A solar energy cascade utilization system using concentrated solar power is being developed in response to the growing demand for renewable energy and distributed power generation. However, no investigations into the geometric parameters of a cavity receiver have been performed for the dish Stirling system in the present research field. This study proposes a design and an optimization method for a solar cavity receiver with the capability of achieving high operating temperatures. By developing a thermal model for the cavity geometry, results of this study provide a prediction of the real situation and a sensitivity analysis of the cavity receiver design. The designed cylindrical receiver with insulation consists of an enclosed bottom on the back, an aperture in the front, and a helical pipe inside. The aperture diameter, inner diameter, and length of the cavity are the three critical geometric parameters of the cavity receiver. The influence of these three parameters on heat losses and thermal efficiency is analyzed in this paper. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.