Today, someone passed on an important link. The Swiss company Nolaris is building a solar concentrator power system that matches the Factor e Farm Solar Power Generator very closely. In particular – both systems use flat mirrors in a linear fresnel configuration, and a water-filled collector tube. Nolaris is using a turbine, while we are using a steam engine as the heat engine of choice. The point of this blog post is to demonstrate to the disbelievers that our approach to solar power generation is sound. To clarify, we believe that a linear flat mirror system has the highest potential for replicability on the kW unit of scalability, given the simplicity of the approach. See the video from Nolaris, in French, with sprinkles of English in the encounter with the Arabs.
Another solar conentrator power developer fellow from France told me about a parabolic trough system that he is putting into production in 2009, via Chinese mass production. We will collaborate on developing a steam engine, since that’s an area of common ground. (more…)
It has been almost a month since we started the Factor e Live Distillations series and the 1000 True Fans – 1000 Global Villages campaign. We have gathered 24 True Fans so far. We have 2 more episodes to go – on the open source product development collaboration process, and on the economic model for open production. We will then summarize the series in the final episode – as a call for action. We will then begin a concerted marketing effort for the 1000 True Fans campaign, with a goal of gathering the 1000 True Fans within 6 months. The countdown is on. We have 702 days left to complete the basic pieces of the Global Village Construction Set.
Today’s episode outlines our work on the Solar Power Generator. This is our solar thermal concentrator – which uses linear reflectors to power a simple steam engine for making electricity. This was formerly called the Solar Turbine – because we thought, erroneously, that the Tesla turbine should be the heat engine of choice.
We outline a program necessary to deliver $1/watt solar electricity with this system. The experts scream that this is impossible on the small scale. We agree with them wholeheartedly – if we use the same assumptions as they are. Our assumptions are different, however. We are phrasing the problem simply by stating a set of conditions that have to be met to achieve this cost prediction. We are applying the conditions to a particular system design, and calculating costs and performances based on available components and industry standards. We are then making conclusions on the required costs of each component – as applied to the overall system – to make the overall cost prediction a reality.
Our question reduces to this: are the predicted costs achievable? Absolutely, if we base the analysis on materials cost and digital fabrication techniques. Are we going to achieve these? This questions boils down to – are you going to help make this happen – and can we gather the necessary collaboration?
This puts the validity of digital fabrication, open souce design, and open collaboration to a real test. Are the grand promises of a Mini-China on a Desktop fiction, or are they real? We’ll know much more after Open Solar 2, the second convergence on solar power at Factor e Farm, Aug. 1-31, 2009.
The enabling feature that we have working for us in this project is the feasibility of cheap electronic controls for many of the components. The entire project requires zero invention – just the integration of a number of particular components into a very particular package. It’s all based on proven technique, and the project boils down to opensourcing various components for cost reduction. Is this going to be easy? Short answer is no, and the long answer is that it depends on how you look at it. From an open source mindset, it means collecting the necessary components for a very important problem. From the proprietary mindset, it means solving a bunch of engineering issues with questionable reward. Enough said.
Our work in general is aimed at building the infrastructure for real-life Global Villages – which you can replicate in whole or in part. You can also see our earlier presentation on the Global Village Construction Set. To support this work, join the 1000 True Fans – 1000 Global Villages campaign – by committing to $10 per month for 24 months. Here is the PayPal subscription button, where you can use either PayPal, credit card, or bank account to commit to the subscription.
See the wiki for a transcript of this video. The transcript offers additional pictures, links, and explanation beyond what’s found in the video, so be sure to review the transcript if you are interested in learning all that we know so far. Perhaps the first place to go for clearing up many questions is the Open Solar 2 Frequently Asked Questions. We are taking this project seriously because of its potential, and we understand that the proposition is extremely forward-thinking. As such, we ask you to post informed critique on any explicit points of our work – either after this blog post or on our wiki.
