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Cheap, Superefficient Solar
Technology Review (MIT) ^ | November 9, 2006 | By Kevin Bullis

Posted on 11/10/2006 11:33:50 AM PST by aculeus

click here to read article


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To: longtermmemmory
"The Islamic world would be pushed back into a dessert tribe mentality."

Does this mean that they will soon have an overweight problem too?

21 posted on 11/10/2006 11:59:52 AM PST by NicknamedBob (If the Supreme Court has "Judges for Life," why is there any question about Roe vs Wade?)
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" The goal is to engineer a concentrating system that focuses sunlight, that tracks the movement of the sun"

I can tell you right now that as long as they think that way, they will never succeed. (Unless of course they are Muslims, and believe that:

Tabari I:236 “‘When the sun rises upon its chariot from one of those springs it is accompanied by 360 angels with outspread wings…. When Allah wishes to test the sun and the moon, showing His servants a sign and thereby getting them to obey, the sun tumbles from the chariot and falls into the deep end of that ocean. When Allah wants to increase the significance of the sign and frighten His servants severely, all of the sun falls and nothing of it remains in the chariot. That is a total eclipse of the sun. It is a misfortune for the sun.’”

But it will be very difficult to make the system work with Allah screwing around scaring people whenever he feels like it..

22 posted on 11/10/2006 11:59:53 AM PST by Nathan Zachary
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To: Rockpile
"I don't think Christopher Reeve (RIP) will be walking anytime soon."

Thats because the Democraps already have him raised from teh dead and flying


23 posted on 11/10/2006 12:02:42 PM PST by Bommer (If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?)
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To: Nathan Zachary
"But it will be very difficult to make the system work with Allah screwing around scaring people whenever he feels like it.."

No problem. Just pass Allah a note that Mohammed wants things a certain way. He'll cooperate.

Allah lets Mohammed have anything he wants.

24 posted on 11/10/2006 12:04:27 PM PST by NicknamedBob (If the Supreme Court has "Judges for Life," why is there any question about Roe vs Wade?)
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To: kinoxi

I don't know if this is real or not, but a lot of buzz has been happening in the marine message boards about it.
On a boat, it's not about $ per square foot, it's all about power per square foot.

http://dbksolar.com/JIL-3000.htm


25 posted on 11/10/2006 12:06:36 PM PST by Senormechanico
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To: aculeus

What kind of working fuild will be used to carry away the heat?

Be fun to see how these turn out for residentail use.


26 posted on 11/10/2006 12:07:03 PM PST by ASOC (The phrase "What if" or "If only" are for children.)
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To: longtermmemmory

That is why, even if a (over)unity device is invented,(and near unity, very efficient ones probably have been) it will never be allowed exist. It would change the world completely.

The devistation would be unimaginable.


27 posted on 11/10/2006 12:07:58 PM PST by Nathan Zachary
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To: Senormechanico
I didn't see a price on that interesting link.
;)
28 posted on 11/10/2006 12:09:10 PM PST by kinoxi
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To: aculeus
"The thinking behind concentrated solar power is simple. Because energy from the sun, although abundant, is diffuse, generating one gigawatt of power (the size of a typical utility-scale plant) using traditional photovoltaics requires a four-square-mile area of silicon, says Jerry Olson, a research scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in Golden, CO."

That is, 1 gigawatt of power at the zenith of the sun each day, and less at other times including zero power during the coldest times of the year for as much as 18 hours a day.

These people know what they are doing by giving junk calculations without the basis for their calculations. Like someone once said, there is a fool born every minute (and today, that would be every millisecond).

Oh, by the way, if you want to see the actual costs, include the battery storage necessary for 24 hours plus at least 6 times the area of cells stated above, not to mention the capacity for spurious peak loads. Having looked at this before, I think the what you pay for electricity increases between 100 and 1000 times what you are paying now!

Thinking like that stated in this article is dangerous and stupid. Your family can face extinction, mine won't. Have a hunch, bet a bunch!
29 posted on 11/10/2006 12:12:20 PM PST by Herakles (Diversity is code word for anti-white racism)
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To: ASOC
"What kind of working fuild will be used to carry away the heat?"

In most parts of the country, water with a non-toxic antifreeze could be used. You would need a closed loop system with heat transfer as shown in this diagram. There should be no contact with the domestic water. (If toxic antifreeze is used, a double buffer system is recommended.)

http://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/images/Solar%20Hot%20Water%20Heating%20Diagram.gif

You could also use a number of oils as a transfer medium.

30 posted on 11/10/2006 12:16:47 PM PST by NicknamedBob (If the Supreme Court has "Judges for Life," why is there any question about Roe vs Wade?)
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To: Nathan Zachary

"A free energy source would cripple our economy as we know it."

I don't think anyone is going to be giving away free energy. The trick is to find something cheaper than fossil fuels.

While it may change the economy as we know it, I don't see it crippling the economy. It might slow down or you might even see a boost while everyone scrambles to build a new infrastructure to support the technology.


31 posted on 11/10/2006 12:20:51 PM PST by tfecw (It's for the children)
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To: aculeus

Boeing? Cool. It would be great to have a solar house. Hopefully similar breakthroughs will come soon, for battery technology--to date the weak link.

Honda will bring Hydrogen cars out, soon. And they won't wait for the massive "infrastructure" delivery system problems.

Honda, long maker of small portable generators, will introduce household size hydrogen converters. Buy a car and converter as a system.

Apparently hydrogen can be made from natural gas.Thinking broadly on such developments, both seem to encourage property and home ownership.

A personal solar generating system is unlikely to be so portable, as to allow a renter to carry it from apartment to apartment.

And I doubt an apartment owner could easily set up for multiple converters to hook up to natural gas lines.

In both cases, property owners are favored. One more set of reasons for investing in real estate.


32 posted on 11/10/2006 12:21:57 PM PST by truth_seeker
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To: aculeus

Just what we need.

Hire the illegals to polish the lenses everyday.

Maybe they can make a machine like a lawn mower and they can ride on it and do the four acres.


33 posted on 11/10/2006 12:22:13 PM PST by Dan(9698)
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To: paulcissa

Yeah, we'd have to put Kerry in the Oval Office for that to happen.

Sorry, Mr. Reeve.


34 posted on 11/10/2006 12:30:45 PM PST by HKMk23 (PRO-LIFE: Because a Person's a Person, no matter how small.)
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To: spinestein

They'll have to raise Reeve from the dead first. Tall order.


35 posted on 11/10/2006 12:31:13 PM PST by dc-zoo
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To: Ben Mugged

We don't burn oil to make electricity anymore.


36 posted on 11/10/2006 12:32:54 PM PST by dangerdoc (dangerdoc (not actually dangerous any more))
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To: kinoxi

http://dbksolar.com/Purchaser.htm

I have no affiliation with this company.


37 posted on 11/10/2006 12:34:00 PM PST by Senormechanico
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To: aculeus
"Now Spectrolab on their production floor does better than we do in the lab. So it basically blew that myth out of the water."

Nice job in manufacturing.

38 posted on 11/10/2006 12:41:28 PM PST by TheDon (Are you a cut and run conservative?)
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To: aculeus

In the future, for driving, the feds are going to need a sun tax. And for taking a break, a shade tax.


39 posted on 11/10/2006 12:43:38 PM PST by samtheman
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To: Herakles
Thinking like that stated in this article is dangerous and stupid.

How is ongoing development of alternative energy technology dangerous and stupid?

Your family can face extinction, mine won't.

So the solar panels on my boat are going to kill my family?

40 posted on 11/10/2006 12:56:34 PM PST by atlaw
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