Solar Power DIY Blog

Stirling engines and other hot air engines were invented and had some prevalence about 100 years ago, but largely did out in common use. Research continues today however and their creation is not out of reach by the home backyard tinkerer I believe.

What is a hot air engine?

Basically these are external combustion engines which uses heat and heat dissipation to create pressure differentials in a gas inside an engine to produce power.  Their operating principal is quite simple.  While in practice, there are problems to overcome, it is an exiting re-emerging technology due to their almost silent running and ability to use a variety of heat sources.  A big advantage of hot-air engines over steam power is the absence of a boiler and ultra high pressures that most steam engines require.

There is some good information on the internet if you perform a search on stirling engines.  Experimenting with these is also on my plan in the future.

The shaft output of the Stirling engine could be used to drive an alternator for charging the batteries, for pumping water to a header tank (for providing house water supply pressure), or for other purposes in the workshop.

Have a good day!