[roccman]

"My husband bought me a Sun Oven from Matt's website a couple of weeks ago (for our wedding anniversary), to supplement an earlier Sun Oven he had bought me about 14 years ago (still in regular use, I might add!). They are the same models, but the new one from LATOC costs less than he paid for the first one 14 years ago! So I think it's a very good deal!

I baked apple crisp yesterday and it was scrumptious! "

Why does this sound alot like an infomercial?

Ok Matt - how much you pay'n to have posters pimp your ovens?

[PeakOiler]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('roccman', 'W')hy does this sound alot like an infomercial?

Ok Matt - how much you pay'n to have posters pimp your ovens?

[roccman]

"You can leave Matt out of this. SunOvens are solid alternative energy technology, and deserves to be mentioned on an energy forum such as this one."

Ironically my post bumped the thread to get more exposure to sun ovens.

I have a SO - I agree with you about alt. energy technology.

Relax bro...it's all good.

[eXpat]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PeakOiler', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eXpat', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Madpaddy', 'H')i Matt,

Do you ship the ovens to Europe (Ireland) and how much would it cost in total for an oven shipped.

Regards,

MP

[Bas]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')n fact, as we found out when we got closer, the rays of sunlight reflected by a field of 600 huge mirrors are so intense they illuminate the water vapour and dust hanging in the air.

The effect is to give the whole place a glow - even an aura - and if you're concerned about climate change that may well be deserved.

[Doly]

This is hardly the first solar thermal power plant built, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.

[Bas]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Doly', 'T')his is hardly the first solar thermal power plant built, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.

[Bas]

Solucar Video

[undertaker]

I thoiught of exactly this form of renewable energy the first time I holocausted an ant with a magnifying glass, but my stupid science teacher said it wouldn't work.

And now they got the things. Amazing.

[coyote]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Bas', '[')img]http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42877000/jpg/_42877069_mirrorswide_bbc_416.jpg[/img]

[Jonathan_Hoag]

Concentrator solar thermal is definitely the way to go for power plant sized solar projects. The focus can achieve very high temperatures, meaning a very high Carnot efficiency, unlike the very stupid idea of a updraft solar tower.

Photovoltaics is still very practical for small scale applications such as rooftops and such.

[Tanada]

PV panal convert 20% or less of light into electricity, why not build a reflector array like that one with PV cells as the pnanl material? Get twice the use from the same light, as it were.

[Bas]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tanada', 'P')V panal convert 20% or less of light into electricity, why not build a reflector array like that one with PV cells as the pnanl material? Get twice the use from the same light, as it were.

[JRP3]

Actually people are using reflectors with solar panels to concentrate light and boost the output of solar panels. One problem that needs to be dealt with is elevated heat levels degrading the panels, but it's possible. I'm too lazy to search for examples but they are out there, probably some on this board.

[TheDude]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'P')arabolic trough power plants are the most successful and cost-effective CSP system design at present. They use a curved trough which reflects the direct solar insolation onto a hollow tube running along above the trough. The whole trough tilts through the course of the day so that direct insolation remains focused on the hollow tube for as long as the sun shines. A fluid, normally thermal oil, passes through the tube and becomes hot. Full-scale parabolic trough systems consist of many such troughs laid out in parallel over a large area of land. A solar thermal system using this principle is in operation in California in the United States, called the SEGS system.[1] At 350 MW, it is currently not only the largest operational solar thermal energy system, but the largest solar power system of any kind. SEGS uses oil to take the heat away: the oil then passes through a heat exchanger, creating steam which runs a steam turbine.

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Bas', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tanada', 'P')V panal convert 20% or less of light into electricity, why not build a reflector array like that one with PV cells as the pnanl material? Get twice the use from the same light, as it were.

[JRP3]

I don't think a solar panel "rejects" 80% of the light, it reflects a small portion, absorbs the rest and converts some of that to electricity and wastes some of it as heat. In your plan the solar panel that's reflecting 50% of the light therefore would only have 50% of the light available to then try and convert into electricity. So instead of converting 20% of all the light available the panel ends up converting 20% of 50%.

[Graeme]

Company on verge of solar breakthrough

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A') Wausau start-up company is refining its prototype for a system that could more efficiently store and use solar energy to generate electricity or operate as an air conditioner.

The system is able to harness water heated by the sun at lower temperatures than other products on the market, said Baker, a mechanical engineer who owned a custom machining business in Rothschild for 13 years. In addition, it offers dispatchable energy, which means the system can be used when it's most needed, not just when the sun is shining.

The company hopes to build its demonstration system in Arizona, where utility companies offer incentives that, combined with federal and state tax credits, could cover 90 percent of its costs, Manske said.

[Cobra_Strike]

Heat engines are hardly novel, and are already in use. A breakthrough would be if they had a commercial producer selling boat loads of these things (from China, where else?).