Abstract: The present invention provides solar concentrators incorporating photovoltaic receiver assemblies with improved thermal dissipation, dielectric, encapsulation, and cell/wiring protection characteristics. The concentrators are particularly useful for photovoltaic power systems such as rooftop mounted systems. The present invention teaches that the geometry of the substrate used to support receiver assemblies can have a dramatic impact upon thermal/dielectric performance. In particular, the present invention teaches how contours incorporated into such substrates can improve thermal performance (i.e., dissipation of thermal energy from photovoltaic cells through the substrate) while still maintaining dielectric and encapsulation objectives. In the past, dielectric and encapsulation objectives have been obtained at the expense of such thermal dissipation. Also, material choice and form also impacts thermal, dielectric, and encapsulation performance.

Abstract: A Fibre-based optical source comprises a high power laser diode stack as a pump source, the output of which is shaped into an intense beam of elongate cross-section by use of focusing and light concentrating elements. The beam is used to cladding pump a fibre having an inner cladding also with elongate cross-section, to provide high efficiency pumping. To achieve high output powers with a good mode quality, an overall large core ara is provided by configuring the fibre to have a plurality of individual cores doped with active ions and arranged within the inner cladding in a linear array. Each individual core is configured for single mode operation, so that a plurality of single mode lasers outputs are generated, which can be combined to produce one single mode high power output. The source may also be configured as a laser or as an amplifier.