform tasks that lower temperatures cannot match, such as solar cooking, clothes drying, high temperature thermal waste decomposition and thermal decontamination up to approximately 600 deg. F. A CSP unit having a horizontal area of sunlight of eight feet by eight feet being an area of sixty-four square feet of solar radiation that is concentrated onto a small surface area thermal energy receiver is need to attain temperatures high enough to perform these applications. A much smaller quantity of heat is needed at this high temperature level therefore only a reasonably small area of high temperature CSP is needed for its production. The larger scale higher temperature unit would be at ground level on the sun exposure side of the building in a well protected room to prevent accidents from exposure to the high temperatures generated at the concentrator and high temperatures held within the molten salts. Safety features such as temperature locks to prevent entry to hot component areas until their temperature has lowered, along with strict maintenance proceeds would be required for safe operation of this potentially dangerous technology. Solar appliances such as toilets, clothes dryers and ovens that use these high temperatures produced by the larger CSP building material of the present invention work using indirect heat exchange with the high temperature molten salts used to store the high temperature solar heat generated. Process air passes through heat exchange pipes located within the high temperature molten salts that transfers heat to the oven, clothes dryer, or other appliance in a closed-loop within a sealed environment. These appliances employ safety devices that prevent them from being opened while the process air is flowing. Additional safety features are temperature locks that do not allow entry into hot areas until they are no longer hot in order to prevent injury during routine maintenance and repair.

Conventional prior art thermal human waste decomposition incinerator toilets are generally heated by electric resistance heat strips that produce temperatures in the range of 1,800 deg. F. Liquids are evaporated and the solid waste is reduced to ashes that are eliminated by solid waste disposal. While dish solar concentrator technology can attain temperatures in this range, their use in a residential or commercial building would present a number of problems. A better alternative presented herein is to use hydrogen combustion as a source of very high temperature heat to incinerate human waste products. The hydrogen can be generated by electrolysis of water into hydrogen and oxygen. The electrolysis process can be performed using electrical power produced by the solar building material of the present patent that is produced at much lower temperatures in regard to a low-temperature solar thermal power cycle or by use of CSP high- gain PV modules.

Hydrogen can also be burned within a hydrogen fire place for both aesthetic and for space heating purposes. Solar heat energy used to generate electricity via a thermal power cycle produces hydrogen via electrolysis of water. Then the hydrogen is combusted with the resultant heat being used to drive a hydrogen combustion thermal power cycle in order to recover a portion of the electrical power used to make the hydrogen and no emissions are created by the process. The generation of hydrogen also allows its use as an energy carrier to power trucks and automobiles, etc. and the sale of hydrogen as a valuable energy source.

The highly insulated solar building material is used as a structural roof, load bearing wall, privacy fence, pool enclosure or hot tub enclosure, etc. that can provide low-temperature thermal energy for water and space heating; that can provide high temperature heat for electrical power generation, for moderate temperature industrial process, etc. A home built with its sides and roof made from the solar structural building material of the present invention would be heated, cooled, and powered by its very own structure— making the dwelling energy self-sufficient. The electrical power demand of a building constructed of the materials of the present invention will have a very low power demand because of the high insulation value of the solar building material's operational processes and because most of power consumed by a home is for heating and cooling.

The geometry of the structural solar panels of the present invention provides significant improvement over flat panel technology used to produce hot air and hot water by producing much higher temperatures because of their ability to concentrate solar radiation and improvement over evacuated tube technology because the relatively low flat profile and sloped face of the pyramids allows high winds to flow over them very smoothly in order to significantly reduce wind loading, which also makes the design of the present patent much more aesthetically pleasing in appearance.

The design uniquely produces thermal energy in a number of phases and temperatures at the same time. Air for space heating can be heated at the same time low-temperature water is heated for uses such as providing hot bath water, dish clothes washing, recreational hot tubs and swimming pools, etc., along with much higher temperature water that can be used for cooking, manufacturing processes, electrical power generation, etc.

Energy storage technologies that may be employed include: (1) use of state-of-the-art batteries, and, (2) compressed air energy storage capable of powering a motor in order to generate electrical power, and, (3) hydrogen chemical energy storage via the production of hydrogen via electrolysis of water in hydrogen and oxygen; and, (4) heat energy storage via hot water or molten salt high temperature thermal energy heat storage.

It has long been believed that pyramids have a mythical ability to generate power. While our construction is substantially different from the earthen pyramids of Egypt, our technology proves that there is power within the pyramid geometry. The solar building material harnesses the solar power of the pyramid shaped structure. The shape of the solar building material increases wind resistance via the 45 degree sloped angle that forms an inclined plane incident to the horizontal direction of ground level wind. The ability of the pyramid shape to withstand the extremes of the natural environment is proven by the survival of pyramids constructed thousands of years ago.

