Patent ID: 7807920

Claim:
A solar photovoltaic module, comprising: a housing including a base member having a generally planar support surface and two side walls projecting from said support surface; two side panels detachably connected to said side walls; and a top panel detachably connected to said side panels, said top panel including an array of concentrating lenses; an array of photovoltaic cells corresponding to said array of concentrating lenses and supported by said support surface; an array of light guides disposed between said array of concentrating lenses and said array of photovoltaic cells, each light guide having a top surface, wherein, said array of concentrating lenses and said corresponding light guides cooperate to direct light onto said photovoltaic cells; and at least one retaining member that interfaces to said top surfaces of said array of light guides and defines cut-out regions shaped to receive said top surfaces, said cut-out regions allowing light directed from said concentrating lenses to enter said top surfaces of said light guides for propagation through said light guides to said photovoltaic cells, wherein, said at least one retaining member applies a downward biasing force to said top surfaces of said light guides toward said array of photovoltaic cells to sandwich said array of light guides between said at least one retaining member and said array of photovoltaic cells such that said array of light guides maintain contact with said array of photovoltaic cells.