In this paper, a linear Fresnel solar concentrator installed on a solar azimuth tracker is studied. Based on the integration of the effective source distribution for a reflection point and the whole reflector area, we develop an analytical model to calculate the intercept factor of the concentrator and analyze its performance over a year. The prediction of our analytical optical model agrees pretty well with that of the ray tracing program SolTRACE. Then we study the effects of the main design parameters on the performance of the system. The results show that annual mean total efficiency of 61% can be obtained in optimized design when the operational temperature of the receiver is 400 degrees C. The performance of the azimuth tracking linear Fresnel solar concentrator (ATLFSC) is compared with that of the parabolic trough collector. It is found that the cosine factor, intercept factor and total efficiency of the ATLFSC are better than those of parabolic trough collector, showing that the ATLFSC may have great potential for solar energy utilization. 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.