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Reply #31: The more moving widgets you have, the more things go wrong. [View All]

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hunter Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jun-30-08 07:39 PM
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31. The more moving widgets you have, the more things go wrong.
Parabolic trough collectors have fewer moving parts. Some pretty big solar power projects use them.



http://www.sandia.gov/news/resources/releases/2007/trou...

You also might make fuel from CO2 and sunlight:

http://www.sandia.gov/news/resources/releases/2007/suns...



I'm surprised that Sandia is reporting this as a new sort of project, since the Navy was playing around with a very similar concept in the early 'eighties, if I remember correctly...

Back then I'm certain it was still fifteen or twenty years in the future...

If we're stuck in a time loop like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day how come I feel so much older????
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  -Parabolic Solar + Stirling Engine = Free (microgenerated & scalable) Energy Ghost Dog  Jun-29-08 10:17 AM   #0 
  - sending links to some friends who are far more clever than I  havocmom   Jun-29-08 10:21 AM   #1 
  - I guess the first question is - what are the numbers?  tinrobot   Jun-29-08 10:24 AM   #2 
  - I don't reckon you need enough energy to melt steel  Ghost Dog   Jun-29-08 10:32 AM   #4 
     - I do have engineering expertise....  tinrobot   Jun-29-08 11:49 AM   #8 
  - Musta been one of those around the WTC  pt22   Jun-29-08 10:27 AM   #3 
  - Sure, it's already been done on that scale;  Ghost Dog   Jun-29-08 10:37 AM   #6 
     - Nice to know that thinking people are  midnight   Jun-30-08 06:35 AM   #28 
  - Sounds promising  AchtungToddler   Jun-29-08 10:36 AM   #5 
  - I have a Sun Oven which works on the same principle.  elocs   Jun-29-08 11:20 AM   #7 
  - Yes indeed.  Ghost Dog   Jun-29-08 06:39 PM   #14 
  - i finally started using my solar powered clothes dryer  madrchsod   Jun-29-08 12:34 PM   #9 
  - No joke, I'm sure, madrchsod.  Ghost Dog   Jun-30-08 05:50 AM   #27 
  - We did this when I was a kind  Phred42   Jun-29-08 01:06 PM   #10 
  - You ask "Why isn't this being done already?"  IDemo   Jun-29-08 05:19 PM   #11 
  - Ah. Thanks very much, IDemo. That's exactly what I was looking for,  Ghost Dog   Jun-29-08 06:24 PM   #12 
     - Because right now the tech sucks.  Zachstar   Jun-29-08 06:30 PM   #13 
     - My thinking exactly. Current engines appear to be based on designs from the 'sixties.  Ghost Dog   Jun-29-08 06:42 PM   #15 
        - To be honest I do not think these engines are good for solar capture.  Zachstar   Jun-29-08 10:09 PM   #19 
           - More efficient than photovoltaics, according to Wikipedia  wtmusic   Jun-30-08 12:20 AM   #20 
     - Dean Kamen (Segway inventor) has been working with Stirlings  IDemo   Jun-29-08 06:50 PM   #17 
     - And for another thing: the cooling end at least could be built out of auto parts.  Ghost Dog   Jun-30-08 05:48 AM   #26 
  - Free?  NNadir   Jun-29-08 06:43 PM   #16 
  - All (most) costs up front. Not free system, but free energy  Ghost Dog   Jun-30-08 03:01 AM   #22 
     - Oh. I see. It's too cheap to meter.  NNadir   Jun-30-08 09:09 PM   #32 
  - The article misses the point, and Stirling engines suck, in practice  bhikkhu   Jun-29-08 08:44 PM   #18 
  - Many thanks for all the input, concrete info and food for thought, guys.  Ghost Dog   Jun-30-08 02:59 AM   #21 
  - This is an Australian Outback array:  Ghost Dog   Jun-30-08 10:33 AM   #30 
  - Power at the neighborhood level. nt  kristopher   Jul-01-08 12:28 AM   #34 
  - Car batteries are frustrating and problematic in that application.  hunter   Jul-01-08 12:44 PM   #38 
  - You can also melt cement with a large fresnel lens.  Kablooie   Jun-30-08 05:29 AM   #23 
  - Which is sad but hopefully research into it will lead to better solar oil systems.  Zachstar   Jun-30-08 05:34 AM   #24 
  - That's the main Euro Schlaich Bergermann und Partner design. Only 10kW.  Ghost Dog   Jun-30-08 05:43 AM   #25 
  - K&R n/t  bonito   Jun-30-08 08:59 AM   #29 
  - The more moving widgets you have, the more things go wrong.  hunter   Jun-30-08 07:39 PM   #31 
  - Or like Bill Murray in Broken Flowers... That solar+CO2=usable energy research  Ghost Dog   Jul-01-08 03:18 AM   #35 
     - Which would not do a damn thing in the long run.  Zachstar   Jul-01-08 05:20 AM   #37 
  - when you say "free" energy  crimsonblue   Jun-30-08 11:33 PM   #33 
  - Reasons like this.  Zachstar   Jul-01-08 05:18 AM   #36 
  - That is impressive  Howzit   Jul-01-08 01:39 PM   #39 
 

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