Patent ID: 8546686

Claim:
A solar collector comprising a solar receiving device; and a truncated pyramidal structure, the truncated pyramidal structure having an entrance aperture of a first, larger area for accepting incoming collimated solar rays and an exit aperture of a second, smaller area for directing collected solar rays into the solar receiving device, a collector axis defined between the center of the entrance aperture and the center of the exit aperture, the truncated pyramidal structure further comprising a plurality of planar sidewalls disposed between said entrance aperture and said exit aperture and defining an inner cavity of said truncated pyramidal structure, each separate sidewall formed of a highly reflective material for creating multiple reflections of the solar rays within said inner cavity between said entrance aperture and said exit aperture, the plurality of sidewalls inwardly tapering between said entrance and exit apertures along said inner cavity, the taper defining an angle α with respect to the collector axis, where the truncated pyramidal structure is defined as having a length S sufficient to create multiple reflections of the incoming collimated solar rays, and where the areas of the entrance aperture L 2 and the area of exit aperture D 2 , taper angle α, 2.5°≦α≦15° and length S are defined in accordance with the relation S = ( L 2 - D 2 ) tan ⁢ ⁢ α to create multiple reflections of each solar ray and prevent reflection of the incoming collimated solar rays back through said entrance aperture and thus provide a desired collection efficiency A=(L/D) 2 , with 1.5≦L/D≦4 at α=15° and 1.5≦L/D≦50 at α=2.5°, the truncated pyramidal structure displaying a Buckminster-Fullerene-type solar image at the exit aperture.