High-concentration photovoltaic designs based on miniature parabolic dishes

A new approach for concentrating photovoltaic systems that can easily attain the maximum flux levels commensurate with solar cell technology (of the order of 1000 suns) is proposed. The collection unit is a miniature paraboloidal dish (e.g., with a diameter of order 100 mm) which concentrates sunlight into a short glass rod. The flux distribution of the transported light is homogenized in a miniature glass kaleidoscope that is optically coupled to a small high-efficiency solar cell. The cell resides behind the dish and can be cooled adequately with a passive heat sink. These nominally independent collection units can be assembled into modules and arrays that produce almost any prescribed power level. All system elements are predicated on existing technologies.