Collecting solar energy

Claim 1

In a solar-to-thermal energy converter comprising an insulated frame, a solar energy absorber mounted in said frame, fluid flow heat exchanger means thermally coupled to said absorber to carry away as thermal energy the absorbed solar energy, and a window transmissive to solar energy mounted in said frame and spaced from said absorber, that improvement consisting of a heat loss suppressor comprising a multiplicity of walls extending between said window and said absorber, adjacent said walls being at least in part non-parallel to each other to define a first set of elongated channels generally diverging and opening toward said window interleaved with a second set of elongated channels generally diverging and opening toward said absorber, said walls being of material transmissive to solar energy and absorptive of thermal energy, adjacent said walls being at an acute angle to each other so that, (a) when said converter is installed with said channels extending generally parallel to an east-west arc, incoming sun rays passing through said window and impinging upon said walls will be split into a major transmitted component directed toward said absorber and a minor reflected component also directed toward said absorber, (b) said channels will be narrow enough to substantially reduce convection heat loss, and (c) said channels will be deep enough to substantially reduce radiation heat loss.