Talk:Sun-tracking - Revision history

Zawy: /* Sun concentrator for water heat storage */

2011-08-01T19:02:27Z

Sun concentrator for water heat storage

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:02, 1 August 2011
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	==Sun concentrator for water heat storage==		==Sun concentrator for water heat storage==
	If living areas are not properly designed, or if more heating for night is needed for living or greenhouse, heating of water provides ideal heat storage. Water storage "tank" would be a plastic-lined hole, buried under the greenhouse. A radiator could be movable to provide heat anywhere. The storage tank can serve as double-duty for water storage. 300 gallons at 120 F (34 kWhr starting from 70 F) are needed to keep a typical R-15 1,000 sq ft house warm overnight, so 3,000 gallons for 10 cloudy days is not overkill (three 4x8 areas, 5 feet deep). Each 100 gallons requires one 4x8 sun collection area to bring it up to temp, so 3,000 gallons is 30 4x8 apertures areas of parabolic trough. 8 feet high is reasonable, so that's 2 rows 60 feet long, covering as much land area as the 1,000 sq ft house. 100 kW of sun exposure in summer. [[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 20:57, 1 August 2011 (CEST)		If living areas are not properly designed, or if more heating for night is needed for living or greenhouse, heating of water provides ideal heat storage. Water storage "tank" would be a plastic-lined hole (insulation not really needed), buried under the attached greenhouse if not the center of the house. A large car-type radiator could be movable to provide heat anywhere. The storage tank can serve as double-duty for water storage. 300 gallons at 120 F (34 kWhr starting from 70 F) are needed to keep a typical R-15 1,000 sq ft house warm overnight, so 3,000 gallons for 10 cloudy days is not overkill (three 4x8 areas, 5 feet deep). Each 100 gallons requires one 4x8 sun collection area to bring it up to temp, so 3,000 gallons is 30 4x8 apertures areas of parabolic trough. 8 feet high is reasonable, so that's 2 rows 60 feet long, covering as much land area as the 1,000 sq ft house it is warming. 100 kW of sun exposure in summer for the steam engine. [[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 20:57, 1 August 2011 (CEST)

	==Parabolic trough needs to be parallel to ground==		==Parabolic trough needs to be parallel to ground==
	I've seen several DIY parabolic trough designs that are not parallel to the ground. This defeats 2 main reasons for the trough: 1) you don't waste land or get shadows side-to-side and 2) altitude adjustment is much smaller that azimuth adjustment (60 degrees over the course of a day instead of 160). This lessens accuracy requirements. There is waste on the ends from this benefit, so longer troughs are better. [[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 17:28, 31 July 2011 (CEST)		I've seen several DIY parabolic trough designs that are not parallel to the ground. This defeats 2 main reasons for the trough: 1) you don't waste land or get shadows side-to-side and 2) altitude adjustment is much smaller that azimuth adjustment (60 degrees over the course of a day instead of 160). This lessens accuracy requirements. There is waste on the ends from this benefit, so longer troughs are better. [[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 17:28, 31 July 2011 (CEST)

Zawy: /* Parabolic dish is best for steam because it allows for simple tracking solution */

2011-08-01T18:57:48Z

Parabolic dish is best for steam because it allows for simple tracking solution

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:57, 1 August 2011
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	Could you do both, calculate where the sun should approximately be and then use feedback to accurately place it? [[User:Catprog\|Catprog]] 15:16, 28 July 2011 (CEST)		Could you do both, calculate where the sun should approximately be and then use feedback to accurately place it? [[User:Catprog\|Catprog]] 15:16, 28 July 2011 (CEST)

	== Parabolic dish ~~is best for steam because it~~ allows for simple tracking ~~solution~~ ==		== Parabolic dish allows for very simple sun tracking ==
	Instead of the Solar Fire's P32 method, I would use a parabolic dish which will be more powerful in early morning and late afternoon, capturing a lot more area. ~~The~~ support point would need to be 3 meters above the ground and strong enough for winds as the top edge of the dish would be 6 meters above the ground. Use an equatorial axis that is adjusted once every few days and you only need 1 axis of solar tracking instead of the P32's 5 different adjustments every 10 minutes or so. Physically aim it in the morning at say 9 am, ~~then adjust a single potentiometer at 3 pm~~ and ~~you're good~~ to ~~go indefinitely as long as~~ the ~~timer remains on time~~. This assumes equatorial axis that is adjust every week. Receiver "bucket" of water will be 1.5 meters from dish's center support point.[[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 16:16, 31 July 2011 (CEST)		Instead of the Solar Fire's P32 method, I would use a parabolic dish which will be more powerful in early morning and late afternoon, capturing a lot more area. For 32 kW (peak) the support point would need to be 3 meters above the ground and strong enough for winds as the top edge of the dish would be 6 meters above the ground. Use an equatorial axis that is adjusted once every few days and you only need 1 axis of solar tracking instead of the P32's 5 different adjustments every 10 minutes or so. Physically aim it in the morning at say 9 am, and it remains perfect to within the accuracy of the clock. This assumes equatorial axis that is adjust every week. Receiver "bucket" of water will be 1.5 meters from dish's center support point.

