Solar energy as we know is the most widely used and reliable source of renewable energy. However, it is generally assumed that solar energy utilization would involve harnessing solar energy and converting it to electrical energy by the photovoltaic cells.

The students of MIT have developed something different from that assumption. What is made use of is not the electrical energy but the sun’s heat itself. The arrangement consists of an array of parabolic troughs on which the sun’s rays are made to converge and the heat is absorbed by a thermal absorption and anti-freeze fluid like glycol that is used in car radiators. This fluid get heated up to 300ºF and the heat energy is transferred to a refrigerant such as R134 found in a car’s air conditioner. At such high temperatures, the refrigerant vaporizes. The vapors have the potential to spin turbines in the organic Rankine cycle (ORC).

The idea of the graduates is to employ this as a clean energy in remote parts of Africa like Lesotho also making it economical. Peace Corps volunteer Matt Orosz, who co-founded this team of graduates, along with three other partners has been trying to install this solar turbine in a school at Lesotho, the project having been funded by World Bank development grant.

All the parts of the solar turbine – the ORC turbine, Electric engine, condenser etc. are predominantly made of low cost materials for example, a radiator is used as a condenser. This is not just cheap and clean source of energy but also as efficient as a conventional source can be and that makes it suitable for under developed and developing countries.

Life in many parts of the world in not about being sophisticated and in par with technology but to meet each day’s essential needs. It is for the developed world to help the unprivileged to meet atleast their essential needs. On that note, the graduates of MIT have proved a valuable point.

via : Popularmechanics136523