The translucent solar building materials with heating and cooling, photovoltaic and natural lighting energy production are a technical and operational improvement over any state-of-the-art solar systems available on the open market. The assembled panels arrive ready for connection to established building structural framework or roof and require no major technical alterations to a preexisting building or home. The photovoltaic energy output requires an inverter to easily connect to the electrical system of the structure A low product profile is maintained by the solar building material for lower wind resistance and to maintain the aesthetics. The shape of the solar building material increases wind resistance via the approximate 45 degree sloped angle incident to the horizontal direction of ground level wind.

The solar building material of the present patent is most cost effective when used for new construction because the entire building shell can be classified as a solar investment eligible for receiving the thirty percent (30%) tax credit refundable within sixty days of the investment from the IRS, with no cap under the new bill for either commercial or residential use. This would be an obvious attraction to millions of land and home owners for the purchase of solar powered buildings, solar garages and solar privacy fences made of the solar building material. Also, use of the solar building material for desalination of salt water provides substantial advancement for the generation of fresh water supplies with the nation, with high market value mineral salts being a productive by-product of the solar process.

The advancement in technology disclosed herein is a breakthrough in the making of a green building envelope that seamlessly incorporates the necessary aesthetics, functionality, and level power production to make a significant, rapid penetration into the residential housing market, most notable impact being in the U.S., as well as dramatically increase the representative U.S. share of power-producing solar renewable energy devices against other countries. Site preparation labor and materials, the general home or business construction/renovation labor and materials, and the labor and materials required for integration of the panels into the structure framework or roof will all provide stimulus to the nations economic recovery.

Each and every implementation of construction solar power residential and commercial buildings using the solar building material of the present invention in the development of zero energy homes and businesses will provide reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that will serve to improve the projected goals in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and application of renewable energy sources through utilization of new and improved solar technology.

While there exist today individual green building materials such as insulation, siding and shingles, the solar building material of the present patent transcends the status of being a mere individual building product component, as it is, by itself, a green building envelope consisting of complete roof and load-bearing wall systems that substitute for conventional building envelope systems and even traditional construction approaches (e.g. both pre-manufactured systems, as contained in a pre-engineered metal building package or a pre-fabricated modular home, as well as conventional stud-built custom construction alike).

The solar building material of the present patent integrates two (2) major, high-growth components of the green movement i.e. solar renewable energy and sustainable green building design (LEED) with a long-time, mature staple of the global economy, the broader construction industry, which, in the U.S., accounts for 13.4% of the $13.2 trillion U.S. GDP (Source: Department of Commerce (2008). Annual Value of Construction Put in Place.) and where the solar building material is uniquely positioned to compete against more traditional building envelope systems, such as pre-fabricated systems, as contained in a pre-engineered metal building package or a modular or pre-fabricated home. This advancement in technology is a breakthrough in the fabrication of a green building envelope that seamlessly incorporates the necessary aesthetics, functionality, and level of power production to make a significant, rapid penetration into the residential housing market and commercial building market, with the most notable impact being in the U.S., as well as dramatically increase the representative U.S. share of power-producing solar renewable energy devices against other countries. Unlike the solar building material of the present patent, the earlier and current prior art products are very thick, often have exposed piping, etc. and must be mounted with out-of-place brackets on top of existing roofs that has the potential to damage roofs.

The CSP building material of the present patent provides the long-awaited advancement in solar renewable technology, much better meeting the needs of the green building industry - and the broader construction industry - most notably the residential housing markets in the U.S., in terms of seamless aesthetics that integrate the solar renewable energy production and energy efficiencies into the green building envelope, as well as major increases in both the level of power production and related cost-effectiveness against current alternatives.

The CSP building material of the present patent is a unique substitute for and completely transcends the common solar panel, a device which is used for the conversion of solar energy into other forms of energies like electricity, heat or light. Solar panels have long been used as the best alternative for power generation in various sectors: commercial, industrial, utility sectors, etc. Still, owing to its limitations in functionality, relatively high cost versus other renewable energy technologies, and aesthetics, the adoption of traditional solar technology has been relatively slow in the residential sector. The CSP building material of the present patent brings the long-awaited advancement in solar renewable technology, much better meeting the needs of the residential housing markets in terms of aesthetics as well as functionality and affordability and can be seamlessly integrated into building designs:

Financial benefits of integrating the solar thermal building material into buildings and building sites include:

• Capital investment savings and shorter payback periods. The solar thermal building

material is by itself a green building envelope that produces electricity, but it also doubles as a complete roof system, wall system, and HVAC system (heating and AJC) that eliminates the need for and therefore the expense of conventional wall and roof systems and thereby generating savings on initial construction costs as compared with e.g. the more traditional alternative of adding the currently available roof-mounted solar PV panels to a conventionally built structure. • More effective land use. The power generation of the solar thermal building material brings an additional revenue stream in the form of electricity charges to land and building owners who are generally limited to rent, or in the case of today's struggling real estate market, brings electricity charges to presently vacant real estate producing $0.00 rent. In addition, the seamless integration into the building design uses less land area than e.g. a traditional solar power plant of today.