			==Parabolic Trough for Serious Power==
			For serious steam (300 kW) parabolic trough is needed. This is better than heliostats because heliostats require 2-axis tracking for every mirror. The drawback is that it requires glass-enclosed light receiver pipes, and parabolic mirrors (curved special-surface aluminum, mirror slats, or aluminized mylar (very light)). The biggest advantage will be that only a timer is need to control altitude, which needs to be only 1/3 as accurate as azimuth axis since the change in angle is only about 50 usable degrees on most days. Since you can't do equatorial axis with trough, the timer may need three potentiometer adjustments (morning start, mid-day peak, and stop point) to be change once every few days in spring and fall (less sensitive in summer and winter). Trough may also be optimal and serve double-duty for brick firing as I mentioned elsewhere on a CEB discussion page. [[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 16:16, 31 July 2011 (CEST)

			==Sun concentrator for water heat storage==
			If living areas are not properly designed, or if more heating for night is needed for living or greenhouse, heating of water provides ideal heat storage. Water storage "tank" would be a plastic-lined hole, buried under the greenhouse. A radiator could be movable to provide heat anywhere. The storage tank can serve as double-duty for water storage. 300 gallons at 120 F (34 kWhr starting from 70 F) are needed to keep a typical R-15 1,000 sq ft house warm overnight, so 3,000 gallons for 10 cloudy days is not overkill (three 4x8 areas, 5 feet deep). Each 100 gallons requires one 4x8 sun collection area to bring it up to temp, so 3,000 gallons is 30 4x8 apertures areas of parabolic trough. 8 feet high is reasonable, so that's 2 rows 60 feet long, covering as much land area as the 1,000 sq ft house. 100 kW of sun exposure in summer. [[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 20:57, 1 August 2011 (CEST)

	==Parabolic trough needs to be parallel to ground==		==Parabolic trough needs to be parallel to ground==
	I've seen several DIY parabolic trough designs that are not parallel to the ground. This defeats 2 main reasons for the trough: 1) you don't waste land or get shadows side-to-side and 2) altitude adjustment is much smaller that azimuth adjustment (60 degrees over the course of a day instead of 160). This lessens accuracy requirements. There is waste on the ends from this benefit, so longer troughs are better. [[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 17:28, 31 July 2011 (CEST)		I've seen several DIY parabolic trough designs that are not parallel to the ground. This defeats 2 main reasons for the trough: 1) you don't waste land or get shadows side-to-side and 2) altitude adjustment is much smaller that azimuth adjustment (60 degrees over the course of a day instead of 160). This lessens accuracy requirements. There is waste on the ends from this benefit, so longer troughs are better. [[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 17:28, 31 July 2011 (CEST)

Zawy: /* Parabolic trough needs to be parallel to ground */

2011-07-31T15:28:56Z

Parabolic trough needs to be parallel to ground

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:28, 31 July 2011
Line 11:		Line 11:

	==Parabolic trough needs to be parallel to ground==		==Parabolic trough needs to be parallel to ground==
	I've seen several DIY parabolic trough designs that are not parallel to the ground. This defeats 2 main reasons for the trough: 1) you don't waste land or get shadows side-to-side and 2) altitude adjustment is much smaller that azimuth adjustment (60 degrees over the course of a day instead of 160). There is waste on the ends from this benefit, so longer troughs are better. [[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 17:28, 31 July 2011 (CEST)		I've seen several DIY parabolic trough designs that are not parallel to the ground. This defeats 2 main reasons for the trough: 1) you don't waste land or get shadows side-to-side and 2) altitude adjustment is much smaller that azimuth adjustment (60 degrees over the course of a day instead of 160). This lessens accuracy requirements. There is waste on the ends from this benefit, so longer troughs are better. [[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 17:28, 31 July 2011 (CEST)

