? about magnifying lens/parabolic mirrors steam turbine electric generator

Newtype

Ok here's an idea that isn't a perpetual motion machine (it's no more perpetual than solar cells):

Using a big magnifying lens or parabolic mirrors, what are the formulas when either of them are used to evaporate water into water vapor steam to move a turbine to power an electric generator?

russ_watters

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Solar_Project

Not sure what formulas you are asking about though. What do you want to know/calculate?

sophiecentaur

To get an idea of the upper limit to the power that such a device could transfer, each metre square of collecting area would capture 1kW of solar power. If you could focus the radiation to produce a nice high temperature then you could perhaps think of getting a small fraction of that in mechanical power. I have a feeling that PV cells would do better; heat engines are not the best way of transferring energy if there is alternative.

Drakkith

Sohpie, do you know what the cost comparison is between a solar panel array and a solar heating generator producing equal power?

sophiecentaur

Heating is cheap but a heat engine is not.
And the feed in tarif is good.

Drakkith

Feed in tarif?

sophiecentaur

An 'in joke'. The UK government makes the electricity supply companies pay a laughably high rate for small scale feeds to the National Grid.

Drakkith

I think the power company here does the same thing to people who want to tie their own power into the grid as well. I looked into it and it turned out that I would be paying more just in fees than I would make up for by adding enough solar power to cover 50% of my average power use.

sophiecentaur

In the south UK, if you have no shadows, then you are very much in profit over several years - if the governmen its word.t keep