World Record Setting Solar Parabolic Dish Stirling System, 1984

The Vanguard Solar Parabolic Dish Stirling System set eight technical world records for the conversion of solar insolation to grid electricity in 1984. Foremost was the 29.4% conversion efficiency that remained unsurpassed until Sandia National Laboratories surpassed it November 1984. Advanco Corp was the prime contractor to US Dept of Energy and the small company was owned and led by Byron Washom

[@allawit]

and after 30 years ...... we still see these things only on youtube

[@circuitdotlt]

36 years later, still can't buy it. Wonder why.

[@shahriarfardin777]

38

[@bluemamba5317]

@@shahriarfardin777 2020-1984=36

[@АндрейНе-п1я]

@@bluemamba5317 he came to us from the future

[@richardwagner8498]

Sirling engines need maintenance, can you imagine maintaining one with H2 ? Too many moving parts, they may have set a record for watts per metre squared but not with the maintenance factors.

[@ytams1]

I get the impression the company made the mistake of trying to sell Vangards to electrical companies in the hope they would buy hundreds in one go rather than sell individual Vangards to farmers and off grid villages.

[@GamingAmbienceLive]

amen, good idea, but stupid CEO

[@richpalmisano1740]

Most of these go that route BECAUSE they can't go the private route or they will be squashed.

[@alexbone2309]

I get the impression these Vangards are way too expensive to buy and maintain for any farmer or individual. Very cool though, like the formula 1 of solar.

[@alexanderwingeskog758]

23% efficiency in 83-84 is pretty good! Make it today and I bet you could 25-30% and that would rival the better solar panels out there. Yes a bit more maintenance, and the initial cost might be higher but you could drive it with a computer that costs about 5$ today and with really efficient servos/solenoids (or whatever). In the 80's that solar tracking computer was probably 5k usd alone and so on...

[@bushmasterflash]

Currently, commercial Sterling engines run at around 30% efficiency. swedishstirling.com/en/ Some designs use standard solar panels above to capture light and generate electricity and as the panels warm up in the sun the waste heat is used to power smaller sterling engines below. Total output efficiency there is approaching 40-45% for the combined system. The sterling engines were mostly 3D printed and molded from recycled plastic. They had very few metal parts in bearing and heat plates but the overall cost of manufacture was very small compared to an internal combustion engine. The lead engine has over 10,000 running hours on it with no maintenance at all.

[@arkivx0]

This is amazing I wish could get a home model.

[@fabianseewald7884]

i guess the prize killed it and now pv-panels have caught up in power density, but it´s still noteworthy that these thing don´t reguire much of toxic materials and can basically built out of steel and glass

[@igg5589]

So I missed HOW they handle those 6000F/3000C degrees if even metals evaporate

[@IROCZ28PHOENIX]

IKR XD

[@lylestavast7652]

cooling loops on the cold side of the Stirling engine. I've seen some designs that did the similar straight onto special PV panels - actively cooled... those loops supply a "cold" fluid which draws off the heat as part of the thermal differencing that makes the cylinder move - and that cooling loop is then usable for something else too, like warming up sewer water to evaporate water off for condensation... the key to making any of these cost effective is reusing the low grade heat in a chained system. You could also use it as input to some sort of power generator working off expansion of refrigerant type engine...

[@88njtrigg88]

Concentrated sodium.

[@blueckaym]

That's one of the critical points imo too. If all that energy isn't handled properly it'll be lost at the entrance of the heat chamber. Given that heat doesn't transfer thru vacuum, but light does, I think a glass vacuum bubble around the heater entrance would allow to capture most of the energy from the dish - except for the infrared radiation generated from the high heat. Also if the concentrated power is indeed to high to handle with currently available materials (at reasonable costs) the entrance surface can be increased, perhaps in a spherical shape, so that the sun light isn't concentrated enough to melt the materials, but still reaches the heat chamber.

