Heliotropic wide spectrum solar panel

A solar energy collector including a shallow housing having a closed rear side, an open upper side opposite said closed rear side and opposite ends between which said closed side extends, said open side including a transparent panel secured thereover, a plurality of individual elongated side-by-side trough members disposed within said housing and extending between said opposite ends for absorbing solar energy incident theron passing through said panel, said trough members opening laterally toward said panel and being spaced therefrom, the opposite ends of said housing including inlet and outlet air manifold means opening into the opposite ends of said trough members and the area within said housing between said trough members and said transparent panel and also opening into the interior of said housing outwardly of said trough members and between the latter and said closed rear side, air inlet and outlet means opening into said inlet and outlet manifold means from the exterior of said housing, said trough members including transverse corrugation, heat insulation means disposed beneath said trough members and between said closed rear side and said trough members, said heat insulation including a heat and light reflective surface opposing said trough members, the adjacent longitudinal marginal edges of said corrugated trough members being abutted together with the adjacent ends of the corrugations thereof defining openings between adjacent trough members spaced longitudinally along said trough members and communicating the lower portion of the interior of said housing below said trough members with the upper portion of the interior of said housing disposed above said trough members and between the latter and said transparent panel.