Build a 15,000 rpm Tesla Turbine using hard drive platters Here's a project that uses some of those dead hard drives you've got lying around. In the Tesla Turbine, air, steam, oil, or any other fluid is injected at the edge of a series of smooth parallel disks. The fluid spirals inwards and is exhausted through ventilation ports near the center of the disks. A regular blade turbine operates by transferring kinetic energy from the moving fluid to the turbine fan blades. In the Tesla Turbine, the kinetic energy transfer to the edges of the thin platters is very small. To build a turbine like this, you need some dead hard drives, some stock material (aluminum, acrylic), a milling machine with a rotary table, and a lathe with a 4 jaw chuck. Wikipedia has a good review article ( as well as articles about I run my turbine on compressed air (40 psi), and it easily reaches speeds of 10-15,000 rpm. I have more details on my webpage (
Ecoexperimentos: Calentador solar gratis con botellas PET Hace ocho años José Alano, un mécanico brasileño retirado, tuvo la inspiración de recoger botellas de plástico (PET) y cartones de leche usados para desarrollar un sistema de calentamiento de agua por energía solar simple, barato y que pudiera construir cualquier persona.The Ecologist le dedica un estupendo artículo contando su historia:…viendo que en su pequeño pueblo de Tubarão no existía ninguna infraestructura para reciclar los envases y sintiéndose incapaces de tirar todos esos envases a la basura, Alano y su mujer pronto se encontraron con una habitación llena de botellas y cartones de leche vacíos. [...] Haciendo uso de su ingenio y experiencia con captadores solares, él y su esposa construyeron una versión alternativa utilizando 100 botellas PET y 100 cartones de leche usados. Lo que más impresiona es oir cómo Alano se describe a sí mismo:“No me considero un inventor, sino un simple ciudadano que trata de encontrar soluciones a los problemas.”
The Other Solar | Business | Chemical & Engineering News Solar Millennium LOTS OF MIRRORS Solar Millennium is completing its Andasol project in Spain, which will have capacity for 150 MW of solar thermal power. Schott View Enlarged Image Capture The Sun Schematic of a concentrating solar plant with thermal storage Anybody who has burned leaves with a magnifying glass understands the idea behind concentrating solar thermal power. Concentrating solar power (CSP) couldn’t be more different from its better known cousin, photovoltaic power, which takes advantage of the photoelectric effect. CSP works under a much more primitive principle: using the sun’s rays to heat something up. The two technologies are used in different ways. The heat-transfer fluids of choice for parabolic troughs are blends of diphenyl oxide and biphenyl supplied by Dow Chemical and Solutia. After a 20-year hiatus, CSP is coming back into vogue, with new plants starting up in the southwestern U.S., Spain, and North Africa. Last April, DOE awarded Sunnyvale, Calif.
How I built an electricity producing wind turbine Several years ago I bought some remote property in Arizona. I am an astronomer and wanted a place to practice my hobby far away from the sky-wrecking light pollution found near cities of any real size. I found a great piece of property. The problem is, it's so remote that there is no electric service available. That's not really a problem. No electricity equals no light pollution. One thing I noticed right away about my property is that most of the time, the wind is blowing. Let me state up front that I probably won't be able to help you out much if you decide to build your own wind turbine. Since no one seems to be reading the FAQ, I will answer the No. 1 question I get many, many times a day right here up front. Update: Here is a video of the wind turbine in operation. Update: Here is a video of me assembling and setting up the wind turbine on my remote off-grid property. I started the process of designing my wind turbine by Googling for information on home-built wind turbines. .