[@siouxsettewerks]

I think there are many DIYers wanting to do just that, the means are available, the materials are cheap and common! Making it domestic instead of industrial would reduce the joule effect losses that large distribution grids generate, less power per unit, more units, but less losses to distribute Electricity. As many small domestic generators as needed to charge pools of reclaimed lead acid batteries, feeding homes and workplaces's utilities through inverters is a credible path to fuel autonomy!

[@bellaggio1770]

It is unfortunate that this technology is still playing only a marginal role nearly 30 years later, due to the lap dogs of the oil, gas and coal industry. One day I wish to see hundreds of thousands of these lined up in our deserts to supply the entire country with clean power.

[@victorarnault]

I looked for Byron Washom and what happened to him. His is now Director of Strategic Energy Initiatives in Universty of San Diego. Great for him.

[@Eastof2morrow]

Dan:When you have 1500 lbs canterlevered at the focal point, two 3/4 hp drive motors tracking to .1 milliradian and a radiator for the Stirling engine, and an emergency slew system, the parasiitic power all added up to 8% of the gross power produced. One would offsset by the addittional harvest of the daily DNI in two axis rather than single axis or non-tracking (no cosine losses). The net energy efficiency of 29.4% of DNI to electricity to the grid remained unsurpassed for 24 yr. - Byron Washom

[@mightyspuds]

Byron,what was the realistic cost per Kw/hr? Beautiful piece of machinery I must say.

[@waynefilkins8394]

I thought I invented this a year ago...then I find out it was invented THE YEAR I WAS BORN??? Why aren't people using these to power everything? It's actually pretty cheap to make something like this. The mirrors are 1000x cheaper than solar panels, steam engines are pretty damn cheap to build, and the most expensive part would be the batteries for storing power. I get that humans are greedy af but it's even cheap to make so it would probably be a profitable thing to do..

[@christianrigolet3836]

Nothing is cheap, try to buy one of them.

[@mightyspuds]

Agree with Christian

[@lovestudykid]

If you do believe so, why not start a business?

[@majulenparah]

They are in use, suncatcher by tessera, Maricopa plant

[@AndyMatrix]

32 dishes can produce 800kw . that means 25kh each units. that is insane , amazing and awesome right? why we dont have this on our home yet? a 5 kw dish should be enought

[@ahmedalsummary2651]

I do think that the companies of power want let us to have some thing makes them lose

[@701983]

Why not PV instead of it? Noiseless, cheaper, can convert scattered light, needs no tracking system and can be installed simply on a roof, needs no extra free space. And needs probably less maintenance.

[@bullvalene]

PV is half as efficient, requires significantly more expensive and toxic materials to produce, will output even less without tracking, and is probably not cheaper per unit energy. PV also eventually fails. This is mechanical and can be kept going as long as someone with a wrench and oil can is around to keep it going.

[@alextrezvy6889]

Watch Jurgen Kleinwachter's lecture titled "Why low temperature Stirling engines". He mentioned some of the weak spots of PV systems. The points are: 1) Expensive and toxic batteries; 2) Limited battery lifetime; 3) Need of rare materials for batteries; 4) Need of high-tech facilities to produce batteries which are possible only in a few countires; 5) Inability to utilize the rejected heat; 6) Inability to work as a cooling system.

[@701983]

But this is not a "low temperature stirling engine", but a very high temperature stirling Generator. It produces power only with direct irradiation. If you want power in the morning, in the evening, at night or when it is cloudy, you need a kind of backup. With solar stirling generators even more than with PV. Because PV produces power even when it's cloudy. Not very much, but at least some. And modern Li-Ion-Batteries are not considerably toxic.

[@MrCraz6r]

The nwo will never allow the sheep to be independent.

[@vidheha]

I have heard about this marvel years ago but not in so many details. 25KW of power is amazing. (Hydrogen used in Stirling engines as the fluid?)..... But with the fusion of Rankine engines and technologies offered by new environmentally safe fluoro-hydrocarbons, this marvel will be made practical for use if the power and cost is brought down to 10 KW for farm use with storage. Power & Water are the two important necessities for earthly living.

[@rdkater]

1984!!! today 2014 en today nothing!!!