Zawy: /* Parabolic trough needs to be parallel to ground*/

2011-07-31T15:28:06Z

Parabolic trough needs to be parallel to ground

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:28, 31 July 2011
Line 8:		Line 8:

	== Parabolic dish is best for steam because it allows for simple tracking solution ==		== Parabolic dish is best for steam because it allows for simple tracking solution ==
	Instead of the Solar Fire's P32 method, I would use a parabolic dish which will be more powerful in early morning and late afternoon, capturing a lot more area. The support point would need to be 3 meters above the ground and strong enough for winds as the top edge of the dish would be 6 meters above the ground. Use an equatorial axis that is adjusted once every few days and you only need 1 axis of solar tracking instead of the P32's 5 different adjustments every 10 minutes or so. Physically aim it in the morning at say 9 am, then adjust a single potentiometer at 3 pm and you're good to go indefinitely as long as the timer remains on time. This assumes equatorial axis that is adjust every week. Receiver "bucket" of water will be 1.5 meters from dish's center support point. [[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 16:16, 31 July 2011 (CEST)		Instead of the Solar Fire's P32 method, I would use a parabolic dish which will be more powerful in early morning and late afternoon, capturing a lot more area. The support point would need to be 3 meters above the ground and strong enough for winds as the top edge of the dish would be 6 meters above the ground. Use an equatorial axis that is adjusted once every few days and you only need 1 axis of solar tracking instead of the P32's 5 different adjustments every 10 minutes or so. Physically aim it in the morning at say 9 am, then adjust a single potentiometer at 3 pm and you're good to go indefinitely as long as the timer remains on time. This assumes equatorial axis that is adjust every week. Receiver "bucket" of water will be 1.5 meters from dish's center support point.[[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 16:16, 31 July 2011 (CEST)

			==Parabolic trough needs to be parallel to ground==
			I've seen several DIY parabolic trough designs that are not parallel to the ground. This defeats 2 main reasons for the trough: 1) you don't waste land or get shadows side-to-side and 2) altitude adjustment is much smaller that azimuth adjustment (60 degrees over the course of a day instead of 160). There is waste on the ends from this benefit, so longer troughs are better. [[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 17:28, 31 July 2011 (CEST)

Zawy: /* Parabolic dish is best for steam because it allows for simple tracking solution */

2011-07-31T14:18:04Z

Parabolic dish is best for steam because it allows for simple tracking solution

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:18, 31 July 2011
Line 8:		Line 8:

	== Parabolic dish is best for steam because it allows for simple tracking solution ==		== Parabolic dish is best for steam because it allows for simple tracking solution ==
	Instead of the Solar Fire's P32 method, I would use a parabolic dish which will be more powerful in early morning and late afternoon, capturing a lot more area. The support point would need to be 3 meters above the ground and strong enough for winds as the top edge of the dish would be 6 meters above the ground. Use an equatorial axis that is adjusted once every few days and you only need 1 axis of solar tracking instead of the P32's 5 different adjustments every 10 minutes or so. Physically aim it in the morning at say 9 am, then adjust a single potentiometer at 3 pm and you're good to go indefinitely as long as the timer remains on time. This assumes equatorial axis that is adjust every week. Receiver bucket of water will be 1.5 meters from dish's center support point. [[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 16:16, 31 July 2011 (CEST)		Instead of the Solar Fire's P32 method, I would use a parabolic dish which will be more powerful in early morning and late afternoon, capturing a lot more area. The support point would need to be 3 meters above the ground and strong enough for winds as the top edge of the dish would be 6 meters above the ground. Use an equatorial axis that is adjusted once every few days and you only need 1 axis of solar tracking instead of the P32's 5 different adjustments every 10 minutes or so. Physically aim it in the morning at say 9 am, then adjust a single potentiometer at 3 pm and you're good to go indefinitely as long as the timer remains on time. This assumes equatorial axis that is adjust every week. Receiver "bucket" of water will be 1.5 meters from dish's center support point. [[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 16:16, 31 July 2011 (CEST)

Zawy: /* Parabolic dish is best for steam because it allows for simple tracking solution */

2011-07-31T14:17:40Z

Parabolic dish is best for steam because it allows for simple tracking solution

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:17, 31 July 2011
Line 8:		Line 8:

	== Parabolic dish is best for steam because it allows for simple tracking solution ==		== Parabolic dish is best for steam because it allows for simple tracking solution ==
	Instead of the Solar Fire's P32 method, I would use a parabolic dish which will be more powerful in early morning and late afternoon, capturing a lot more area. The support point would need to be 3 meters above the ground and strong enough for winds as the top edge of the dish would be 6 meters above the ground. Use an equatorial axis that is adjusted once every few days and you only need 1 axis of solar tracking instead of the P32's 5 different adjustments every 10 minutes or so. Physically aim it in the morning at say 9 am, then adjust a single potentiometer at 3 pm and you're good to go indefinitely as long as the timer remains on time. This assumes equatorial axis that is adjust every week. [[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 16:16, 31 July 2011 (CEST)		Instead of the Solar Fire's P32 method, I would use a parabolic dish which will be more powerful in early morning and late afternoon, capturing a lot more area. The support point would need to be 3 meters above the ground and strong enough for winds as the top edge of the dish would be 6 meters above the ground. Use an equatorial axis that is adjusted once every few days and you only need 1 axis of solar tracking instead of the P32's 5 different adjustments every 10 minutes or so. Physically aim it in the morning at say 9 am, then adjust a single potentiometer at 3 pm and you're good to go indefinitely as long as the timer remains on time. This assumes equatorial axis that is adjust every week. Receiver bucket of water will be 1.5 meters from dish's center support point. [[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 16:16, 31 July 2011 (CEST)

Zawy: /* Combo Tracker? */

2011-07-31T14:16:21Z

Combo Tracker?

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:16, 31 July 2011
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	Could you do both, calculate where the sun should approximately be and then use feedback to accurately place it? [[User:Catprog\|Catprog]] 15:16, 28 July 2011 (CEST)		Could you do both, calculate where the sun should approximately be and then use feedback to accurately place it? [[User:Catprog\|Catprog]] 15:16, 28 July 2011 (CEST)

			== Parabolic dish is best for steam because it allows for simple tracking solution ==
			Instead of the Solar Fire's P32 method, I would use a parabolic dish which will be more powerful in early morning and late afternoon, capturing a lot more area. The support point would need to be 3 meters above the ground and strong enough for winds as the top edge of the dish would be 6 meters above the ground. Use an equatorial axis that is adjusted once every few days and you only need 1 axis of solar tracking instead of the P32's 5 different adjustments every 10 minutes or so. Physically aim it in the morning at say 9 am, then adjust a single potentiometer at 3 pm and you're good to go indefinitely as long as the timer remains on time. This assumes equatorial axis that is adjust every week. [[User:Zawy\|Zawy]] 16:16, 31 July 2011 (CEST)

Catprog: /* Combo Tracker? */ new section

2011-07-28T13:16:54Z

Combo Tracker?: new section

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:16, 28 July 2011
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	However, since they have very few moving parts, and rely on gravity + evaporation to track the sun, they require almost no upkeep. Compared to electronic/motorized trackers, these guys are the epitome of lifetime engineering.		However, since they have very few moving parts, and rely on gravity + evaporation to track the sun, they require almost no upkeep. Compared to electronic/motorized trackers, these guys are the epitome of lifetime engineering.

			== Combo Tracker? ==

			Could you do both, calculate where the sun should approximately be and then use feedback to accurately place it? [[User:Catprog\|Catprog]] 15:16, 28 July 2011 (CEST)

Conor: moved Talk:Tracking to Talk:Sun-tracking

2011-02-18T16:15:48Z

moved Talk:Tracking to Talk:Sun-tracking

← Older revision	Revision as of 16:15, 18 February 2011
(No difference)

Mangobyte: Created page with "I would also recommend including content about passive solar tracking, as this eliminates both electronics and motors from the equation, and makes solar tracking possible with re..."

2011-02-05T01:30:09Z

Created page with "I would also recommend including content about passive solar tracking, as this eliminates both electronics and motors from the equation, and makes solar tracking possible with re..."

New page

I would also recommend including content about passive solar tracking, as this eliminates both electronics and motors from the equation, and makes solar tracking possible with relatively basic materials. See the zomeworks tracker for details on this method: http://zomeworks.com/products/pv-trackers. Electronic solar trackers can often provide a 100% increase in photovoltaic efficiency, and passive trackers provide between 45% and 85%, depending on a number of environmental factors, foremost being wind.

However, since they have very few moving parts, and rely on gravity + evaporation to track the sun, they require almost no upkeep. Compared to electronic/motorized trackers, these guys are the epitome of lifetime engineering.