Patent ID: 8796535

Claim:
A thermal tracking system for a concentrating photovoltaic system comprising: a photovoltaic receiver extending in a longitudinal direction, the photovoltaic receiver comprising: a photovoltaic laminate having first and second edges extending parallel to the longitudinal direction, the photovoltaic receiver having a front side with a front surface, the front side directed to receive sunlight and a back side with a back surface, the back side opposite the front side, the photovoltaic laminate comprising a plurality of photovoltaic solar cells; a heat spreader coupled to the back side of the photovoltaic laminate along the longitudinal direction and extending toward the first and second edges of the photovoltaic laminate, the heat spreader stopping short of the first edge and the second edge; first and second thermal sensors coupled to and in direct contact with the back side of the photovoltaic laminate and disposed between the back side of the photovoltaic laminate and the heat spreader, the first thermal sensor closer to the first edge than the second edge, the second thermal sensor closer to the second edge than the first edge, the first and second thermal sensors adapted to sense a temperature of the photovoltaic laminate; and third and fourth thermal sensors coupled to the back surface of the photovoltaic laminate and adjacent the heat spreader, the third thermal sensor positioned between the first edge and the heat spreader, the fourth thermal sensor positioned between the second edge and the heat spreader.