LiMoNAED: A limited motion, non-shading, asymmetric, ecliptic-tracking dish

The conventional design of a parabolic dish for a small solar conversion system places the receiver along the line between the center of the dish and the sun. This forces the receiver to move in a large arc during tracking, and produces some shading of the dish. In some applications, such large movement of the receiver is not acceptable. A new concentrator design is proposed for small systems with a constraint of limited mobility of the receiver. This is accomplished by using a first polar axis and a second axis that is aligned with the normal to the ecliptic plane. The new design features limited motion of the receiver, with inclination changing only within ∓23.45°; off-axis reflector to eliminated shading; constant rotation speed in both axes; and constant flux distribution on the receiver.