• Rapid deployment as compared with other renewable energy applications. The solar thermal building material is a complete green building envelope and has many more practical uses than e.g. a roof-mounted solar PV panel, as it is a direct substitute for traditional roof and wall systems, as well as conventional heating and air conditioning systems, raising its demand beyond mere power production within a large industry (construction market 13.4% of the U.S. GDP).

• Power produced at point of use - distributed power. Higher efficiency and lower cost as compared with wheeling power to a buyer located e.g. out-of-state. Also, user of the power can realize the investment tax credits and production tax credits, as well as the revenues and/or savings associated with producing power at the point of use.

• Elimination of certain electrical transmission issues. Transmission lines already run to all buildings. This avoids or significantly reduces the need for additional infrastructure costs and/or extra governmental permitting necessary for extending miles of transmission lines, in order to interconnect with the grid. Many new solar renewable power plants located in remote areas must deal with such issues.

The solar thermal building material is by itself a green building envelope consisting of complete roof and wall systems and features solar renewable energy, sustainable building design, and structural integrity. The following tenets of the value proposition for the solar thermal building material support the case for a one-of-a-kind breakthrough:

1. Green, Pre-Fabricated Building. While there exist today individual green building

materials such as insulation, siding and shingles, the solar thermal building material transcends the status of being a mere individual building product component, as it is, by itself, a green building envelope consisting of complete roof and load-bearing wall systems that substitute for conventional building envelope systems and even traditional construction approaches (e.g. both pre-manufactured systems, as contained in a pre- engineered metal building package or a pre-fabricated modular home, as well as conventional stud-built custom construction alike).

2. Unique Positioning within Both High-growth and Large, Mature Markets. The unique positioning integrates two (2) major, high-growth components of the green movement i.e. solar renewable energy, with the potential to double the output of the solar thermal building material using Hunt's geothermal technology as previously presented, and sustainable green building design (LEED) with a long-time, mature staple of the global economy, the broader construction industry, which, in the U.S., accounts for 13.4% of the $14.6 trillion U.S. GDP (2010) and where the solar thermal building material is uniquely positioned to compete against more traditional building envelope systems, such as prefabricated systems, as contained in a pre-engineered metal building package or a modular or pre-fabricated home.

3. Breakthrough in Module Aesthetics and Building Energy System Integration. The solar thermal building material launches the long-awaited advancement in solar renewable technology, much better meeting the needs of the green building industry - and the broader construction industry - most notably the commercial real estate and residential housing markets in the U.S., in terms of seamless aesthetics that integrate the solar renewable energy production and energy efficiencies into the green building envelope, as well as major increases in both the level of power production and related cost- effectiveness.

4. Outreach potential. The solar thermal building material is designed to be portable and integrated into our everyday buildings e.g. our homes, schools, offices, factories, theatres, parking facilities, and therefore is much better equipped than current solar technologies to reach into and affect the everyday lives of more people.

Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 describes the clear material that is divided into three distinct sealed sections that each form linear channels and each of these channels extend in a circular manner around the entire circumference of the building structure having a flow of either air or water with passage through the roof, through the walls, and through the flooring so that the entire interior space of the building is enclosed and is temperature controlled by indirect radiant heating and cooling provided by the building's envelope.

The hot air channel is the triangular shaped outer layer that forms the exterior of the building in direct contract with the atmosphere on to which solar radiation directly falls that is used to provide solar heated air for space heating purposes. Air is withdrawn from the building, passes through the hot air channel to be heated and then flows back into the building with no direct contact to the outside. Alternatively, the hot air channel may be used as an active negative pressure vacuum insulation channel to prevent heat loss from the building to the outside in extreme cold conditions during which there is no solar radiation available to provide heat; and,

The hot water channel is the focal point of the concentrating solar power building material that receives the intensified solar radiation, providing a high temperature range to the water used to heat the water to near the boiling point in order to provide mass thermal solar energy storage in bodies of hot water that is stored in insulated tanks or pipes. This hot water supply is also useful for solar thermal electrical power generation; and, because the hot water channel is the focal point of the concentrated solar radiation that is focused onto the outside perimeter of the hot air channel within the hot air channel, linear strips of high-gain photovoltaic (PV) modules may be placed in front of this wall within the hot air channel in order to generate DC electrical power at its lowest costs in regard to PV power generation as the radiation is concentrated onto high-gain PV modules and far fewer modules are needed in the process. This the current state-of-the-art in PV power generation and is the lowest costs means available in order to accomplish PV produced electrical power. The outer wall of the hot water channel is in indirect heat exchange contact with the PV modules and water within the hot water channel receives heat indirectly through the wall and through the high-gain strip of PV modules, which are cooled by the process that makes them perform more efficiently.

The evaporative cooling channel is a closed-loop evaporative cooling system that uses active pressure control in order to control the evaporation of water that takes place within dry air.