[@701983]

There are similar solar stirling dishes working also today. But they were expensive 1984 and they are still expensive 2014. It's a simple priniciple, what revolutionary progress would you expect?

[@rdkater]

a lot cheaper

[@701983]

rdkater They became cheaper indeed. So did photovoltaics too. I doubt, whether solar stirling systems can lower costs enough to compete with photovoltaics again. Even at sites with high direct irradiation.

[@701983]

***** My native language is german, have you considered this? And english has never been one of my favorite subjects in school. If everybody can understand the content of my postings, I'm satisfied. I know, I will never be a good english writer.

[@701983]

***** Betreffs Muttersprache: Ich dachte, du hättest es vielleicht aufgrund meiner typischen Fehler und durch meinen Namen erraten. Mir ist natürlich bewußt, dass es viele Möglichkeiten gibt, Sprachen zu lernen bzw. Sprachkenntnisse zu verbessern. Aber wie ich schon sagte: Es reicht mir, wenn ich verstanden werde. Und das ist durch mein englisches Geschreibsel vermutlich immer noch besser gewährleistet als wenn ich die Übersetzung der Software hier überlasse.

[@Eastof2morrow]

Nageshwar, I continue to apply my efforts in distributed energy resources and am employed at the University of California San Diego. You might Google UCSD and microgrid to learn more. Thank you for your question. - Byron Washom

[@101perspective]

There are actually solar farms that use this concept. However, they dwarf this thing. There are rows and rows of panels focusing light on a single tower. To give you an idea of the scale, the tower is several stories tall.

[@DR-tn5wo]

Too much energy, too little cost, it is not a business..... DENIED...

[@DormantIdeasNIQ]

I hate idiots who say nothing and sound like 'mine is bigga'. This device in an array would accomplish the same. The principle is there. ...and arrays are space consuming and all fall when the cloud comes by. Separate units spread out strategically, safer, less hogging of the land as they can be installed on existing structures, less of a need for high-power lines(if any at all) to spread the energy! Also tactically safer in case of war damage, and so on and on and on. You still feel big?!

[@charlesnelson8458]

the external combustion is the sun or fuelled flame. thus the name

[@siouxsettewerks]

Take into account the date of this video, the mass involved! Even balanced to avoid needing colossal torque, you still need to counter inertia. The processing power needed is feeble, and can now be done on a single chip instead of a dedicated computer. Lighter materials, better bearings and motors and this 1984 apparatus could get better! Yet, If 92% of the solar power received is converted to electricity, this is COLOSSAL, today's photovoltaic cells are way LESS efficient than this!

[@nandagopaliyengar1258]

Absolutely true

[@richarddimpske1980]

I keep hearing about photovoltaics in the comments. Don't get me wrong photovoltaics are very good but are not for everyone. The two technologies both have their pros and cons. As for those who keep saying solar sterling is expensive. Well lol photovoltaic is also tremendously expensive . A 3kw pv system will run you well over 8 grand. That's part one. Two , is that that number 3 kw is when all conditions are perfect. Every solar enthusiast knows that pv's drop under 50% production in power when they get hot . Three, they are more space consuming than solar thermal. To be fair to pv's they make no noise, and can blend beautifully with the roof. If I lived in a suburbs I would get a off grid pv system hands down, had I the money. I presently own a small 300 w pv system that I have attached to a battery bank of 3 kw to run my aquaponics pumps and computer, so I'm actually a fan of pv. I know all too well the shortcomings of a pv system. Now onto the solar thermal. The real problem here is not that it's so expensive, it's that it undergoes two conversions from thermal to mechanical, from mechanical to electrical encountering losses along the way. The second problem is while its not too loud it still can be heard. To be fair to the s.t since its seeking heat and not light, a supplemental heat system can be utilized to produce power at night( you don't need 600+c° to produce electricity). In closing these are two different systems. One converts light to electricity, the other converts heat. I don't care which one makes a break through I just care that they do. Pv's only make one conversion and even at that are very inefficient at only 11-17%. And sterling are very technical and not easy to make( another reason for a steep price). It's not beneficial to get emotionally invested in a particular technology and become a die hard advocate for it, then attack every idea you don't like......that's the reason we suffer from oil tycoon tyranny right now. Rather let people do their own thing and if it works wonderful if not on to the next thing.

