Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Technology => Topic started by: neilep on 28/12/2009 16:59:29
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Dearest Peeps Of Extraordinary Knowledge Accumulation De Le Academia,
As a sheepy I of course luff solar panels and parabolic mirrors. They are a few of the first and last things I think about every single day !
Look,here's some !
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Parabolic Mirrors & Solar Panels Earlier Today
Nice eh ?...being delivered next Tuesday !
Yep, check em out...as far as solar collecting things go they are babes !! Oh yes they are ..oh my !!
What is the difference between the way they collect light ?..and what are the advantages and disadvantages that they have over each other ?..the only thing I can think of is that a parabolic mirror can cook scrambled eggs in it !..or can't it ?
Ewe see, I don't know !..hence my having both systems installed next Tuesday ..do ewe know ?
Can ewe help ?
Ta
Hugs & shmishes
mwah mwah mwah
Neil
And Sheepy Said "Let There Be Light"..and there was light...and it was like...well good !!
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Er, well, one is like flat, and the other is kind of bent.
Oh! You mean how do they work?
Well, the parabolshie parahandy parawotsit one works by crocusing focusing infernalred infantred infrared radio frequently frequencies so that the heat obtained from the Sun is consternated constipated concentrated on to a pipe thingy that contains water or something. The water boils and is used to drive a steam engine (turbine) which then drives a generator to produce hummy electricity.
The flat spaniels panels on the other hand collect ultrasonic ultraviolent ultraviolet radio frequencies from the Sun and use the energy to release electrons in the panels, thereby causing an electric current to flow which can, after some electronic malarkey, be used to power your electric blanket or toaster.
The ultraviolet wiggly things actually have a bit more energy associated with them than the infrared wiggly things which is good, but the panels are not all that efficient at converting them into energy. The good news is the panels have no moving parts. All the conversion stuff can be done with trannies and other electrobits.
The parawotsits have to be moved to track the sun as it orbits the Earth (maybe it's the other way around?) otherwise the energy won't be focused on the pipe thingy, and that calls for some fancy kit that has to be maintained. Also the steam engine needs plenty of maintenance and the water has to be kept in the pipes and treated and stuff. So, the parawotsit version is probably only effective for large scale installations, whereas the panels can be stuck on a roof and largely ignored, except for a bit of cleaning from time to time.
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Gosh !..not only have ewe answered my question but ewe have identified my faux pas when I first questioned it !
I originally thought it was a load of parabollocks but ewe have shown me the light !
So, the parawotsits just focus their light onto a pipe or thingy ?...I guess this could be a quick way to cook a marshmallow yes ?
Do ewe know the specifics of the specs of the beams produced by parabolic mirrors ?
Thank ewe Geezer...ewe are klevur and ewe know stuff !
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I guess this could be a quick way to cook a marshmallow yes ?
Yup. You can melt just about anything by focusing enough energy from the Sun on to a small area. There are furnaces that take advantage of that.
Do ewe know the specifics of the specs of the beams produced by parabolic mirrors ?
Do you mean the amount of energy they produce? If so, I suppose it's not too difficult to calculate. We know how much radiant heat arrives on one square meter of the Earth from the Sun at a given latitude (assuming no clouds etc.) So, if we know the aperture of the parawotsit mirrors, we could figure it out.
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Thermal solar power plants that focus the Suns energy with the aid of parabolic reflectors onto pipes containing a working fluid have one big advantage.
After the Sun goes down a great deal of energy is stored in the working fluid that can be used to generate power overnight.
They are also more environment friendly than solar cells that generate a great deal of noxious waste in their manufacture.
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After the Sun goes down a great deal of energy is stored in the working fluid that can be used to generate power overnight.
I did know they had the means to do that. Where do they store the energy?
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They have large insulated tanks wherein the hot working fluid is stored so that they can continue to run the generators for quite a while.
This is a very cheap form of storage much cheaper than batteries or Hydrogen generation.