Patent ID: 7985920

Claim:
A solar collector comprising: a parabolic solar concentrator having a parabolic cross section with a first end, a second end, a midpoint between the first end and the second end, and a path of points of focus; a support beam having a length that spans across the first and the second ends of the concentrator; and a receiver support member movably attached to the support beam above the concentrator, the receiver support member comprising: a receiver at least loosely attached to the receiver support member, a plurality of photovoltaic cells, at least one of the cells facing a first direction and at least one other of the cells facing a second direction toward the concentrator different than the first direction, a motor that is operatively coupled to the receiver support member for the motor to move the support member along at least a portion of the length of the support beam, wherein the photovoltaic cells are electrically coupled to the motor to provide a signal to control the motor and to provide at least a portion of the power to drive the motor, and the receiver support member comprising a hook shaped portion having a first leg and a second leg that meet at a vertex facing toward the concentrator, wherein at least one of the photovoltaic cells is disposed on the first leg, at least another one of the photovoltaic cells is disposed on the second leg, and the receiver is disposed in a notch of the hook shaped portion.