Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Praxis: Alternate Power -- the DIY Solar Trough Collector.

Courtesy of John Robb at Global Guerrillas, we have this link on a DIY Solar Trough Collector, which leads to these instructions, "Manual making of a parabolic solar collector."

2 comments:

thedweeze said...

I've seen similar designs that line the collector with mylar, which is what space blankets are made of. If you've ever seen the end of either the New York or Boston Marathons, those are the things that the runners have wrapped around them. They boast 80% thermal reflectivity. They can be bought through eBay.
As an alternative, mylar is used in potato chip bags, so you can first enjoy your Ruffles and then repurpose the bags. Rubber cement is a good adhesive, as it remains workable long enough for you to use a roller to get them nice and flat on the reflector.

This method can be used to focus sunlight onto a solar panel, greatly increasing the effectiveness.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad to hear you're a GG reader. His is the only blog I follow regularly besides yours.