Concentrated Solar Photovoltaic Module With Protective Light Shielding

A solar photovoltaic module comprising:

• a base member having a generally planar support surface and two side walls projecting from said support surface at obtuse angles with respect to said support surface, wherein, said support surface defines at least one recess for receiving a plurality of photovoltaic cells, and comprises a plurality of fins projecting downward from said support surface for diffusing heat away from said photovoltaic cells;
• two side panels mechanically supported by said two side walls of said base member;
• at least one top panel supported by said two side panels, said at least one top panel having an integral array of Fresnel lenses;
• an array of photovoltaic cells mounted to said at least one recess of said base member;
• an array of prisms corresponding and mounted to said array of photovoltaic cells, wherein each prism includes a top surface and defines a periphery;
• and
• a plurality of opaque light shields defining cutouts sized to receive said top surfaces of corresponding prisms, each opaque light shield extending between said side panels above said support surface of said base member, wherein said cutouts are defined by edges disposed below said top surface of the corresponding prism and about said periphery of the corresponding prism without touching the corresponding prism, said plurality of opaque light shields blocking light incident thereon from reaching said support surface of said base member.