WO2014126453A1

WO2014126453A1 - Outdoor light harnessing renewable energy

Info

Publication number: WO2014126453A1
Application number: PCT/MY2014/000014
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wen Tong Chong; Yuen Yoke KONG
Original assignee: Universiti Malaya
Current assignee: Universiti Malaya
Priority date: 2013-02-13
Filing date: 2014-02-11
Publication date: 2014-08-21
Anticipated expiration: 2015-08-13
Also published as: MY166711A

Abstract

An outdoor light [10] to harness solar and wind energy is described. The street light [10], comprises a pole [12], and a light source [14] fitted at the top part of the pole [12], characterized in that, a reflecting cover [16] shrouds the light source [14] and top part of the pole [12], said reflecting cover [16] is provided with solar panel [18] on top. A vertical axis wind turbine [20] is adapted between the reflecting cover [16] and solar panel [18]. The wind turbine [20] comprises of a power augmentation guide vane [21] having guide vanes [22], an upper wall duct [24] and lower wall duct [26] inclined at an angle of 10 degrees to 80 degrees from the centre axis, said upper wall duct [24] is flared upwards and lower wall duct [26] is flared downwards.

Description

OUTDOOR LIGHT HARNESSING RENEWABLE ENERGY

The present invention relates generally to a device with light source, more particularly to the use of renewable energy for providing power to a device with light source for illuminating a street, road, park, garden, compound, outdoor car park lot and other outdoor use.

BACKGROUND ART Outdoor street light is a raised source of light on a road which is turned on at certain time every night. Most street lighting uses high intensity discharge lamps, often high pressure sodium lamps. Some country uses scotopic and photopic light. It is usually provided with power from an electrical grid. LED light is also adopted as the latest light source for street light.

Renewable energy is another option for powering street light. A solar panel can be fitted and used to provide power to a street light. Various attempts have been made to provide renewable energy to a street light. Development in LED light, which requires minimal power supply compared to high intensity discharge lamps, has renewed much interest in using LED as street light. LED light and solar panel is a good combination.

CN 101782212 teaches a street illuminating device, comprises a solar panel bracket, a reflecting mirror, and a vertical axis wind turbine. The solar panel bracket is slanted at an angle with revolving structure around its vertical axis to form a flared opening. The wind turbine is added and shares the same axis as the solar panel bracket.

CN 202253322 discloses a rotary bucket wind turbine and solar panel structure for street light. The rotary bucket wind turbine rotates around a vertical axis. A wind wheel, which is formed by the streamline wind scoops on the outer side of the porous rim, rotates under the action of wind so as to generate a torsional force for driving the maglev generator to generate power.

Both disclosures include a wind turbine, in addition to a solar panel to power a street light. Some regions have variable low wind speed or low sunshine. It is desirable to provide a more efficient and practical renewable power generation. It is also desirable to have a hybrid wind, solar and rain harvester which can be installed on a street light. This gives rise to further research and development to improve street light.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The proposed invention is designed to utilize renewable energy to provide power to outdoor light. The outdoor light comprises a pole, a light source fitted at the top part of the pole, characterized in that a reflecting cover shrouds the light source and top part of the pole, said cover. A solar panel is provided on top.

The reflecting cover provides a surface to reflect light. The cover may be adapted to the shape of an elliptic paraboloid surface. The cover may also be adapted to the shape of a pan plate. The street light can be adapted to be fitted with a vertical axis wind turbine between reflecting cover and solar panel. The wind turbine may comprise a power augmentation guide vane, wherein the guide vane has an upper wall duct and lower wall duct inclined at an angle of 10 degrees to 80 degrees from the centre axis. The guide vane is adapted to create a venture effect to increase the speed of wind entering the wind turbine to harvest more wind energy.

The light source of the street lamp is preferably LED lamp. A battery is adapted to store energy. An electrical status monitoring and control system to monitor electricity generation, control the charging of battery and control the switching of wind solar supply, can also be adapted in the system.

