Submissions that have been rejected by the Creativity Pool. - The Docks aren't necessarily the final destination, if a broken idea gets fixed it may travel to a more appropriate category.
By milkme
#10511
Economics, not technology, are what's keeps solar power out of the hands of everyday consumers. Silicon is just to expensive to manfacture and has needs such a long life span for any sort of long-term energy ROI.

Maybe this idea will change this.

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"The Math"

Conservatively, on a clear day, the sun gives off 750 W per sq m.

1 m = 3.28 ft
70 W per sq ft

At 200 sq ft of surface area the sun gives off 14 kWh.

The average US household (2001) uses about 30 to 35 kWh per day.

The average US household (2006) spends $.10 per kWh on electricity.

The average US household (2006) spends $1080 per year on electricity.

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"The Science Behind It"

The ideal gas law states PV = nRT.

With n (number of moles of gas)
V (volume)
R (the universal gas constant)
all at a constant, the only two factors in such a system are T (temperature) and P (Pressure). Each has direct affect on the other. The higher the temperature goes, the higher the pressure goes. The lower the temp, the lower the pressure.

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"The idea"

A metal ball 4 inches in diameter has a large quantity of a fairly light gas (He or N) at 500 to 1000 psi. This ball is divided in two with equal amounts of gas on each side. The only way this gas can enter the other side is through a small slit in the outermost edge of the divide, which allows the gas to pass through. The slit being on the outermost edge allows for the maxium amount of torque.

This divide would rotate, spinning a magnet located on the center of the device. Wrapped around the magnet is copper wire.

One half the devide is heat in a solar oven. The other half is frozen with a high-effiency freezer engine (perhaps and Sterling Engine). This would greatly increase the pressure on one side, greatly decrease the pressure on the other side.

Once the pressure is equalized on both sides, the ball is rotated, so the frozen end is now in the solar oven side and the hot end is now in the freezer.

The ball would be completely self-contained so no gas would leak out. Two ends of the copper wire would be allowed to come out with the + and - electrical charges to them.

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"The numbers"

Now imagine you had 9 of these balls per square feet (4 inches in diameter…3 balls x 3 balls). Each ball at a max is capable of producing 5 watts. That about 50 watts per sq feet.

50 watts x 200 sq ft = 10 kw/h for this device.

Current freezer engines that cool a freezer that's around around 30 cubic feet (200 sq ft x 1/6 ft.) use 1 kw/h

That's 9 kw/h.


If the device was able to convirt

20% of available sunlight into electricity = 2.4kWh
40% = 4.8
60% = 7.2

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"The advantages"

1. The device could be made using assembly line production and would be easy to mass produce.

2. It would lie flat, making it easy to install on roof tops.

3. The solar oven top can convirt nearly all available sunlight, including parts of the spectrum that silcon cells cannot use, into heat.

4. The device would be cheap to manufacture, using only magnets, stamped metals, copper and plastics.

5. Because the 'balls' would be self-contained electric generators, they have the potential of being highly efficient.
#22598
like this idea. Similarly, when it rains, we have a large source or flowing water that can be used to generate electricity by the turbine system. But, the big companies or government has that large equipment. If by some sort that system can be made for domestic level, it might save a lot of energy.
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