Our Energy Future Comes From The Sun

During the process of researching an article about green products on photovoltaic cell systems (solar panels), I came across another way to convert the sun's light into electricity. So let's take a look at another type of solar energy system.

The Stirling engine goes back to the early 1800's, when steam was the order of the day. Steam was used to power factories, trains, and many types of work that required lots of horsepower. However, with steam came the danger of a boiler blowing up when something went wrong. Robert Stirling saw a different approach. His invention still used fire to heat the hot chamber but instead of steam, he used the heat to move pistons.

Sense its incarnation there have been many variations of the Stirling engine and many patents. The engine's simple design demands tinkering - everyone wants to add or change something to make it better. The engine has very few moving parts, requires only a single external heat source, is very efficient, and is quiet. With the new space age materials available, the problem of piston overheating is no longer a problem like it once was.

The operation of the Stirling engine is not complex, it only requires an external heat source. Some heat sources have been fuel, while some solar designs use a Fernell lens, and the latest source is large parabolic mirrors.

Operation is simple: the gases are heated by an external source, causing the hot gas to move toward a cold chamber, in the process, a piston is driven and a flywheel rotated. To put it simply, movement is achieved from heat expansion. A few knock-offs of the Stirling engines are small enough to fit in your hand. Others system are designed to drive electrical generators. They are a about the size of a fifty-gallon drum.

The system is ideal when a concentrated heat source is applied, in this case sunlight. The sunlight is collected with parabolic mirrors and focused on to the surface of the hot chamber, causing the chamber to be heated and the engine to start. This temperatures can be very high. You know this from, when as a child, you took a magnifying glass and focused it on a piece of paper. When done correctly the paper would get dark and then a flame would appear.

With better-designed engines and new types of material, a movable (tracking) parabolic mirror, and a single Stirling engine you can produce 25 kilowatts of electricity.

In a future article about green products I will list the different solar technologies and how they compare to the competition.

Michael

One of the most unsettling times of the month is when we have to come up with the cash to pay for our much needed electricity. Lowering our monthly costs, especially the electricity bill is a very doable next step. This article will share some tips on how to reach that goal.

Discussing electricity saving with other members living in the house and their roll in reducing monthly costs is a great start. You could reward them with treats or outings (or ask them what rewards they would like) if their participation leads to savings. Make suggestions like turning the lights out when they leave the room, or shutting the curtains on a cold day to help keep the heat in. Also, you could remind them that in shutting off all appliances not being used, if even for five minutes between use, their seemingly small efforts can add up to a chunk of saving!

If you are smart about power consumption youll end up with more money in your pocket each month. Replacing any incandescent bulbs you currently have with fluorescent lights or CFL bulbs will get you started in those savings.These light bulbs consume way less energy as much less power is consumed.

Buying a gadget from the hardware store that monitors the whole house power usage can give you control over electricity expenditure.

We tend to assume the reason for such high electricity bills is due to the high amounts of electrical appliances that grace our homes these days. However, truth be told, if we learned how to use the gadgets more efficiently our high monthly costs due to power consumption, not too many gadgets, would be much lower.

The next best move is using those daily appliances that consume lots of power as least as possible. Only use that washing machine when the whole of it can be filled with clothes. Keep the air con at minimum high or low temperatures. Make a note to switch off the computer monitor when youre not using it. It takes up a lot of power and takes seconds to turn it back on again.

In order to really cut electricity consumption costs have a look at the guide on our site. It has got some of the best ideas on how to create your energy in the home and genuinely get energy for free for your appliances.

By using energy from renewable sources we not only help our planet we also save lots and lots of our money in the process. Imagine never getting another electricity bill ever again!