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Hi there,

Why are Stirling engines not being used in small power generators, run
by geothermal energy? They would be a boon to people around the
Pacific rim, especially in places where ther is no infrastructure.
These units should produce enough electricity to power a small
village, freeing thos people of gathering wood every day, and
preventing a lot of CO2 emissions that way.

Pleas let me know if anybody is doing this and whether they need
financers!

Regards, Wim.

Wilhelm,

Geothermal is generally not considered to have high enough temperatures to make Stirling practical. Stirling engines typically have compact heat exchangers but use high temperatures for high Carnot efficiency. Since geothermal can easily reach steam temperatures, a Rankine cycle would be cheaper to build.

I would agree that there are very few ecological resources for small village size applications. There is little incentive to build small power units when internal combustions engines are so cheap. At least using wood is CO2 neutral because the trees took out as much C02 gas out of the atmosphere as they release when burned. The real loss comes when it is burned inefficiently or at a faster rate than can be re-grown.

The Danish Tech Inst. has 9, 35, and 75 kilowatt Stirling generators for biomass.

http://www.Stirling.dk/

Rick