Alternative energy, from alternative forces

[glenn kangiser]

Glenn,
I always thought a sterling engine would be awesome to have .  I've seen the parabolic shaped reflective disc with a sterling engine mounted to it.  They don't seem to sell it any more.  I wish I could find someone that made them.  

KNOW OF ANYWHERE

how about a rotary sterling engine....    I'm not sure how that would work though    

The sterling engine on  stove idea seems like a great idea esp if the other side of the sterling is sitting outside in the cold air .  

I thought about a satalite dish with a sterling engine in the middle with the "cool" side of the engine ran through a cool water source.  this way is the summer the temp differental could be raised more then just using the ambient air?  


JEns,  I know a few towns that get their water from a mountain spring pretty high up in the hills and the pressure is to high by the time it gets down the hill.  I'm not sure how they regulate the pressure but instead a turbine would make a lot of sense.  

I haven't found any great plans for a working stovetop sterling but lots of theory and many small models.  It is a very interesting engine and would likely be worth experimenting with if there is ever time.  Magnets could be built onto or into the flywheel and coils could pick up the electricity off of them.  A linear engine could work too as forward and back motion or passing past a coil in any manner is all that is required to produce electricity.  Windings, voltage etc. would have to be proper for it to be of use.

[speedfunk]

Glenn you need to get more time free!!

Between the rust batteries and the sterling engine I with ya all the way   

[MountainDon]

http://www.discoverthis.com/how-to-build-stirling.html

[glenn kangiser]

Glenn you need to get more time free!!

Between the rust batteries and the sterling engine I with ya all the way   

Some treadmills have PM motors.  I have two that I got from cheap to nothing - people get tired of exercise.  I need to build the windmill one of these days using one of them for power output.

The stirlings are external combustion engines - the fre burns outside or simply heat engines, and they could power a generator.  They are not perpetual motion, but they actually produce horsepower. 

Thanks for the link, Don.  People like that in poor countries generally discover the cheapest and decent ways to homebrew things like this with whatever is available.

[glenn kangiser]

http://www.scribd.com/doc/19226200/Stirling-Engine-Design-Manual-2nd-Ed

Link to download stirling design manual

[MountainDon]

LaMar, you piqued my curiosity on the playground power and wind mills adjacent to the autobahns, but I haven't had any luck with Google. Could you point us in the right direction, I'm certain they are other curious folks here as well.

On the solar power from space, I recall reading that Japan is doing research in a big way. The difficult part is getting the energy down to the surface. I heard radio frequency waves (microwaves) mentioned. I wonder what sort of hazards that would produce. These beams would have much more power than the microwave signals used in ground based communications. It would be concentrated into a relatively narrow beam. What would happen to a bird flying through such a beam? It is all very interesting.

[Jens]

On the solar power from space, I recall reading that Japan is doing research in a big way. The difficult part is getting the energy down to the surface. I heard radio frequency waves (microwaves) mentioned. I wonder what sort of hazards that would produce. These beams would have much more power than the microwave signals used in ground based communications. It would be concentrated into a relatively narrow beam. What would happen to a bird flying through such a beam? It is all very interesting.

If we have to resort to that, I say we just get rid of all electricity.   Call me old fashioned if you like...

[Don_P]

Good old Nicola Tesla was playing with beaming very high frequency around, wanted to have wireless power distribution.
I worked for one guy that said the earth is just one huge spinning magnet, we just need to figure out how to spin a coil of wire around it  .

[Jens]

we could just wrap the Earth in copper coils that stay stationary, then when the Earth spins it'll be just one huge generator.  Yeah sure, so we won't be able to see the sun anymore, and we'll be living within one huge electro-magnetic field but, the alternative- a world without computers and espresso machines, and cable- that is just unfathomable!

[Don_P]

Actually that's what they've been doing on all these supposed moon trips, the copper is painted black so we don't see it. Ever wonder the northern lights are? Look at the brushes while a drill is turning 

[Jens]

Was watching a show on History channel the other night, Earth 2100.  There was an "expert" on there talking about what big cities will look like in 100 years.  He said that there will be windmills on top of all tall buildings, a solar panel film over all of the surfaces including windows, and farms growing in and on skyscrapers.