[dango]

Anybody fimiliar with radiant heat systems?I've been playing around with a boiler.It's a wood burner with a propane back-up.I had a pump,that circulates the fluid go bad.The problem with burning wood,when the power goes out,the pump doesn't pump.I took that pump apart.In a nutshell,-Remove the electric motor,replace with turbine,add a small coil within the boiler.I'm trying to power the pump with steam.When that power goes off,and it does,"freezeing rains etc."the pressure builds quickly.When the release valve pops,there's a whole lot of useable energy being dispelled.It can work.The main problem lies in cooling and recaptureing the spent fluid after the pump.Zero maintainence.Stuck in FL. for awhile.When I get back home,I'll go back to work on it.

[AR Hammer]

Originally Posted by beefheart

Ok speaking of sustenance living / living off the land why not live off of the sun?

Has anyone ever heard of a solar stirling engine? There is one video on youtube where they use a large fresnal lense to heat a solid steel pipe that then transfers heat to run the engine. If you mount these around a pole then have the fresnal lenses follow the sun somehow you could probably power a heavier duty motor like the custom 5 hp one someone converted a lawnmower engine or something into right?

I don't think I've seen any really efficient solar projects that use Fresnel lenses...

Anyway, most solar projects that heat water or oil or what ever use curved mirrors to focus sun energy on a pipe,
OR,
They use multiple mirrors to focus sun energy on a single spot, which is usually the side of a storage tank/boiler.

Most 'Sterling' engines use heated air to turn something like fan blades, not much torque is required.
Since air is 800 times less dense than water, and since the heat required to make much pressure far exceeds the ability of the sun, I wouldn't think you could do much with a solar powered 'Sterling' engine.
----------------------------

On the other hand, you can run some pretty healthy appliance off of just a few Solar PV (Photo Voltaic) panels and an inverter.

[WILDCATT]

this has all been done back in the 1920/30s.go to the survival magazines.my son had solar electricity in Cal.worked BUT batters are expensive and wear out.in tahatchipe[ark spell]they have 8,000 wind mills.they are big the comercial windmills for home use give about 500/800 watts.at $5,000 or more.
if you have a stream you can use turbine [they make them for home use]and can run out put into a well.well will take as much as it will give.I drove well with a jeep and winch and tripod and weight.