[@ericsanjuan4901]

some people don't understand how pv works. you can totally use "pv" as the mirrors. the pv will absorb the smaller wavelengths and, with the correct coating, can reflect the longer wavelengths, i.e. heat. before you call someone stupid make sure your not sounding stupid... jerk

[@blueckaym]

This might be interesting to read: ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19840020173.pdf There're some point to optimize in this engine, which imo lead to that low efficiency (perhaps not too low for 1984, but for today standards)

[@joeseabert8391]

Sterling engine from solar heat. Great. Using steam engine technology over 200 years old using mirror array over 2000 years old.

[@togowack]

Stirling engines going to make a come back no water consumption very little maint no moving parts highly efficient. Easy and cheap to make but with precision.

[@joeseabert8391]

@@togowack no moving parts? Lol. It’s a great toy. Now scale it and produce HP and torque

[@togowack]

@@joeseabert8391 Hi, you scale it by multiple cylinders, and a single engine is able to produce 500 watts. That will do, the key is that the engine can take any type of fuel, during a time when the world is coming off of gasonline.

[@sinephase]

It's mind boggling how much they subsidize PV over this tech...

[@richardwagner8498]

With this tech you still need to maintain it this is where the cost sky rockets.

[@guitaryoder1]

WOW! We could use these engines to pump more oil.

[@Anon_jonn]

Mr. Washom, What is the difference in efficiency in comparison to photovoltaic solar cells?

[@mightyspuds]

In 2019,solar cells must squash this in costs.

[@byronwashom9338]

You misinterpret the statement of 8% of the energy generated for parasitic power. The parasitic power included the tracking of 1500 lb Stirling Engine canter levered at the focal point with a tracking accuracy of 3 milliradians in 20 mph wind. Plus the radiator fan load for the Stirling Engine, system control instrumentation, and the emerging slew system in case of grid outage. And that's why the net energy conversion efficiency of 29.4% of solar to grid remained unsurpassed for 24 yrs.

[@mightyspuds]

I still contend cost and/or marketing was the failure of this device.Such a fantastic machine.

[@heithm38]

I live very close to several wind turbine farms in Oregon, and Washington. I do not know why these solar dishes are not also integrate into this system. In Arlington Oregon, and try-cities Washington hace lots os sun. I think that this could increases power output in these places.

[@NoName-gw9oy]

Unfassbar - vor 37 Jahren über 90% und heute ist man in der Photovoltaik stolz auf 30%.

[@701983]

Das "92% efficient" bezieht sich natürlich nicht auf den Wirkungsgrad der Umwandlung von Solarenergie in Elektrizität, sondern auf den Nettoanteil an der Bruttostromproduktion, der nach Abzug des Bedarfs für das Trackingsystem für eine Netzeinspeisung/Nutzung übrig bleibt. Wie man auf 7:26 sehen kann (Sonneneinstrahlung und Stromproduktion), liegt der Wirkungsgrad nicht weit über 20%. So oder so, entscheidend sind die Kosten pro Stromertrag, nicht der Wirkungsgrad. Und diesbezüglich ist Photovoltaik heute unschlagbar.

[@701983]

Nachträglich bemerkte ich den Rekordwert von 29,4% in der Videobeschreibung. Aber das ist wie gesagt nur ein Rekordwert und bezieht sich zweitens auf die Bruttostromproduktion, ohne Abzug des Strombedarfs der Anlage selbst. Und insbesondere in Regionen mit häufiger Bewölkung ist noch zu betonen, dass solche Anlagen anders als Photovoltaik nur direkte Sonneneinstrahlung verwerten können, kein diffuses Licht. Damit geht in Ländern wie z.B. Deutschland ein großer Teil des potenziellen Ertrags verloren, der "effektive Wirkungsgrad" (Stromertrag pro Lichterntefläche) sinkt unter den von stinknormaler Photovoltaik (polykristallines Silizium). Will man nur direktes Sonnenlicht nutzen, gäbe es dann übrigens auch noch die konzentrierte Photovoltaik (CPV) als weitere Option mit hohem Umwandlungs-Wirkungsgrad. Da liegt der höchste Modul-Wirkungsgrad derzeit bei 41,4%. Aber wie gesagt, da normale Photovoltaik bzw. normale Solarmodule so billig geworden sind, sind Systeme, die auf Tracking angewiesen sind, nicht mehr konkurrenzfähig.

