Solar concentrator configuration with improved manufacturability and efficiency

摘要

A solar concentrator comprises a pair of concentric reflectors having a spindle toroid geometry for focusing the collected solar radiation into a ring-shaped focal area, as opposed to the“point”or“line”focus of prior art configurations. In a preferred embodiment, each reflector is formed of a plurality of curved petals that are disposed in a contiguous, keystone arrangement that requires no additional fixturing to hold the petals in place. Such an arrangement reduces the weight, complexity and cost of the final solar concentrator structure.