I'm (finally) starting to work up concept details for the spherical solar arrays: Took some time as got bogged down in the historical link.

The idea is to form bays of segmented mirror spheres to generate high grade heat to supply turbines for day demand. Excess heat and electricity production can be sent to air fuel synthesis or compressed air storage (for night-time demand). I've put up some 3-D Google Earth concept models in the link below (great fun to play with but not easy to transfer from AutoCAD format)

http://flyingoven.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/concept-drawings-california-array.html

The spherical idea is inexpensive and good from a land-use perspective. From the figures I got from our test prototypes (long time ago but they're on the forum somewhere), this could potentially supply the USA or Europe with its energy needs (in the future sometime). Technically, there's no dispute about whether or not it could work (largely because a variant on it is already operational at the Auroville Solar Bowl: http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Auroville_Solar_Bowl)

Can anyone see a fatal flaw with the arrangement.. a reason why it couldn't work better than the various other large scale solar projects which are being tried?

You're thinking of a heliostat array? (eg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliostat)

If you're thinking of heliostats, they need to be driven: Fixed to a structure which can me moved by motors so that the mirrors remain focused on the tower. This means that the support structure is relatively expensive (together with the drivers)

The mirror array on a spherical reflector is similar: It's also flat plates arranged spherically (so the formers are very simple to make and much simpler to focus than, say, a parabolic). But the big difference is that, with a spherical reflector, the mirrors never move; only the receptor or boiler moves (for instance at Auroville near the equator, it's a set of mirrors placed permanently into the structure)

The main benefit would be in reduced cost and maintenance.

I much prefer these large goldfish bowls filled with water

http://www.designboom.com/technology/spherical-glass-solar-energy-generator-by-rawlemon/

You could automate the solar collection by putting a thermal oil pipe at the focal point similar to the paper used on similar light intensity meters (Old age I forget the instruments name)

Wind & sand?

For the last couple of years, the unusual historical link has been taking up a lot of time (the project started here in the GBF with an article for the GBM). All aspects of this concept have been through the mill at various archaeological forums, trying to find something which points to the theory being wrong: No counter-indications have been found.

I know it's too new agey for some, but this is a review of one of the books on the Megalithic Portal, a large and well known archaeological interest site:


“The author has obviously done a lot of research, but more importantly has put in a lot of leg-work visiting the sites mentioned in the book and has actually tried the experiments using only the materials available to megalithic peoples. When someone has done (or tried to do) something, you get an added depth to the experience and this certainly comes across in Jon’s writing. Page 11 has a marvellous example, when attempting to view the exact point on the horizon where the sun rises/sets. Even on a clear day this is often impossible due to the haze, something I also know through bitter experience.”

“The one thing that makes this book a winner is the fact that it’s central theory is not a house of cards. The various parts are not all required to prove that Stonehenge was a geocentric “planetarium” (or whatever the solar equivalent is) and equally you can accept all the parts but reject the final conclusion.”

“Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in Stonehenge.”


http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=2146414126


I've made it available as electronic only. We figured that given the green nature of its origins, we should keep to a green format. This one has also been made as low cost as possible; I figure that if there is a link here, it could boost the idea of renewables as a serious alternative in the public mind.