A Solar Powered Stirling Engine Project

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stan.hornbaker
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Joined: Thu Jun 20, 2002 6:01 pm
First Name: William S.
Last Name: Hornbaker

A Solar Powered Stirling Engine Project

Post by stan.hornbaker »

A solar powered Stirling engine project for the MM-1/MM-5 Coffee Cup
Stirling Engine is posted on the web site:
http://www.stirlingengine.com/users/Stanbaker

This project is suitable for a school science fair. Several variations
and modifications can be made by the student to enhance its appeal and
interest.
microwolf_99
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Response to A Solar Powered Stirling Engine Project

Post by microwolf_99 »

December 9, 2006 4:50 pm - Solar Thermal Stirling Engines?



Solar thermal life is stirring in the sun-baked deserts of Southern California, with the help of an ingenious 19th-century concept: the Stirling engine.

Two major utility companies, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric, are working with the Phoenix company, Stirling Energy Systems, to harness the power of the California sunshine. It is the biggest solar effort in the world so far - bigger than all other solar projects in the U.S. combined.

The Stirling engine is nearly 190-year-old technology. Invented in 1816 as an alternative to the dangerous steam engines of the day, which had the annoying tendency of exploding every now and then - the Stirling engine contains a sealed gas - in this case, hydrogen. Piston movement is generated by heating the hydrogen and forcing it to expand through hot and cold heat exchangers.

After a period of testing and scaling, production is slated to begin on the larger of the two planned sites in 2008. Upon completion, the new Mojave Desert facility should produce a whopping 500 megawatts of electricity per day by 2012, enough juice for 250,000 homes.

For the 500MW site, the sun will be precision-tracked by 20,000 swiveling mirrored dishes spread over 4,500 acres, each of them 38 feet in diameter and reflecting their intensely concentrated rays into a powerful heat source for thousands upon thousands of Stirling engines. The setup is expected to convert 30% of the sun's available energy into electricity, which is an efficiency rate double or triple that of present-day pv solar panels.
stan.hornbaker
Posts: 532
Joined: Thu Jun 20, 2002 6:01 pm
First Name: William S.
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Response to A Solar Powered Stirling Engine Project

Post by stan.hornbaker »

Your posting would have been more appropriate to the "Power-producing Stirling engines" forum.

The project is now a year old or more and an update or progress report would be more appropriate. What has been accomplished to date, a prototype, design or what?
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