Passive cooling is accomplished without the need of a conventional prior art air conditioner compressor or of conventional prior art environmentally harmful refrigerants. Only natural air and water are used as working fluids within the process. To enhance the evaporation process and thereby increase the amount of cooling provided by the process, air is dried by desiccant drying passive means before entering the evaporator.

All new incoming air into either the evaporative cooling channel or into the building is also dried by desiccant drying in order to control the humidity level within the building; and, a fresh water supply is created by the process from water vapor that is contained in ambient air. An active vacuum negative pressure is used to produce cooling more efficiently because water evaporates more readily at lower pressure; or, alternatively, for heating purposes, positive pressure may be applied that will prevent evaporation (which stops or slows down the cooling process) in order to increase the temperature of the water that is allowed to heat up to provide indirect radiant heating for the interior space of the building as its interior walls, roof and floors heat up. The evaporative cooling channel is the direct interface with the interior of the building and therefore heating or cooling is imparted via radiation to the building's interior from the evaporative cooling channel that may alternately be a heating channel when positive pressure is used and solar radiation is available. The building's temperature control is the pressure regulator for the evaporative cooling channel. Lower pressure is used to induce evaporation with resultant cooling of the water within the channel and higher pressure is used to facilitate solar heating of the water within the channel. In this manner, active negative and positive pressure control helps to maintain an optimum room temperature within the building via indirect radiant space conditioning.

Figure 2. describes the extruded interlocked clear polycarbonate translucent CSP building material. The concentrating solar power building material disclosed in the present patent application is produced using a specially formulated UV resistant clear polycarbonate material that is extruded into modular sections of various lengths that are interlocked and bonded together to form waterproof, sealed roofs and walls. Any number of sections may be connected together to attain the desired width. Lengths possibly extending to sixty feet (60') or greater are manufactured for large surface area applications. Figure 3 describes a detail section of a building frame consisting of support columns attached to a slab foundation with roof ceiling trusses to which the concentrating solar building material is attached in order to produce a renewable energy generating building structure.

Figure 4 describes a newly innovated single piece design that is more easily manufactured than the more complex extrusion profile shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2. In the embodiment the elongated triangular hollow pyramid shape is constructed by assembling a number of pieces together and is not extruded in one section as is shown in Figure 1 and in Figure 2. However, the most important feature of this design maintains a seamless valley that prevents water leaks in order to create a watertight structure. Two attachment tabs connect two or more of this design together as more fully shown in Figure 5 with the left side attachment tab "A" being underneath attachment tab "B" that overlaps it. A double sided mirrored surface is to the left of the drawing in order to reflect solar radiation into the clear glass panel on the right side of the single piece.

Figure 5 is a three dimensional rendering of an assembly of two sections of the single piece design that shows the left tab "A" being overlapped by the right tab "B" with screws holding the two sections together that are also glue bonded or plastic welded. The sections are mounted onto a base comprising two sheets of clear polycarbonate that have interior strengthening walls that is shown in greater detail in Figure 7. This dual base is mounted onto a structural I-beam frame. A clear vertical vented support wall is attached to the frame and to the dual base plates and extends upward to the point of attachment of the tabs of the two sections so that there is a high strength connection of the two sections to the base plates and to the frame to tie the sections and frame securely together.

Solar radiation is shown being reflected by the mirrored surface on the right into the clear section on the right into the interior of the hollow triangular shape and is being further reflected by interior mirrored surfaces to a focal point with the left interior of the triangular shape. A thermal fluid such as water flows through an absorber at the focal point and the solar thermal energy conducts through the walls of the absorber into the thermal fluid that absorbs the solar heat.

Figure 6 shows a three dimensional overview rendering featuring a series of the congruent triangular shaped sections assembled together to make a structural roof or structural wall mounted onto a structural I-beam frame capable of generating solar concentrating PV power or concentrating solar thermal power and capable of creating a watertight enclosed building structure.

Figure 7 is a close-up detail of the corner of the assembly shown in Figure 6 in which the dual base plate can be seen in greater detail that shows the upper base plate having the interior support walls running in the Y- Axis direction and the lower base plate having the interior support walls running in the X- Axis direction. Much of the strength of the solar thermal building material is created by the two (2) sheets of polycarbonate that form the base. The drawing shows a sheet of clear polycarbonate lying in an Y- Axis direction on a first plane that is laminated to the top of a second sheet of clear polycarbonate material running in the X- Axis direction on a second plane. They must exist on two separate planes in order to create strong support walls for the entire length of the sheets. Each sheet strengthens the other in such a manner that excellent rigidity is achieved due to this "matrix" layout. If the X- Axis base plate and the Y- Axis plate are put into a single plane, then either the interior walls of the X- Axis base plate or the interior walls of the Y- Axis base plate must be broken into small segments and they are substantially weakened and their strength drops substantially. The two sheets along with the clear support wall are securely bolted to structural I-Beams to complete the assembly of the solar building material.

