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Last updated October 26th, 2011: Video: successfull test two axis solar tracker from heliotrack.com ! -
Video of steam production
Here are some explanations to build a solar dish for a home to have hot water for free (be careful wear sunglasses)
1 - Find a parabolic dish with a diameter of 1 meter ( 1 meter equals 1000 watts )
2 - Get broken mirrors and have them cut by a professionnal in pieces of 4cm by 4cm Then paste them with double adhesive tape to fit parabolic shape
3 - For the rotation system, get an old used hard drive whith a large diameter (about 4cm), make a hole
in a piece of wood , and put it in the rotation system.
4 - Build a circular rail (picture 8).Video of the dish on a rail
5 - For the horizontal rotation (East - West), I connected an electronic timer (20 programs) to a
TM1 Plus, The dish turns slowly with a 12 volts motor (cost 50$ !). I have to install an electronic timer to put it back in East at the end of the day and test outside.
Here is a very clever horizontal rotation system that uses the position in degree to rotate the dish (example: at 9:45 it has to be 158 degree from East) , the all system is made from a parabolic TV system. I bought a solar tracker from redrok and installed it on the rotation system of the dish (picture 14).
6 - Finally, to collect the hot water I have got an aquarium that I am going to isolate and I am going to connect this hot water to the cold water entry of my electrical hot water heater for that I will use some Thermostatic Valves.
....... to be continued ....
Solar energy storage
1- The purpose of a solar concentrator is to make steam. This steam has to heat some sand
stored in a container. Around the container vaccuum has to be made.
2- To create cheaply a vaccuum , we can use a manual vaccuum pump (picture 2).
This pump was invented by Otto Von Guericke in 1664 !Another way to create vaccuum cheaply is to use a Water jet Vacuum pump.