[@giovannifoulmouth7205]

Cool story bro

[@yamandupagliano1807]

Stirling engine are not external combustión engines since there is not combustión at all.

[@shajujey]

hello brother... can you please post the circuit diagram of the tracking system u used?

[@marcoserbe1]

For large scale projects a Solar Island (Google!) could be used and, at night, the Stirling Generator could use fuels to power it. Solar heat could also be stored in molten salt tanks.

[@stonkshell8043]

I am watching now on 2021😂

[@rakeshkchauhan]

instead of records, shouldnt we concentrate on practicality and costs. Not just the cost of system but the cost of maintenance and longivity too,,,,and perhaps the photovoltaic cell are becoming winner. a mechanical system almost certainly gives regular breakdowns and has limited life span whereas if there are no movements it can go on and on............well curious what is going to win...but this engine is what attracts me

[@Eastof2morrow]

For those of you curious as to what I have been up to the past 12 years, I have served as Director of Strategic Energy Initiatives at UC San Diego. Here is a video of our accomplishments. Onward, Byron Washom kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJWTeYCEaZ1khJY

[@chasmarischen4459]

Some would say it was 'Bought & Buried'. Just like the National Enquirer does. But Solar Panels are far more simple.

[@commoguru]

Less efficient. takes up more space & requires more maintenance.

[@TheSkyballs]

but it doesn't take specialty equipment, this is available to any human with simple items if needed. solar panels require more technical and specific rare tools

[@mightyspuds]

You are right Karl.Cant get simpler than pointing solar panels at the sun.Trackers made economic sense when when solar power was 8-15 dollars a watt,at 35 cents a watt trackers make no sense.

[@701983]

It's a really cool technology, but expensive. In the 80ies, it was maybe a real competitor to solar cells. But nowadays, photovoltaics is probably the much cheaper solar power.

[@ExtremeskierX]

So gross output is about 32% net is 29.4 thats fantastic! Do you mean conversion efficiency before transformer output or point of use?

[@amplecrayon9724]

Too bad these things aren't as common as solar panels. smh >:L

[@DanFrederiksen]

I'm not misinterpreting anything. He states that is uses 8% of the power for tracking the sun. That can be done better. Think about the power on that area compared to the speed. It's so slow that you can't see its movement. it should only take a couple of watts.

[@chimpchowder5774]

No matter how efficient it's still way to costly. A million dollar solar dish that can only power 15 houses. What a joke. Just a science project.

[@DanFrederiksen]

you mean kWh. not kW/h. and yes it most certainly is bizarrely unreasonable. tracking the sun is extremely slow movement. if it does indeed use 8% then it's piss poor engineering.

[@bcmasur]

1984

[@101perspective]

You might want to read what I was replying too before commenting... ESPECIALLY if you plan to label the person as an idiot. They were claiming that this technology was never used. I was just pointing out that someone took this idea and moved forward with it. Not only did they move forward with this idea but they have done it in a BIG way. The wild thing is that you seem to be agreeing with me. There is nothing like someone calling themselves an idiot without even realizing it... lol.

[@ExtremeskierX]

Very true, people think the southwest is the only place for solar but here in Michigan it is just as good because they run cooler even in winter sun they have great output. Keeping them below 70 degrees I think is best but I have no idea what the best OP temp is. Of course a cooling fan or water spray would cost part of that energy. Allowing them to run too hot will decrease there life. Batteries I find are a problem keeping alive for much more than year. Do you have any facts about desulfators?

