Solar Power DIY Blog

I read an article a couple of years ago which I can’t locate now.  From memory the reporter was telling about a generating plant that uses the heat of the sun using long parabolic concentrators, concentrating the sun’s solar energy onto a long copper pipes.  An oil of some kind, I would expect fairly thin, circulated by thermo-siphon I think to a heat exchanging tank and boiler where steam is created, powering a turbine.

The turbine was made from a car power steering pump.  I’m not a mechanic and don’t know a lot about the power steering pumps and how they work.  The exhaust steam would either be vented or re-condensed.  Obviously some means of keeping water in the system would be required.  This system was setup and designed so that it could run unattended throughout the day and able to be made locally in developing countries from easily obtainable materials.

Solar Power with photovoltaics (solar panels) is difficult for average people to make their own from the ground up.  This method of generating DIY Solar Power has the advantage of all the materials being able to be sourced more less readily.  Obviously, some sort of regulation to avoid overcharging the batteries would still be required.

I hope this is food for thought.