GLOBAL FUTURE ANALYSIS


PERSPECTIVES | SUN THERMAL


The domestic need for warm water (for cleaning, washing, showering and maybe partial -as part of the prewarming process- heating) can be done by roof boilers, concentrated roof boilers, desert boilers, concentrated desert boilers, concentrated desert sterling engines. Mirrors, the color black (as most light into warmth converting color) and water (one of earth's most warmth per degree absorbing substances) play all a main role in harvesting the warmth that sunlight gives when it hits an object. Solar thermal can be done high tech, medium tech and low tech. High tech is by integration of sunthermal in PV panels (as they collect heath and generate heath also, heath that reduce their effect). Medium high tech is thermal dedicated solutions with sensors and special materials. Low tech is by just what tubes, black paint in a glass box. Sunthermal has thereby also a poor man's solution. A simple black painted plastic or concrete watertank on a standard gives already free and cheap carbon warmed very nice showering water. There are even dish mirror based sunthermal cooking units applicable for trailing camping or for domestic us very poor countries, based on sun concentration, that requires no cooking external cooking energy source.


Author: Gijs Graafland


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