Figure 8 is an actual photograph of the three dimensional rendering of Figure 6 and Figure 7 being an actual operating small prototype that was manufactured by thermoforming, heating and bending a sheet of clear polycarbonate material that was mounted on dual base plates of clear polycarbonate having interior support walls as described in Figure 7 being attached to a structural I-beam.

Figure 9 is an embodiment of the present invention that uses Fresnel lenses to concentrate the sunlight onto a focal point. A single piece section is also used in this design with an overlapping means of creating a watertight assembly. The design is slightly modified and several other optional one piece designs are shown in the detail drawing to the bottom left of the drawing. This embodiment lends itself to being mounted in any position more readily than other embodiments shown herein due the way a Fresnel lens works that refracts light instead of reflecting light in the manner of a mirror. Light that is refracted is turned as it passes from one material to another. The sunlight is thereby bent or refracted as it passes from the air into the glass or plastic material from which the Fresnel lens is constructed. The steeper the angle of the direction of the light to the surface of the lens the greater the effect of bending, which allows light coming from steep angles to be refracted onto a focal point having an absorber more efficiently that can be accomplished using mirrors that reflect as they must be aimed precisely in order to work.

In the drawing it can be readily seen how light coming from differing angles is directed to the focal points by the Fresnel lens in a very efficient manner in the three positions in which the lens are mounted; horizontal, at a 45 degree angle to the horizon and vertical being 90 degrees to the horizon. The drawing also demonstrates that light changes its angle incident to the horizon in response to seasonal changes being at a high near 45 degree angle in regard to the horizon during the Summer months and being at a much lower angle to near 32 degrees in regard to the horizon during the Winter months in the Northern hemisphere. The Fresnel lenses capture and focuss the light and concentrates the solar radiation to the focal quite well during these seasonal changes in light direction.

The concentrated sunlight is directed to the focal point having an absorber in order to produce a high temperature thermal fluid within the absorber and is concentrated onto high-gain PV modules on the exterior of the absorber in order to generate DC electrical power. Heat radiated off the outer walls of the modules and absorber is harnessed by a flow of air through the enclosed space surrounding the absorber within the interior of the triangular shaped sections. The temperature at the focal point can be controlled by the physical dimensions of the Fresnel lenses with larger size Fresnel units being used to concentrate sunlight to higher temperatures.

Claims

Claims

1. A solar thermal energy concentrating building material capable of providing a high

strength green building envelope for buildings and other structures being capable of constructing waterproof enclosed space and being capable of generating concentrating solar power is hereby claimed comprising; a triangular shaped elongated hollow section or panel forming an elongated hollow triangular pyramid having three edges, sides or legs that form high strength structural wall components and structural roof components by connecting a series of the congruent triangular shaped elongated sections together by suitable watertight fastener means being capable of being mounted onto a suitable structural framework with each hollow section being translucent to sunlight on a least one side of the triangle with this clear side directed toward the incoming solar radiation at an approximate ninety degree angle incident to the sunlight with each triangle having a mirrored surface on at least one side or having a Fresnel Lens on at least one side with solar radiation being either reflected by mirrors through the translucent side or being refracted into the interior by a Fresnel lens being the translucent side or both in order to concentrate sunlight into the hollow interior of the section to an elongated linear fixed focal point onto a strip of high gain photovoltaic (PV) modules that receive the concentrated solar radiation in order to generate DC electrical power with fewer modules being needed and / or onto an elongated fixed focal point in the interior of the panel having a linear absorber capable of receiving and absorbing solar radiation in order to generate concentrating solar thermal power by concentrating the sunlight to two times or greater than its normal intensity with the concentrated energy being transferred through the absorber to an internal thermal fluid capable of heat transfer in order to provide a heat source for a thermal power cycle, such as the Rankine, Sterling or Ericcson power cycles with the production of useful solar heat for space heating, cooling, water heating, cooking, clothes drying, water desalination and of producing natural lighting for the interior space within the building produced by the solar building material during periods of sunlight; the solar building material being a means of fabricating a green building envelope consisting of complete roof and wall systems being capable of generating solar renewable energy in order to support sustainable building design and structural integrity; being a green building envelope consisting of complete load-bearing roof and wall systems that provide an improved substitute for conventional prior art building envelope systems, such as metal siding, wood, and composite material wall board; being readily applicable to traditional construction approaches such as pre-manufactured building systems, pre-engineered metal frame building packages, manufactured homes, as well as stud-built custom construction; being a substantial improvement as compared to convention building construction in its ability to generate renewable energy solar power, ability to provide energy savings, and its ability to withstand extremes of wind force, such as wind storms, hurricanes and tornadoes due to the high strength design of the solar building material.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising; extruded clear translucent polycarbonate

