Energy Matters Forums

[taggertycyclist]

I last night browsed a site that was linked to by another poster her:

http://www.builditsolar.com

And I came across the ultimate in barbecues -- solar cookers using discarded satellite TV dishes:

This link leads to a whole list of other solar cooking discussions:

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Co ... ooking.htm

This would solve those issues when you want to host a barbie, but the total fire ban means you can't light fires or fuel barbecues.

And the fuel costs nothing.

But the other thing that appeals is the potential for high-powered solar hot water heating, fast water desalination, and maybe using Sterling engines for power generation.

And it leads me on to ask if anyone has used mirrors to increase the concentration of sunlight irradiating solar panels... for example, from an adjacent pitched roof. What would the theoretical increase in power output be, if any?

Of course, I am still getting my act together as far as my stand-alone solar is concerned, but this other stuff has really caught my imagination.

Any other comments or ideas?

EDIT: Ooops, there is another thread on solar concentrators elsewhere. Oh well, Gordon is quite welcome to repeat his comments here, and maybe elaborate a bit more.

[Gordon-Loomberah]

Hi TC,

I last night browsed a site that was linked to by another poster her:

And it leads me on to ask if anyone has used mirrors to increase the concentration of sunlight irradiating solar panels... for example, from an adjacent pitched roof. What would the theoretical increase in power output be, if any?

See the other new thread on this topic, but yes, you will see more power, but probably a reduced panel life if you dont have good cooling control.

Any other comments or ideas?

I have friends with a solar oven from RPC, they say it works quite well, but is very slow cooking, definitely not a source of fast food

Re increasing the concentration of light from an adjacent roof- you need to make sure that you illuminate the panels as evenly as possible, otherwise you would get an effect similar to shading (although not as severe). The output of monocrystalline panels at least, is somewhat governed by the least illuminated area. I'm talking many tens of cm^2 here, not shaded by passing blowflies So your source of extra illumination really needs to be tracked to keep it aligned with the fixed panels as the sun moves across the sky.

<thinking out loud> I'm not sure how bad the effect would be, but having half a panel @ 1 sun illumination, and the other end at 3 suns, would soon lead to one end getting a lot hotter, which may reduce the output to not much different, or maybe less than leaving the whole panel @ 1 sun. Maybe someone with some spare mirrors and time can try it out </thinking>

Gordon

[SR76]

On a slightly tangential issue (using old satellite dishes as solar concentrators):

Go to www.cockeyed.com and find his articles and videos about "The Light Sharpener".

Less for cooking, more for mischief... but an awesome display of what can be achieved with the sun.

[Nicolas_Thomas]

Nice information I really liked it.

[tammy123]

Whatever the information you provided here about solar cooking is really very beneficial and as, it is a best way to conserve fuel and this will lead to save more power. I have a solar cooker at my place and I prepare many meals like I use this cooker for rice, beans and many other stuffs and it gives you the same taste as you prepare on gas.

According to me it is a good source of solar energy.

[Jude]

Hi,

solar cooking is mostly used in present economy as it has become most important source of energy for cooking food and saves LPG to great extent .solar energy is mostly used in villages in present context also it has a bright future

Thanks !


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[buildgreen]

Sounds a very good alternative to save LPG.
Cooking your food with the sun is a pretty cool and rare thing to do.