Patent ID: 8203070

Claim:
A tracking solar power collector system comprising: a plurality of solar concentrators, each concentrator comprising: a lens for concentrating light; an actuator coupled to the lens; a tracking controller configured to aim the lens toward the sun; and a photovoltaic cell; a slave power controller connected to the photovoltaic cell, actuator, and tracking controller; and a first solar concentrator comprising: a first lens for concentrating light; a first actuator connected to the first lens; a first tracking controller configured to incrementally aim the first lens toward the sun; and a master power controller connected to the first lens, first actuator, first tracking controller, and slave power controller of each of the plurality of solar concentrators; wherein the first tracking controller is active and the plurality of tracking controllers are inactive when the plurality of solar concentrators are not aimed at the sun; wherein the slave power controllers are configured to provide power to the first actuator and first tracking controller to orient the first lens toward the sun when the first solar concentrator and plurality of solar concentrators are not aimed at the sun; and wherein the master power controller is configured to provide power to the actuator and tracking controller of at least one of the plurality of solar concentrators when the first solar concentrator is aimed at the sun and the plurality of solar concentrators are not aimed at the sun.