US Patent 7481057 Low cost solar energy extraction

While solar energy is widely available, current means to harness it are sufficiently expensive that for most applications it is not economically viable. The basic problem is that solar energy is not sufficiently concentrated, and the cost of the collector becomes the limiting factor. This invention teaches a way of building a solar collector and an associated energy conversion engine that together allow one to build cost effective solar electric systems that can compete with natural gas based power plants.