triangular shaped elongated sections being a high strength elongated triangular hollow pyramid shaped, highly insulating building material that is extruded to various lengths with sections of the material being interlocked together by overlapping sections on sloped roofs in the same manner as shingles overlap with a portion of one panel being appended over the top of the lower panel or by plastic welding means as contact welding and friction welding or use a of fiber reinforced clear adhesive tape being applied over the top of the entire roof or a combination of these methods of attachment and other means of attachment in order to serve as contiguous structural load-bearing watertight roofs and walls being capable of being used as a solar thermal energy concentrating building material capable of providing a green building envelope.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising; clear polycarbonate, clear acrylic, tempered glass or other clear high strength clear material substances being capable of withstanding high temperatures and being UV resistant being the material from which the clear solar building material triangular shaped structural elongated sections are manufactured in order to allow natural light transmission into the interior of enclosed space formed within buildings constructed from the solar building material.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising; components of the solar building material other than the clear leg being constructed of opaque materials that do not allow light transmission into the building, such as metals like aluminum, steel, copper or composite materials like fiberglass, carbon fiber, or Kevlar that may be pultruded to a specific elongated shape having high tensile strength fibers under tension that provide greater strength or any combination of materials such as PVC, wood or any other substances that may be formed by suitable means into the desired specific elongated linear shape, including any and all organic and inorganic substances.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising; a series of congruent triangular elongated shapes having specific vertices with the clear side or alternatively a Fresnel lens being at an approximate 45 degree angle to the horizon and an approximate 90 degree angle to the incident sunlight in order to optimize the amount of ambient sunlight that passes through the clear side and with the adjacent vertices of an exterior mirrored side being at a 27 to 32 degree angle to the horizon in order to reflect low angle sunlight toward the clear side with the sunlight being further reflected by interior mirrored surfaces or alternatively being further refracted by the Fresnel Lens to an elongated beam toward the rear vertices of the triangular shaped hollow panel in order to further concentrate sunlight onto an elongated strip of PV modules or onto an absorber located within the interior of the elongated pyramid shaped hollow panels in order to generate concentrated solar thermal power or both with the PV modules appended to the absorber.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising; a mirrored film being applied to the surfaces of the solar building material in order to produce reflective surfaces in order to direct solar radiation to a focal point having an absorber.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising; a mirrored metal particle surface being

sprayed directly onto the polycarbonate material or other material by vacuum sputtering deposition means or other suitable technology as part of the initial manufacturing process of the solar building material to produce reflective surfaces in order to direct solar radiation to a focal point having an absorber.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising; a reflective metal surface being used in order to produce reflective surfaces in order to direct solar radiation to a focal point having an absorber.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising; the congruent triangular shaped elongated structural solar building material panels being interlocked together by mating male and female fastener means or other suitable joining means in order to firmly connect the panels together to form waterproof structural roofs and walls.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising; sealed heat pipes containing a phase changing working fluid to effect latent heat transfer of large quantities of heat to a suitable thermal fluid used to provide a heat source for a thermal power cycle unit in order to generate concentrated solar thermal power by thermal energy produced within the solar building material.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising; linear strips of high-gain photovoltaic (PV) modules being appended onto the front wall of the absorber wherein the thermal fluid within the absorber is in indirect heat exchange contact with the PV modules and whereby the thermal fluid receives heat conducted through the strip of PV modules and through the outer wall of the absorber with cooling being provided to the PV modules by the flow of thermal fluid within the absorber causing the PV modules to perform more efficiently in response to the heat thereby removed and with the removed heat being used to power the concentrating solar thermal power cycle.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising; a series of round or square Fresnel lens or an elongated rectangular linear Fresnel lens being the clear elongated leg of the triangular shaped panels or in front of a clear side in order to further focus the concentrated sunlight directed by reflection of the exterior mirrors to the Fresnel lens that refracts the light in order to change its direction in order to focuses an intense beam of solar radiation onto a strip of high intensity PV modules to produce DC electrical current, onto a heat pipe absorber containing a phase changing working fluid for heat transfer, onto a pipe absorber with an internal flow of water or onto other thermal fluids capable of heat transfer in order to generate concentrated thermal solar power by suitable power cycle means.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising; a linear Fresnel lens in front of the clear leg of the triangular shaped solar building material panel mounted onto a suitable motorized tracking device capable of following the direction of the sun as it moves across the sky; being capable of refracting and concentrating sunlight onto a linear absorber located at the axis of the tracker in order to generate more solar power than can be generated by the fixed solar concentrator as claimed in claim 1.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising; silica aerogel being appended to the solar building material panels as a means of providing a thermal insulation material that allows light to transmit through the material into the interior space of buildings constructed from the solar building material.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising; silica aerogel being appended underneath the absorber in order to provide thermal insulation to isolate the solar radiation receiving hot absorber from the remainder of the triangular shaped solar building material section while allowing light transmission through the silica aerogel material.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising; an active vacuum being applied to the interior space or spaces of the solar building material panels as a means of providing thermal insulation that allows light to transmit through the material into the interior space of a building constructed from the solar building material.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising; water cooled by evaporation flowing through the interior spaces in the solar building material panels being used as a means of providing thermal insulation in order to prevent heat buildup that allows light to transmit through the clear liquid into the interior enclosed space formed by construction of a building using the solar building material and to cool the enclosed space by radiation of the cool temperature provided by the cool water into the space.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising; space heating and fresh air ventilation of space formed by construction of buildings using the solar building material being provided by fresh air being withdrawn from outside and being dried by liquid or dry desiccant materials that absorb water vapor from the air in order to control the humidity level of the incoming air into the building or partially re-circulated with the air passing through the hot interior of the triangular shaped solar building material panels in order to increase the temperature of the air before it flows into the enclosed space formed by construction of a building structure using the solar building material in order to provide space heating and to provide heated fresh air for proper ventilation and humidity control of the interior enclosed space with the air being dried in order to prevent moisture related problems such as corrosion, mold, and mildew, respiratory and maintenance of good health that make air feel cooler by removing moisture that provides the benefits of dehumidification, savings through reduced refrigeration through reduced latent loads, reduced building maintenance, eliminates fungal amplification in ductwork, increased comfort, and allows increased ventilation, increases the useful life of carpets and furniture that are damaged by the presence of high moisture levels, reduced health risks associated with air-borne infectious agents, decreased levels of indoor CO2, and lower energy costs being attained; with the production of fresh water being accomplished via water derived from water vapor in ambient air being removed from the desiccant material via solar heating that releases the water vapor that is cooled and condensed to liquid phase water.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising; freezing, refrigeration and cooling being

