!Living Off Grid Part 3!
After reading through some of the comments in the youtube comment section of the following video:
https://youtu.be/jTvAL7ty53M
It became apparent that maybe the system does not produce the amount of power noted in the title, 12kw.
It depends on how the steam is used to drive the power shaft, how much heat is lost at the heating element, how well insulated the steam lines are, possibly the maximum pressure allowable in the lines, in essence it depends on the thermodynamics of heat engines and mechanical engineering limits. Someone mentioned the problem of steam condensing on the turbine or piston, etc.
Modern Steam Power Generators with several refinements and new technologies have an efficiency of 44.7%:
http://www.power-eng.com/articles/print/volume-111/issue-6/features/steam-generator-efficiency.html
The pressures are around 600-1200 psi:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_turbine#Marine_propulsion
Typical Air conditioning units in cars run around 225-400 PSI using the right tubing, so the materials to transport high pressure gases are widely available!
The key advantage is that all the components of this system can be repaired with commonly available tools and materials. Even at high pressures, all one needs are pipes and control valves of the right design.
Furthermore, people don't have to use steam, they can use some other substance that has more desirable properties yielding even higher efficiencies.
If we put our minds to it, very little is impossible.
Also, the problem with using flat mirrors is that only the sun rays that strike the mirror near the center, or how ever it is aimed, will strike the heating element. If this person instead used a true parabolic mirror system, and placed the heating element at the focus, then nearly all the sun's rays will be reflected and used.
The earth receives approximately 92 W/ft^2, or 1000 W/m^2 to obtain a theoretical output of 12 kW one would need 12 m^2 of mirrors, or approximately a square 3.4 meters on each side, that's within the realm of possibility. If there is sufficient sunlit land then one could easily build two or three of these systems and easily generate all the electrical power one needs.
At say 30% efficiency the CSP system is about as efficient as solar panels, with the added advantage that it can be repaired and reconditioned.
Furthermore, IF people use well insulated solar ovens
https://youtu.be/yPRkwnpv-C8
and parabolic grillers,
https://youtu.be/7UUW3xL0FVA
then electricity won't have to be used to heat foods at least during the day. That way more electricity can be stored during the day for use at night.
It is best to bypass, as much as one can, the conversion of sunlight to electricity, this way we avoid energy conversion losses. It would be best to construct or design technologies that perform many of the functions people like using only heat, like solar ovens, parabolic grillers, solar heated absorption refrigerators, solar heated air conditioning units, etc.
https://youtu.be/jTvAL7ty53M
It became apparent that maybe the system does not produce the amount of power noted in the title, 12kw.
It depends on how the steam is used to drive the power shaft, how much heat is lost at the heating element, how well insulated the steam lines are, possibly the maximum pressure allowable in the lines, in essence it depends on the thermodynamics of heat engines and mechanical engineering limits. Someone mentioned the problem of steam condensing on the turbine or piston, etc.
Modern Steam Power Generators with several refinements and new technologies have an efficiency of 44.7%:
http://www.power-eng.com/articles/print/volume-111/issue-6/features/steam-generator-efficiency.html
The pressures are around 600-1200 psi:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_turbine#Marine_propulsion
Typical Air conditioning units in cars run around 225-400 PSI using the right tubing, so the materials to transport high pressure gases are widely available!
The key advantage is that all the components of this system can be repaired with commonly available tools and materials. Even at high pressures, all one needs are pipes and control valves of the right design.
Furthermore, people don't have to use steam, they can use some other substance that has more desirable properties yielding even higher efficiencies.
If we put our minds to it, very little is impossible.
Also, the problem with using flat mirrors is that only the sun rays that strike the mirror near the center, or how ever it is aimed, will strike the heating element. If this person instead used a true parabolic mirror system, and placed the heating element at the focus, then nearly all the sun's rays will be reflected and used.
The earth receives approximately 92 W/ft^2, or 1000 W/m^2 to obtain a theoretical output of 12 kW one would need 12 m^2 of mirrors, or approximately a square 3.4 meters on each side, that's within the realm of possibility. If there is sufficient sunlit land then one could easily build two or three of these systems and easily generate all the electrical power one needs.
At say 30% efficiency the CSP system is about as efficient as solar panels, with the added advantage that it can be repaired and reconditioned.
Furthermore, IF people use well insulated solar ovens
https://youtu.be/yPRkwnpv-C8
and parabolic grillers,
https://youtu.be/7UUW3xL0FVA
then electricity won't have to be used to heat foods at least during the day. That way more electricity can be stored during the day for use at night.
It is best to bypass, as much as one can, the conversion of sunlight to electricity, this way we avoid energy conversion losses. It would be best to construct or design technologies that perform many of the functions people like using only heat, like solar ovens, parabolic grillers, solar heated absorption refrigerators, solar heated air conditioning units, etc.
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