The Helio™ solar tracker is a mounting platform for solar cells and other solar collectors to improve their efficiency. A farm of modular Helio solar trackers can be wired together to supply the needs of a house or village.
The Helio is a hollow tube covered with a water absorbent material and which is supplied with water at its base. Capillary action draws water up the surface of the tube, filling the pores and expanding the covering. During the night, the entire surface of the tube becomes saturated causing the tube to expand slightly. In the morning, moisture on the sunny side evaporates, causing that side to shrink. The combination of the expanded wet side and shrunken dry causes the top surface to bend toward the sun, mimicking the action of the heliotrope and several other flowers. When a photo voltaic cell or other solar collector is mounted to the top surface of the Helio, its efficiency is optimized during the tracking period.
U.S. Pat. 7,799,987.
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ABOUT THE ENTRANT
- Name:Steve Hines
- Type of entry:individual
- Profession:
- Number of times previously entering contest:1
- Steve's favorite design and analysis tools:Oh, I see, this is about your compiling a marketing database so you can sell your software.
- For managing CAD data Steve's company uses:Strata Design 3D CX
- Steve's hobbies and activities:inventing, photography
- Steve belongs to these online communities:-
- Steve is inspired by:I wanted to offer an effective way to provide electrical energy in third-world countries. Rivers run night and day, unlike energy from photovoltaic panels and wind turbines.
- Software used for this entry:MacDraft, Strata 3D CX, Photoshop
- Patent status:patented