Solar Thermal – An Old Concept for Today’s World | GreenBuildTVGreenBuildTV Some people think the concept of solar thermal is radically new. Truth is – people have been using the power of the sun for decades to provide hot water. But catching the sun’s rays hasn’t always been an easy task. Throughout the years, many creative solutions have been devised to help generate solar-heated water. Early on, people used a black-painted water tank, mounted on a roof, to gather the sun’s rays. A few of the more common solar thermal collectors today include: the flat plate, evacuated tube, and parabolic trough. Flat Plate Collectors Developed and in use since the 1950′s, flat plate collectors remain the most common type of solar thermal collector. Plates are usually constructed of copper or aluminum, though some polymers can also be used, especially in climates susceptible to freezing. Evacuated Tube Collectors Evacuated tube collectors have been in use for the last thirty years. Parabolic Trough Which system is right for me?
Cylindrical Mirror Optical Illusions On The iPad Using an optical illusion method called mirror anamorphosis and the iPad's multi-touch capability, a research group at Ochanomizu University is developing an all-round display for the iPad. "We noticed that anamorphosis can be used to project data onto a 3D object, by placing a 3D object on 2D data. And we've developed an interactive system called Anamorphicons." Unlike in ordinary mirror anamorphosis, in this system, the user rotates a cylindrical mirror on the iPad, so objects reflected in the mirror also rotate. "There are two touch pens in this pillar. The pictures distorted by anamorphosis can be generated by converting them to polar coordinates using image processing software. "Looking at objects in an online shopping catalog through 360 degrees can already be done with Flash.
How I built an electricity producing Solar Panel Several years ago I bought some remote property in Arizona. I am an astronomer and wanted a place to practice my hobby far away from the sky-wrecking light pollution found near cities of any real size. In my attempt to escape city slicker yuppies (you know the kind, the ones that like to blab loudly on their cell phone while they work on some business administration degree in a cyber cafe somewhere in Trendyland.) and their light pollution, I found a great piece of remote property. I built a wind turbine to provide some power on the remote property. Here is a video of the solar panel set up and in use on my remote, off-grid property. Let me state up front that I probably won't be able to help you out much if you decide to build your own solar panel(s). So what is a solar panel anyway? I started out the way I start every project, by Googling for information on home-built solar panels. After a while, I came to some conclusions: <a href='
7 Solar Water Heating System Designs by Michael Hackleman (Rob Harlan is a general and solar contractor with 25 years of experience with solar water heating systems in Mendocino County, California. Rob primarily designs and installs photovoltaic systems today.) MH: Rob, will you give a brief history of the last 30 years of solar-water heating system design and implementation? Rob: Solar-water heating systems got a real boost in the 1970s when tax credits were offered by state and federal programs to help folks make the investment. These systems were intended primarily for domestic hot water, i.e., showers, dishwashing, cooking, and clotheswashing. They were also popular for heating the water in pools and hot tubs. MH: As I recall, a lot of manufacturers also disappeared when the tax credits went away. Rob: Some designs were indeed flawed—poorly implemented, overly complex, or incorporating untested ideas. Rob: And—on active systems, a controller turns a pump on and off as solar heat is available. Rob: Freezing protection. Rob: True. 1. 2. 3.
It's all done with mirrors, man "I was in LA and this guy shows up in a suit from head to toe made of glass. I thought it was pretty cool." Want to see more? DIY Solar Still How To Make Your Own Distilled Water Make your own distilled water from stream or lake water, salt water, or even brackish, dirty water, using these DIY Solar Still Plans. With just a few basic building materials, a sheet of glass and some sunshine, you can purify your own water at no cost and with minimal effort. Distilled water is not just for drinking, and it’s always worth keeping a few gallons of it on hand. Clean water free of chemicals and minerals has a number of valuable uses: • Always refill the lead-acid batteries used for solar energy systems or automobiles with distilled water • Water delicate plants like orchids with distilled water; minerals and additives like fluoride or chlorine that are present in most tap water can harm plants • Distilled water mixed with antifreeze is recommended for car radiators, as it’s less corrosive • Steam irons become clogged with mineral deposits unless you use distilled water How to Make a Solar Still The operation of the distiller is simple. 1.