The system is incorporated with solar panel, wind turbine and battery compartment. It can also be used to provide power to a grid line. In addition, rain water collection feature is built in to the system. The rain water can be treated, stored and used for general purposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of an example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 illustrates a top, side and sectional view of an outdoor light, wherein a reflecting cover is adapted to the shape of an elliptic paraboloid surface, according to the invention; Fig. 2 illustrates a top, side and sectional view of the outdoor light, wherein the reflecting cover is adapted to the shape of a pan plate;

Fig. 3 illustrates a top, plan, side and sectional view of the outdoor light, wherein a wind turbine is adapted between the reflecting cover and solar panel;

Fig. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a guide vane and wall duct;

Fig. 5 illustrates a plan view of different guide vane embodiments; and Fig. 6 illustrates a side view of a street light with shade.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

A typical outdoor street light comprises of a pole and a light source fitted at the top part of the pole. Usually, two light sources are used to illuminate two different part of a street. The invention of street light [10] comprises, a pole [12] and a light source [14], is characterized in that a reflecting cover [16] shrouds the light source and top part of the pole. Multiple lamps can be adapted to be fitted on the top part of the pole, 2 to 30 meters above ground level. The reflecting cover [16] provides a surface to reflect light emitted from light source towards the street. The reflecting cover [16] is also provided with a solar panel [18] on top. The solar panel can be adapted to fill up the top part of reflecting cover, entirely. This embodiment provides a seamless integration of street light [10], reflecting cover [16] and solar panel [18]. In one embodiment of the street light [10], the reflecting cover [16] is adapted to the shape of an eliptic paraboloid surface, as shown in Fig. 1. The concave part of the reflecting cover [16] is fitted to face ground while the convex part of the reflecting cover is fitted to face sky. The concave part of the reflecting cover [16] provides a reflecting surface for light source to illuminate a street, park, or its surrounding. The convex part of the reflecting cover [16] is fitted with solar panel [18]. Person having ordinary skilled in the art can manipulate the solar panel to provide power to light source. In another embodiment of the street light, the reflecting cover [16] is adapted to the shape of a pan plate, as shown in Fig. 2. The inner part of the reflecting cover [16] is fitted to face ground while the outer part of the reflecting cover [16] is fitted to face sky. The inner part of the reflecting cover [16] provides a reflecting surface for light source to illuminate a street, park or its surrounding. The outer part of the reflecting cover [16] is fitted with solar panel [18].

The street light [10] can also be adapted to be fitted with a vertical axis wind turbine [20] between reflecting cover [16] and solar panel [18], as shown in Fig. 3. The wind turbine [20] has a power augmentation guide vane [21], The power augmentation guide vane [21] has multiple guide vanes [22], about two to twelve pieces; an upper wall duct [24]; and lower wall duct [26] inclined at an angle of 10 degrees to 80 degrees from the centre axis, said upper wall duct [24] is flared upwards and lower wall duct [26] is flared downwards. This arrangement of guide vanes and wall ducts creates a 3-dimentional venturi effect to increase the speed of wind entering the wind turbine to harvest more wind energy.

The proposed wind turbine [20] with the power augmentation guide vane [21] is a compact renewable energy system that overcomes inferior wind speed by guiding and increasing the speed of the high altitude wind through a fixed or yaw-able power augmentation guide vane [21], as shown in Fig. 4. The guide vane [22] introduces a novel design to guide the wind stream to a better angle of angle for wind turbine blades and create venturi effect to increase wind speed before the wind stream enters the wind turbine to harvest more wind energy. The guide vanes [22] can be adapted in the form of straight plate, curve plate or multiple straight segments plate with constant or variable thickness, as shown in Fig. 5.

The surfaces of upper wall duct [24], lower wall duct [26] and guide vanes [22] form a configuration to guide the wind stream to a better angle of angle for wind turbine blades and to speed up wind stream before entering the wind turbine at the center portion. The cross sectional area of the intake of power augmentation guide vane [21] is preferably two times or more than the cross sectional area of the exit of guide vane. The inclination angle of upper and lower duct wall is preferably 10 degrees to 80 degrees from the centre axis of the wind turbine. By inducting higher wind speed into wind turbine [20], smaller and lighter rotating parts of wind turbine can be used to create the same power output, which means lesser load on the bearing of turbines and reduced moment inertia for better starting behavior. Smaller parts will also result in lower cost design.