[@richardbearden7889]

I want one....but like a MW one of those....I mean why not get paid for adding a little extra power on the grid....

[@moncorp1]

I left my wallet in El Segundo

[@P10101G]

Nice. Amazing that they are even bigger now days.

[@garyjohnson4657]

What is the cost of installed unit ?? These are not setup and forget machines, meaning, they are not suitable for private use.

[@1foxtrot70]

AH... silly us thinking that a product like this would be fast tracked into use. With the power companies in control solar and wind power are not as sexy as nuclear and coal.

[@الكترود.الوافيالذماري]

Explain in detail the components of the solar dish collector head, its reflectors, and the steam hoses.

[@unclearless]

Interesting. You can now get about 3000 degrees for FREE from an old TV's Fresnel lens that is flat and about two pounds and 4 foot by three foot, and it call follow the sun with simple parts from an electronics store for around $30-50 bucks. I bet this was over a million. But hey, it is awesome they were trying before it was all figured out! Major Kudos!

[@ME-rv1pw]

23% efficiency for solar power was pretty good for 1984

[@CNCPRINTBLOGSPOT]

29,4%

[@bryncomeaux]

cheap cheap and cheaper low cost per btu all this high tech stuff is a big load of poop .

[@giovinis]

Puts eu penssei que essa ideia ninguem ainda tinha tido mais fui surprendido tenho projetos tambem de comecar a fazer essas antenas e vendelas por uma fracao dos atuais carissimos paineis solares

[@DanFrederiksen]

btw solar panels are just so much better than a mechanical system

[@siouxsettewerks]

Read the definition of inertia! Specifically inertial mass: F=ma The force you impart is a product of the acceleration (meagre), and the mass, Tons! If the conversion efficiency is in the more plausible realm of around 30%, parasitic power used for tracking is 8% of ~30%: 0.08*30=2.4% 2.4 % of the peak received energy to track is not THAT bad, not good, yet not delirious! This puts the actual efficiency of a 30yo device in the 25 to 27% range, compared to ~21% for current photovoltaic cells!

[@Kitchenopathy]

if the reflective surface contain silicon cells they can supply the power to run the system could b checked for feasibility

[@nageshwarraovelpula1570]

what vangard why youare not gone full fredge so maneyyears sitted sailent

[@frodrigues2008]

Hey.....i would like to have a Solar Company that build large Satellites with curved mirrors....these Satellites would work on electricity so their fully autonomous and "mirrored" light back to produce electricity..

[@Rocksaplenty]

Problem you'll encounter is the tremendous cost per pound to send things into space.

[@lylestavast7652]

James Thomas and aiming with atmospheric distortions constantly varying...

[@chimpchowder5774]

beatifull mind in matrix haha yeah and one malfunction and you just put a freaking Black stripe across the land and made many a instant BBQ and popped corn

[@Rotorzilla]

Byron, Is your system only a technology demonstrator? Are you ever going to be open to production units? With the loss of SES, and now last week Infinia solor filled chap 11. It seams that solar stirling keeps getting knocked down. Maybe it should be released on the residential scale and not just targeting utility level farms. I know my self if I had a choice in buying PVP and CSP I would pick solar stiring.

[@timernst8909]

Tell the world!!!

[@mightyspuds]

Looks expensive to me,maybe thats why we dont see them?

[@deezynar]

It's more efficient to run my washing machine directly off of mechanical power, rather than converting mechanical power to electrical power then back to mechanical power again.

[@texiceman]

Was... What happened to this company? & The Vanguard?

[@antonioferreira-yk2hc]

We can do it in Portugal, its the best way to maky energie. Cam the Stirling Energye Inc., sale this in Portugal.

[@symalus]

Serious question and thank you for your time, pardon my ignorance please. Why are large sheet magnifiers never used in this type of generator? Also given the advances in circuitry, p.c. cooling systems, and microturbines (M.I.T) why can this system not be miniaturized to say the size of a home satellite dish and installed on homes?

