Solar powered stirling engine.

Solar powered stirling engine

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Solar
• powered
• stirling
• engine

[bjddavies]

Could do with a few of these in Northern Australia.

[tsport100]

Company called 'Solar Systems' is but using a single PV cell instead of a Stirling motor.

[SladkaPritomnost]

@tsport100

Why PV cell? Isn't using of Stirling motor more effective?

[tsport100]

@SladkaPritomnost "More efficient" in which way, cost or energy?

Sterling motor are approx 30% energy eff but are still mostly prototype devices not available in series production. Triple junction PV cells are 36% eng efficient and are manufacturerd for the aerospace (satellites) industry.

The best solution would be to use both at the same focal point where the sterling motor runs off waste heat from the back of the PV.

[dzgfdg]

@tsport100 putting a PV cell in the focal point is mostly absurd, it will fry it in seconds. depending on the size of the unit

[tsport100]

@dzgfdg So it needs a heat sink to remove the heat from the back of the PV. A system developed by a company called 'Solar Systems' uses a water cooling system that sinks the heat into an evaporative septic system but large quantity of heat can be a secondary source of energy used to run a Stirling motor or Rankine heat engine.

[damaged01]

I love this. Solar is superior to fossil fuels because it's source of fuel will not run out for another 4 billion years. Yes it is a newer technology with consequently higher initial costs but as the technology continues to advance, power generation will become cheaper and cheaper until it is on par with fossil fuels. In conjunction with geothermal, wind, and others, over the long run, it will out preform fossil fuels by a huge margin. I look forward to that day.

[MadScientist267]

This is great and all, and not bagging or promoting here, but a company called 'infinia' has a much more aesthetically pleasing design and gives actual statistics on it's units.

Google "powerdish infinia" for a look at how it compares.

[SladkaPritomnost]

Nice video,

but I'd like to see more numbers. Like what is the price of 1kWh.

What is the price of one single power plant, lifetime, etc.

[randommagnum]

About two gigawatts worth of these could have been already built and churning out power, but the environmentalists (with the help of CA Sen. Feinstein) have blocked construction of it, in order to save desert tortoises.

[thinazzabird]

why not just put a great big convex or -cave or whatever mirror on a pivot with a little chip that says where the sun will be like they stuff into cheap little watches and focus the frickin' thing on a sterling engine heat source- its just melted glass (sand)and something that likes to be baked and a sterling engine onto dat cheep shit no grease monkies needed put'm on marriage n food stamps if they get angsty