Patent ID: 8230851

Claim:
A solar power system for supplying concentrated solar energy, comprising: a collector; and a concentrator assembly comprising an array of two or more linear lenses and a set of optical wafers each having a planar body and each being paired with one of the linear lenses, wherein a first edge of the body of the optical wafers is supported in the concentrator assembly to be proximate to the array of linear lenses, wherein a second edge of the body of the optical wafers opposite the first edge is positioned proximate to the collector, wherein each of the linear lenses focuses received sunlight onto the first edge of the paired one of the optical wafers, whereby at least a portion of the focused sunlight is transmitted through the optical wafers to the collector via the second edges, wherein the collector comprises an absorber tube with a light-transmissive sidewall through which a volume of working fluid flows during operation of the solar power system, wherein the second edge of each of the bodies of the optical wafer is positioned about a circumference of the sidewall to target the portion of the focused sunlight into the working fluid, and wherein the concentrator assembly further comprises a sleeve extending along the length of the absorber tube and spaced apart a distance from an outer surface of the absorber tube, whereby the sleeve rotates about the absorber tube when the position of the lens array is adjusted to track a position of the Sun.