[@coreycarpenter2489]

Because the usable sun energy is about about 1000w per square meter depending on location, season and sky conditions. If you have a 1sqm dish that reflected all that light/heat you'd only get 40% of that at best. Likely closer to 30%. Sure they are about as good as photo-voltaic cells but they also have more wear and tear and produce more noise even if they are quite quiet. So in theory they technically could, but is it worth it? There is less wastage with these engines as 99% of them could be recycled or scrapped. Still I wouldn't be surprised if someone got one out on the market.

[@Simonsiempie]

Wow...

[@emixiak]

High definition in 1984.

[@DanFrederiksen]

What rpm did you run those motors at and what gear ratio? and did they run continuously?

[@byronwashom9338]

Dan, The area of the dish is 1000 sq ft operating in wind loads up in the 20-30 mph range. Plus you have a canter levered weight of 1500 lbs at the focal pt that is one of the greatest concentrations of sunlight on the face of the earth. We only used two 3/4 hp motors to drive the system with 3 milliradian tracking accuracy. If you think you can accomplish this in watts, you should earnest pursue your invention.

[@weld-deluxltd7635]

Thanks for your work! I really hope i can create something similar in the future, simply because it is awesome

[@DanFrederiksen]

Try to understand how slowly it moves. Go outside, look at a shadow. See its blistering motion.. there is no inertia and you never counter what little is there. and we are not talking about 92% efficient conversion. that's a misunderstanding.

[@jyllvalade9163]

Hey your site is blocked by some spam pop up, check your address.

[@zeg0195]

What is vangarde website

[@forestchild3511]

Perfect for a lot get started

[@jpmorgan187]

all those electronics at 4:25 can be replaced with an arduino

[@lylestavast7652]

easily, for the positioning side anyway. Still getting the utility grade power output suitable for grid delivery is going to require some space as well - but that world has changed a ton in the last 35-40 years too...

[@hantzu1675]

This technology is good to be used in a hot desert,

[@silvercam1]

Hi can a regular person buy one of these?

[@timernst8909]

Can I buy a system??

[@fz6734]

The higher the temperature the higher the potential efficiency. There is no reason why the dish should not be covered with suitably wired solar cells which would also act as reflectors to provide heat at the focus where a heat pipe would link the focus to the Stirling motor at the back of the dish. Alternately thermoelectric modules could be used instead of the Stirling motor which would operate at their optimum temperature gradient through another self-regulating mechanism. They could be attached to the rear of the dish thus absorbing any heat from the back of the solar cells. In fact given some silicon fabrication know-how it should be possible to integrate the thermoelectric cells together with the solar cells thus keeping them cool and so increasing their efficiency.

[@adrienperie6119]

Please shut up, as you don't have a clue what you're talking about, and are making a fool of yourself.

[@bullvalene]

To understand why you are making no sense, imagine if the PV "reflectors" were perfectly efficient and converted all of the solar energy to electricity, tell me then what would be left to reflect? You cannot just keep using the same photons to make more energy that would be double dipping. You are adding huge complexity to a system for no reason. We do not have to suck every milliwatt out of every square inch of ground yet.

[@poolmotorrepairguyFL]

WHO cleans the mirrors ?

[@Hesbonful]

Is this technology ali/ advanced since then? Or it dissapeared together with the inventors ?

[@701983]

There was some progress, but after the radical price decline of photovoltaics, solar stirling dishes can't compete any more.

[@SolarCookingGermany]

Look up Scheffler mirrors, e.g. the India Solar One power plant. Or for cooking, Shirdi Mahakitchen

[@vanhetgoor]

This must have been terribly expensive. Yesterday I visited a cousin, he has solar panels on his house, he told me yesterday that his daily gain was that day 24 kW. That is the same amount of energy for a fraction of the costs.

[@701983]

You possibly mixed up power (kW) with energy (kWh). The nominal power (peak power) of this dish is 25 kW. This means, with e.g. 10 hours of perfect irradiation, the gain would be 250 kWh. Nevertheless you are right. Nowadays, photovoltaic systems are much cheaper than solar stirling dishes, related to their production of electricity. Especially in rather cloudy countries, because PV can utilize scattered light, which solar stirling dishes can't.

