Patent ID: 8474445

Claim:
A concentrating solar energy device comprising: (a) a fixed non-imaging primary mirror in the shape of a trough, forming part of a building roof, and defining a cumulative range of focus above said roof within which solar energy is concentrated, (b) a plurality of identical solar thermal tube collectors joined communicatively end to end in a linear series, said series disposed parallel above the longitudinal axis of said primary mirror, (c) a plurality of identical secondary trough mirrors, corresponding in number and length to said plurality of said collectors and each correspondingly attached to and above a said collector in optical opposition, (d) slidable attachment of said secondary mirrors to said collectors that decouple linear thermal expansion between said mirrors and said collectors, (e) a linear tracking mechanism attached to said building, and (f) a pair of spaced parallel support pipes disposed substantially vertically, attached near their bottom ends to said linear tracking mechanism and attached at their upper ends to corresponding opposite ends of said series of said collectors.