Sunlight concentrating and harvesting device

A device for concentrating and harvesting sunlight comprising:

• a panel having a plurality of rigid layers bonded together;
• an array of sunlight concentrating and harvesting units formed by the plurality of layers of the panel, each one of the array of sunlight concentrating and harvesting units including:
• a series of optical concentrating elements associated with a first surface of one of the layers of the plurality of layers for concentrating by refraction sunlight received by the unit, the series of optical concentrating elements all being part of a first single rigid layer;
• a series of optical redirecting elements associated with a second surface of one of the layers of the plurality of layers for redirecting sunlight received by the unit via at least one total internal reflection, the series of optical redirecting elements all being part of a second single rigid layer;
• a photovoltaic cell sandwiched between two of the layers of the plurality of layers for converting concentrated and redirected sunlight into electrical energy;
• one of the layers of the plurality of layers having an electrical conductor in electrical communication with the photovoltaic cell to receive electrical energy therefrom, the electrical conductor being in thermal communication with the photovoltaic cell to receive thermal energy therefrom, the electrical conductor being the primary heat sink for the photovoltaic cell, the photovoltaic cell being primarily cooled via conduction, the electrical conductor defining a plurality of gaps;
• the electrical conductor, the series of optical concentrating elements and the series of optical redirecting elements being dimensioned and arranged within the unit such that the electrical conductor does not materially impede transmission of sunlight received by the unit within the unit to the photovoltaic cell, a portion of the sunlight received by the unit passing through at least one of the plurality of gaps of the electrical conductor;
• one of the layers of the plurality of layers having a patterned circuit electrically and thermally interconnected with photovoltaic cells of at least some of the units to receive electrical energy and thermal energy therefrom for transmission away from the units,
• the first single rigid layer being distinct from the layer having the at least one patterned electrical circuit thereon,
• the second single rigid layer being distinct from the layer having the at least one patterned electrical circuit thereon and the first single rigid layer.