produced by absorption cooling technology that converts heat into cooling being powered by concentrated solar heat produced by the solar building material.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising; temperature controlled water flowing through interior spaces in the solar building material panels being used as a means to heat and to cool space constructed of the solar building material panels by direct radiation of the either hot temperature or the cool temperature of the interior surface of the solar building material as a result of the temperature controlled water adjacent to the constructed space that radiates its present temperature around the entire circumference of the building structure into the space in order to control the temperature of the formed space by heating and cooling being radiated through the roof, through the walls, and through the flooring so that the entire interior space of the building is temperature controlled by indirect radiant heating and cooling provided by the building's envelope.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising; an active vacuum being applied to the interior space or spaces of the solar building material panels containing water as a means of evaporation in response to reduced pressure with the evaporation causing the temperature of the water to decrease in order to provide water being cooled by passive evaporative cooling without the need of a conventional prior art air conditioner compressor or the use of environmentally harmful refrigerants with only natural air and water being used as the working fluids to cool the water that radiates cooling into the enclosed space formed by the solar building material and provides thermal mass energy storage to provide cooling for space conditioning after the sun sets.

22. The method of claim 1 further comprising; positive pressure greater than atmospheric pressure being applied to the interior space or spaces of the solar building material panels containing water as a means of causing the temperature of the water to increase in response to increased pressure in order to provide heated water that radiates heat into the enclosed space formed by the solar building material and provides thermal mass energy storage to provide heat for space conditioning after the sun sets.

23. The method of claim 1 further comprising; the temperature of the concentrated solar radiation that is received by the absorber being controlled by the specific size of the triangular shaped solar building material panels with a smaller cubic area and lesser linear distance of solar concentration having a lower temperature and with greater cubic area and greater linear distance of solar concentration having a higher temperature with the peak of the solar building material panels being linearly 12 inches apart thereby concentrating 12 inches of sunlight to a one inch wide linear absorber producing a concentrated solar radiation temperature of approximately 200 degrees F. being 12 suns of concentration with the temperature being adjustable according to the size of the triangular shaped sections and the corresponding linear distance of solar concentration of the solar building material panels.

24. The method of claim 1 further comprising; an air cycle heating and cooling system being used to provide space air conditioning for the space formed by an enclosed structure built using the solar building material with hot air being withdrawn from the interior of the hollow triangular shaped panels heat and being compressed by an air compressor that results in high temperature heat-of-compression being created in response to the compression and the heat being rejected to the power cycle or being used to provide space heating and the cooled compressed air being expanded that results in a substantial drop in temperature of the air in response to expansion in order to provide cold air for space conditioning and as source of cooling for heat rejection for a power cycle.

25. The method of claim 1 further comprising; an active vacuum being applied to the interior space or spaces of the solar building material panels containing water as a means of causing evaporation of the water in response to lowered pressure in order to provide evaporative cooling that radiates into the enclosed space formed by the solar building material and provides thermal mass energy storage to provide cooling for space conditioning after the sun sets.

26. The method of claim 1 further comprising; a sealed casing extending linearly over

substantial distance into the earth either vertically or horizontally into which a liquid thermal fluid or phase changing thermal fluid heated by concentrated solar thermal energy produced by the triangular shaped solar building material elongated panels is circulated as a means of solar thermal energy storage in the rocks, sand, and ground water of the subsurface geology surrounding the sealed casing in order to store solar heat to generate power and for other heating purposes after the sun sets and no solar radiation is being received.