[@vanhetgoor]

Yeah, sometimes my fingers go to quickly over the keyboard, indeed there is a letter missing. But through the context it should have been clear anyway. I meant kWh!

[@701983]

Anyway, "the same amount of energy" was wrong. Vanguard: 25 kWh within 1 hour of full insolation (25 kW x 1 h). Your cousin's PV-plant: 24 kWh within one sunny (?) day in february. In South Africa? This means many hours of insolation. Probably, this solar stirling dish would rather be comparable to your cousin's PV-plant: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5y2hGt5lNupidU 3,3 kW nominal power, which should easily produce 24 kWh within a sunny summer day. But you can't buy it, the company filed for bankruptcy in the year 2013. Maybe, because PV became so much cheaper at this time.

[@breatheasy06]

Company is dissolved

[@rimar2000]

I think with 336 mirrors you CAN NOT have more than 336:1 concentration. And probably you obtain far less than that. Anyway, excellent work, congratulations.

[@rimar2000]

rimar2000 Osvaldo J. Schiavoni Unless non-flat mirrors...

[@innovativeworldnet]

rimar2000 Osvaldo J. Schiavoni Are not flap mirror, u didnt listen when they said slightly curve to the foam bed. Then 2700 (x times) / 336 mirrors = 8.03 times per mirror = around 5 metres distance from the surface mirrors to the focal point could be possible. The weird thing in this world are than stupid primates "dominates" with ignorancy... weak depends on weakers... strong evolutive depends on their own.

[@innovativeworldnet]

rimar2000 Osvaldo J. Schiavoni I meaning in 2015 we even not have this prototypes and we are far away 30 years.

[@rimar2000]

Gastón GalaxyWorldNet Pardon, I don't speak English, I speak Spanish. I can read almost well written English, but when I hear it I understand very few phrases.

[@efegomez]

rimar2000 Osvaldo J. Schiavoni they say the mirror are curved

[@quicksilverhorseman2]

the reason these are not seen everywhere is that they are too costly to build. even if they reduce the size to something the average homeowner can use, the cost is still prohibitive. for what it would cost to purchase one of their systems that will break down in a few years, he can buy coal powered electricity from the utility company for the rest of his life!

[@sinephase]

8KW/h out of every 100KW/h of energy converted to track the sun with a massive dish like that isn't that unreasonable.

[@mortimersnead5821]

If Jimmy Carter had been reelected, petroleum would be past tense as we speak.

[@kennethcrommett7704]

Put glass bilding around it.you get lot more heat.

[@CNCPRINTBLOGSPOT]

you need also cooling ;-)

[@kamisamaz]

92% efficient... my ass!

[@markbowles2382]

i dont know how practical it would be for line voltage on the earths surface, but i bet those boys from nasa were tickled over that thing and probably bought hard into it (if they didnt have it already), it seems like space would be much more practical place for it, still, very cool, thanks for the upload.

[@theterribleanimator1793]

Mark Bowles not really, it need the gases of the atmosphere to cool it down, having the entire engine to overheat would stop it.

[@zteffff1]

What happened?!

[@aStrayforMyTime]

hey not 30 yet

[@platonp1436]

its 33 now! 17 December 2017 :D AHAHAHH :D

[@platonp1436]

17.12.17 Today :D mmmmmmmmmm :)

[@MultiCrusty]

I'm so curieus if such would work in space, powering and heating/cooling the ISS would seem childsplay with such a construction. Much easier to maintain but might blast itself out of orbit ? Maybe even blasting tornado's ... freewheeling here so my apologies for any stupdity.

[@doceigen]

Magnifying glass and a leaf? A LEAF!? The real science nerds did this with ants and other bugs, we were... INSECT GODS!

[@bcmasur]

the reason someone uploaded this is for anti-green propoganda. This video is from the 1980s.

[@CreazioniPinnacolo]

that 8% number is wrong. and if its not wrong then this thing makes no power and is very inefficient. (it was 1984)