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Giant glass orb could replace the solar panel
yahoo.com ^ | February 6, 2014

Posted on 02/10/2014 2:04:46 PM PST by grundle

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To: MeganC

I wonder if you could stack them up like giant totem pole....


61 posted on 02/10/2014 3:51:01 PM PST by GraceG
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To: grundle
As a propaganda tool for the government to fool greenies, it has HUGE potential. ‘Look! Over here! New! Harvesting the clean power of the sun for YOU!’
62 posted on 02/10/2014 3:51:24 PM PST by ArtDodger
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To: Yossarian
But how much will a large glass orb cost?

No problem. obama will give them a 90% subsidy so they will be cheap enough for everyone. If not, the 100% option applies. He will make sure the manufacturer is in favor of him and unregulated immigration and that they are good donors to the correct party.

63 posted on 02/10/2014 3:53:32 PM PST by Right Wing Assault
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To: DannyTN
“direct contact with the sun” would be a very efficient way of collecting solar energy

It would be better to make a long tube 93+ million miles long so it penetrated the sun. Then we could suck sun blood out and sell it in hardware stores by the jar.

64 posted on 02/10/2014 3:58:22 PM PST by Right Wing Assault
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To: DannyTN
"I suppose “direct contact with the sun” would be a very efficient way of collecting solar energy. "

so what happens when the night arrives?

Wouldn't a sphere concentrate heat on one area and thus cause fire?

65 posted on 02/10/2014 4:00:26 PM PST by 1_Rain_Drop
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To: grundle

Anyone who has worked with solar panels knows that heat dissipation is a key issue. Concentrating light 70 times doesn’t mean you’ll get anything but a charred solar panel at the end of the day.


66 posted on 02/10/2014 4:14:07 PM PST by Smedley (It's a sad day for American capitalism when a man can't fly a midget on a kite over Central Park)
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To: NYer

What’s Hillary got to do with this post?


67 posted on 02/10/2014 4:30:43 PM PST by prof.h.mandingo (Buck v. Bell (1927) An idea whose time has come (for extreme liberalism))
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To: grundle
Venus is a wonderful vacation destination for political leaders who enjoy discussing residential energy technologies.


68 posted on 02/10/2014 4:37:26 PM PST by familyop (We Baby Boomers are croaking in an avalanche of corruption smelled around the planet.)
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To: grundle; All
Solar technology may certainly be evolving. In fact, regarding traditional flat solar panels, I recently noticed an FR thread where firemen are expressing concern that traditional panels are making it more difficult to put out fires.
FR: Firefighters Warn Solar Panels Could Prevent Homes From Being Saved In Blaze

On the other hand, I wonder how resilient to high storm winds the glass orb is? Maybe the wind cannot get a grip on the orb?

69 posted on 02/10/2014 4:51:10 PM PST by Amendment10
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To: grundle

Built in Modor?


70 posted on 02/10/2014 4:57:01 PM PST by chickenlips (Karl Rove: The Donut Whisperer)
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To: Amendment10
"In fact, regarding traditional flat solar panels, I recently noticed an FR thread where firemen are expressing concern that traditional panels are making it more difficult to put out fires.

FR: Firefighters Warn Solar Panels Could Prevent Homes From Being Saved In Blaze
"

Thanks. That article and thread were pretty funny.


71 posted on 02/10/2014 5:34:23 PM PST by familyop (We Baby Boomers are croaking in an avalanche of corruption smelled around the planet.)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

>> But how much will a large glass orb cost?

Keeping them from rolling off the roof might be the bigger problem.


72 posted on 02/10/2014 5:35:59 PM PST by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: cicero2k

“Neither is economical if you want your money back in less than 10 years.”

Eliminate the government subsidy and they will never pay for themselves!

Shove solar and wind up your backside!!


73 posted on 02/10/2014 5:46:45 PM PST by dalereed
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To: Right Wing Assault

I like that idea. There’s probably all kinds of good stuff in Sun Blood. What we don’t use for energy, we can extract precious metals from, and then use the rest to make more land mass and mineral drinks.


74 posted on 02/10/2014 5:53:59 PM PST by DannyTN
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To: grundle

One thing that the electric utilities do not want is an America that is solar powered and off-grid, and non-dependent upon their almost worthless antiquated grid.

I’ve been without electricity on and off for several days due to ice and weather and a penchant of the electric utilities to not keep their right of way trimmed of trees. They do not trim them until a publicly declared storm emergency KCO comes along and the rate payers are stuck paying for their deferred maintenance, and subsidies.

But I’m self reliant and have my own generator. Instead of the government giving freebies to the utilities they should encourage those like me with a desire for self sufficiency to have the electric utilities stick their unreliable monopoly up their backside.


75 posted on 02/10/2014 5:55:57 PM PST by apoliticalone
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To: 1_Rain_Drop
"so what happens when the night arrives?

Well, it said "direct contact with the sun at all times.", so either we need to prevent night from falling, or the cord wraps around the earth, or the globe turns into something evil, like gremlins.

A sphere would concentrate light on one area. That's why they need only 1% as much photovoltaic cells. I'm guessing the cells can take the heat generated. The focal point would be inside the globe.

76 posted on 02/10/2014 5:59:01 PM PST by DannyTN
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To: apoliticalone

I think it would be great if we had both. I’m not sure off grid is close to viable yet. But if we were, I wouldn’t mind paying $25 a month to stay connected to the grid and have extra power available when I want it, and/or as a backup to my own equipment.

But realistically, a lot of people and businesses are not going to go off-grid even when it becomes viable. We need a grid that is robust and doesn’t go down when there is damage to the grid.

And I still think every city with more than 50,000 should prepare a site, just in case. So that in an emergency, they could drop a mini-nuke plant in, hook it up and have power restored in 48 hours.


77 posted on 02/10/2014 6:04:03 PM PST by DannyTN
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To: familyop

If you like your fire,you can keep it.


78 posted on 02/10/2014 6:40:22 PM PST by TurboZamboni (Marx smelled bad and lived with his parents .)
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To: HereInTheHeartland

Probably the main thing that keeps solar power from being more widely adopted is the fact that there is no easy way to alternate between alternative energy sources and oil. You just can’t easily wake up in the morning and use the solar power that you generated the day before, until it runs out, then switch automatically back to conventional power for the remainder of the day.

Solve that and many large businesses and homeowners would buy solar panels, if only to not have to be beholden to the power companies for a short period of time.


79 posted on 02/10/2014 8:08:18 PM PST by Jonty30 (What Islam and secularism have in common is that they are both death cults)
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To: Yossarian

oil and gas will love this.


80 posted on 02/10/2014 8:21:24 PM PST by Bulwyf
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