A system providing consistent and intense sunlight to light-guiding structures for redirecting sunlight to the interior of a building is presented. One aspect of the inventive subject matter includes an illumination system comprising a solar redirector and at least one optical converter. The solar redirector can be configured to extend outward from a wall of a building and to redirect sunlight to exterior sections of the wall below the solar redirector. The optical converter can be configured to mount on at least one of the exterior sections of the wall and to receive the redirected sunlight and distribute the redirected sunlight to an interior of the building.