An update on the linear mirror concentrator. I have build a prototype and tracker using a picaxe mircocontroller. These videos show me testing it with a small DC motor and PV cells as sensors in diffuse light. Sadly no sunshine in Holland these days!



For assistence with your projects just send me a message of look here. Continue

With concentrated solar power goes solar tracking. Parabolic troughs and heliostats only function when either pointed to the sun or at a specific angle. For my two projects, the heliostat and parabolic trough I have looked into different trackers. I made a list here.

To track you can use balancing tubes with liquid that move to rebalance the heliostat as a result of the suns direct irradiation. This is called passive solar… Continue

I will discuss two important parts of my project, the vacuum tube and the controller.

The Vacuum Tube

I finally have the vacuum tube I was looking for to use with my trough. It is the kind with a heat pipe that now sells for 30 USD, dependent on who you go to. In the pictue be… Continue

Below house has a south oriented facade. This could be line with the mirror concentrator to create a focal point oposite where the heat could be used directly, to be stored for winter or transformed into electricity (via a steamturbine).

Two rows of about 50 m2 mirror would create more than enough energy using the local insolation and sunhour data.

… Continue

Below a steam cooker build in Auroville.



Types of solar cookers
There are several ways to use solar power for cooking. Here I won't go into the different designs but only the principle differences (imho).

1. Direct mirror concentrator
For third world aid there have been projects in which even simple aluminium foil on carboard was enough to concentrate sunlight several times and bring water to a boil. This design could best be made out of a rugged material like… Continue