27. The method of claim 1 further comprising; space cooling and water cooling being

produced by evaporation of water driven being by solar heat produced by the solar building material.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein the solar building material panels are extruded material or pultruded material with linear fibers as a method of manufacturing.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein the solar building material panels are thermoformed or vacuum thermoformed as a method of manufacturing.

30. The method of claim 1 wherein the solar building material panels are molded, blow- molded, injection molded or molded by other means as a method of manufacturing.

31. The method of claim 1 further comprising; the solar building material being used to cover parking lots being capable of reducing the heat island effect caused by paved parking lots via conversion of excess heat that is disturbing to the environment being beneficially converted into electrical power.

32. The method of claim 1 further comprising; a structural base plate with a mirrored upper surface mounted onto a suitable structural framework; and, a series of elongated "V" shaped clear panels being mirrored on one leg of the "V" and being clear on the opposite leg of the "V" with the clear side directed toward the sunlight; the panels being coupled to each other and coupled to the base plate with the assembly forming a series of hollow triangular shapes; being a hollow triangular shaped elongated structural solar building material capable of providing structural walls and roofs for buildings and other structures by connecting a series of the congruent triangular shaped elongated sections together by suitable watertight fastener means and being capable of concentrating sunlight to a focal point within the hollow interior of each triangular shaped panel.

33. The method of claim 32 further comprising; an overlapping extension appended to one leg of the "V" shape that overlaps the adjacent panel in order to interlock the elongated panels together and to seal the panels against water leakage.

34. The method of claim 32 further comprising; the "V" shape being one piece seem-less construction in order to seal against water leakage at the valley of the panel being the lowest part of the panel where water will accumulate.

35. The method of claim 32 further comprising; a series of elongated clear structural "L" shaped support members coupled to the base plate positioned approximately 90 degrees perpendicular to the base plate and spaced parallel to each other at intervals with the series of elongated "V" shaped clear panels being coupled to a support member at each end with the assembly forming a series of elongated triangular shapes.

36. The method of claim 32 further comprising; a clear base plate in order to allow ambient lighting into the interior of a structure formed.

37. The method of claim 32 further comprising; a clear base plate having a series of vertical walls running the entire length of the plate in order to further strengthening the base plate.

38. The method of claim 32 further comprising; dual base plates with vertical support walls running the entire length of each base plate with the strengthening vertical walls on the first base plate running in the X direction and the strengthening vertical walls on the second base plate running in the Y direction with each base plate being on a separate plane in order to produce substantial additional rigidity, tensile strength, compressive strength and shear strength as well as impact resistance being capable of being used as the principal structural members of the building due to the high strength of dual base plates with significant reinforcement and strengthening being created by the support walls extending in both the X and the Y directions on two separate planes.

39. The method of claim 1 further comprising; buildings constructed of the solar building material being capable of providing all of their power needs, space conditioning needs and of providing substantial power to the national electrical grid.

40. The method of claim 1 further comprising; the solar building material of a building

constructed using the solar material being the building's exterior envelope, its interior envelope, its structural roof, and its structural walls that are attached to its foundation such that only a structural frame in order to mount the solar building material onto is needed in order to construct an enclosed building structure.

41. The method of claim 1 further comprising; a building being constructed using the solar material being a substantial improvement as compared to convention building

construction in its ability to withstand extremes of wind force, such as wind storms, hurricanes and tornadoes due to the very high strength of the solar building material.

42. The method of claim 1 further comprising; the solar building material being

manufactured using recycled materials.

43. The method of claim 1 wherein the mirrored film being applied to the surface of the solar building material causes reflection of the solar radiation away from the solar building material, such as polycarbonate or acrylic, that results in prolonging the life of the material.

44. The method of claim 1 wherein converting heat into useful energy for power and for heating purposes via the solar building material results in subsequent removal of heat along with harmful UV radiation that significantly reduces the heat load on buildings constructed using the solar building material and further extends the life of the buildings.

45. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrical power demand of buildings constructed of the solar building material is lowered in response to the low power demand because of the high insulation value of the solar building material and because most of power consumed by the building generally is for heating and cooling.

46. The method of claim 1 wherein the solar building material provides an advancement in technology in the making of a green building envelope that seamlessly incorporates the necessary aesthetics, functionality, and level of power production to make a significant, rapid penetration into the residential and commercial building markets.

47. The method of claim 1 comprising; a PLC unit being used to control building constructed of the solar building material that assesses numerous inputs and then correlate all of the data into a coordinated building control mechanism that optimizes the performance of the building, in regard to space conditioning, inhabitant comfort, efficient energy utilization, water consumption, lighting control, and other parameters measured and used in regard to operation of the solar powered building of the present invention.