A solar panel [18] is strategically placed on top of the upper wall duct. The multi- sector arrangement of inclined solar panels, on top of upper wall duct, is inclined radially to harness solar energy from multiple angles of the sun. Power generated from wind turbine [20] and solar panel [18] is stored in a battery. When the wind turbine [20] is in operation, the solar panel [18] and reflecting cover [16] is static.

The upper wall duct [24] forms a collector for rain water flow towards the centre of the duct or through the power augmentation guide vane [21]. The inclined panels guide rain water through a rain water passage [28], which shares a centre axis as the wind turbine or through the power augmentation guide vane [21]. The water passage carries water [28] to a storage compartment [not shown]. A water mesh is fitted on top of rain water passage to filter foreign objects from entering the passage. The stored water can be treated, stored and used for general purpose. To minimize power consumption, LED lamp is adapted as the lamp source [14]. LED lamp can is also more durable than conventional lamp. A battery [not shown] is adapted to store energy generated from renewable energy. An electrical status monitoring and control system [not shown] can be adapted by person having ordinary skilled in the art to monitor the electricity generated, stored and consumed. The system can also control the charge of battery and switching between wind and solar power source. A closed circuit television [not shown] can also be adapted as part of the street light. A music player or radio [not shown] can also be adapted to be part of the outdoor light. The reflecting cover [16] can be coupled with a shade [30], as shown in Fig. 5. With the use of a shade, the street light can function as a car shade, bicycle shade or bus stop. The shade is extended from the reflecting cover.

It can be upscaled to a size like tower for illuminating larger area. Extra energy generated after fulfilling the lighting requirement can be used for other purposes. Accordingly, the invention discloses a wind, solar and rain harvester. It is the combination of the above features and its technical advantages give rise to the uniqueness of such invention. Although the descriptions above contain much specificity, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiment but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments.

Claims

1. An outdoor light [10] comprising:

a pole [12]; and

a light source [14] fitted at the top part of the pole [12];

characterized in that,

a reflecting cover [16] shrouds the light source and top part of the pole, said reflecting cover [16] is provided with solar panel [18] on top.

2. An outdoor light [10] according to claim 1 , wherein the reflecting cover [16] is adapted to the shape of an elliptic paraboloid surface.

3. An outdoor light [10] according to claim 1 , wherein the reflecting cover [16] is adapted to the shape of a pan plate.

4. An outdoor light [10] according to claim 1 , further comprising a vertical axis wind turbine [20] between reflecting cover [16] and solar panel [18].

5. An outdoor light [10] according to claim 1 , wherein the wind turbine [20] comprises:

a power augmentation guide vane [21];

wherein the power augmentation guide vane [21] has multiple guide vanes [22], an upper wall duct [24] and lower wall duct [26], said duct is inclined at an angle of 10 degrees to 80 degrees from the centre axis, said upper wall duct [24] is flared upwards and lower wall duct [26] is flared downwards;

whereby the guide vanes [22] guide the wind stream to a better angle of angle for wind turbine blades and creates a 3-dimentional venturi effect to increase the speed of wind entering the wind turbine [20] to harvest more wind energy.

6. An outdoor light [10] according to claim 5, wherein the number of guide vanes

[22] is between two to twelve pieces.

7. An outdoor light [10] according to claim 5, wherein the guide vanes [22] can be adapted in the form of straight plate, curve plate or multiple straight segments plate with constant or variable thickness.

8. An outdoor light [10] according to claim 1 , wherein the light source [14] is LED lamp.

9. An outdoor light [10] according to claim 1 , further comprising a battery to store energy.

10. An outdoor light [10] according to claim 1 , further comprising an electrical status monitoring and control system.

11. An outdoor light [10] according to claim 1 , further comprising a rain water passage [28] and storage compartment, wherein rain water flows form the upper wall duct [24] towards the rain water passage [28] and storage compartment.

12. An outdoor light [10] according to claim 1 , further comprising a shade [30] coupled to the reflecting cover [16].

13. An outdoor light [10] according to claim 1 , further comprising a closed circuit television.

14. An outdoor light [10] according to claim 1 , further comprising a music player.