# Backyard solar electric!



## Dune (Sep 10, 2008)

Check this out.    http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/17169/ 
  We are about to build a small tessla turbine for experimental purposes anyway, so I might try this, but maybe scaled up a little and with a gen instead of an alternator.


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## renewablejohn (Sep 11, 2008)

Dunebilly

Similar concept to our solar tubes heating up thermal oil and then using a steam evaporator to turn into traditional steam power.


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## Dune (Sep 11, 2008)

Pretty much the exact same concept. I provided this link in case any DIYs on this board want to utilize it. The main advantage to this type of system is that it is much more realistic to manufacture it yourself than photovoltaic, and possibly more efficient. I see no reason this couldn't be scaled up to whole house proportion. I plan to try it with a small tessla turbine, that we are building anyhow.


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## Tfin (Sep 11, 2008)

Linky no worky?  Or maybe its just my IT dept blocking it.


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## Dune (Sep 11, 2008)

Try it again. I clicked on it just now, and got nowhere. In a panic, I clicked it again and got there. Do you have Comcast?


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## begreen (Sep 11, 2008)

This sounds like a fun project. Keep us posted. The link failed for me too. Here are some other Tesla turbine links:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-15,000-rpm-Tesla-Turbine-using-hard-drive-/
http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/pnginc/techturbine.htm
http://phoenixnavigation.com/ptbc/home.htm


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## Dune (Sep 11, 2008)

Dang, now it's not working, and I don't have time to come up with another way there right now. Sorry, I will work on it tonight.


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## Dune (Sep 12, 2008)

Don't know what to say... the link works for me again, maybe it is getting too many hits.


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## Tfin (Sep 12, 2008)

Yup, worked for me this time.  Very interesting article.  I'd love to get my hands on some plans for this.


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## Dune (Sep 12, 2008)

O.K., Glad to hear it. We are kind of up to our eyeballs right now, between our stirling reseach and our tessla turbine research, and our algae research,  but the premise is simple enough. Plus hopefully renewable john will chime in, since he commented that it is a similar system to something that he has seen. First of all, the article itself, is two years old, so there may be more info available. Here's a few thoughts in the mean time. The starting point is the parabolic reflector itself, and the material to construct said from. My first impulse would be to use thin aluminum sheet. It is light weight, non corrosive, easily formed, and can be easily polished to a near mirror finish. Others have mentioned plywood or sheetmetal with a mylar film. One must determine shape of a parabola, a grade school math problem, yet many may not recall it. I have a scanner, and I will upload the layout later.  At the same time, I will load a shematic of the mechical side.


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## Tfin (Sep 12, 2008)

Dunebilly said:
			
		

> O.K., Glad to hear it. We are kind of up to our eyeballs right now, between our stirling reseach and our tessla turbine research, and our algae research,  but the premise is simple enough. Plus hopefully renewable john will chime in, since he commented that it is a similar system to something that he has seen. First of all, the article itself, is two years old, so there may be more info available. Here's a few thoughts in the mean time. The starting point is the parabolic reflector itself, and the material to construct said from. My first impulse would be to use thin aluminum sheet. It is light weight, non corrosive, easily formed, and can be easily polished to a near mirror finish. Others have mentioned plywood or sheetmetal with a mylar film. One must determine shape of a parabola, a grade school math problem, yet many may not recall it. I have a scanner, and I will upload the layout later.  At the same time, I will load a shematic of the mechical side.



Great, would love to see them!


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## renewablejohn (Sep 12, 2008)

Tin foil that you cook your roast chicken in makes a good reflector


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