We are convinced that what we are proposing is doable. The question is, are we all willing to create the infrastructure to make low-cost fabrication of the solar generator a reality? We know that mass production could make such system feasible. Could it also be done via a community supported manufacturing model? We think so. Solar power is too important to continue in its obscurity. We also tend to think that Factor e Farm will be the world’s first, replicable community supported manufacturing operation. May 1, 2009 will show this with the CEB press as the first product – update on this process forthcoming. On to the video.
I’m in the process of designing a simple 3kW steam engine for both a combined heat-and-power gasifier system and our solar power generator system. I can’t help but think about the future possibility of small-scale steam power for both stationary and mobile steam power applications.
In absence of a really suitable open source 3D CAD program, I downloaded a free trial version of Alibre Design Xpress 3D solid modeling software – to do a basic 3D model of the engine we’re building, for which we have a $250 bill of materials:
The basic concept is – as mentioned in a previous post – a high performance modern steam engine of 20% efficiency can be made without much technical difficulty. Remember that our present solar turbine design requires only 5% efficiency to become feasible.
Moreover, a simple direct coupling of the steam engine to a linear hydraulic pump -
means that you have a super-simple hydraulic power source for devices like our open source tractor, LifeTrac. This brings LifeTrac much closer to the reality of being powered by high performance, modern steam – via local production. As such, LifeTrac would become integrated into the local agricultural ecology – capable of being powered by a gasifier or pyrolysis oil from local biomass.
Now I’m busy on the standard steam engine of the 3D drawing above – so if you want to see the latter hydraulic pump hybrid come to reality sooner rather than later – contact us right now and let’s start talking about fabrication. By the way, there is a resurgence of interest in such hydraulic drive in the mainstream economy. (more…)
No, this is not the steam engine that we’re working on…
First off I should introduce myself, I’m Nick and I’ve been watching OSE’s efforts for the last year or so and thinking along tangential lines for a while longer. After graduating in mechanical engineering at UW-Madison and working my previous two years as an engineer at a coal power plant I came to the conclusion: a very fundamental change in the way we power our society is in order. So I have left the job with a personal commitment to try to work towards solutions that make sense for future generations to come.
If you are reading this you probably have similar sentiments – I’m excited about the possibilities of open collaboration towards local sustainable technology. I’ve been to Factor e Farm a couple of times in the past year and have pitched in on the recent compressed earth brick building. After seeing the success of the CEB press and getting a feel for the advantages of open collaboration I decided that working on developing a solar power generation system with OSE would be a good outlet for my commitment towards sustainable energy solutions.
So for the last month or so my mind has been stuck on a subject considered by most to be locked in the history books for good: steam engines. Family, friends and concerned acquaintances wonder if I’ve popped a gasket myself in devoting perfectly good time to this research . Please allow me to share my thoughts on this subject and why I think it is worthwhile to revive it and put some modern touches on it. We are developing a steam engine as the heat engine of choice for the solar power system, and we are aiming to convert our open source tractor to steam power as well. (more…)
In a historic convergence of December, 2008 – Solar Turbine work of OSE merged with a UK linear concentrator development team. Both teams have arrived at essentially the identical design, down to critical details – for a breakthrough, low cost solar concentrator system. Two versions will be field tested – one with steam power, and another with PV power. As it stands, Factor e Farm will adapt and replicate the exsiting prototype. Any necessary sourcing adjustments will be made. We will be building upon 6 years of past work of the UK team, in the true spirit of open source collaboration.
The UK team, led by Ph.D.’s who consulted to leading solar concentrator companies, has verified the OSE prediction that low complexity, flat mirror arrays – which are low to the ground and eliminate costly wind load-bearing structures – are the most cost effective solar concentrator option. The UK team is making similar price predictions and several contributions:
Low-cost mirror mounting mechanism has been refined
Electronics and mechanical drive has been worked out for controlling individual mirror slats instead of gangs of slats (the latter is also protected by patent) at a cost of about $5 per drive unit.
Closed-loop (feedback) controls have been worked out for solar tracking at a cost of $15 for a tracking detector
Control software has been written
Field testing will be performed in the south of France in 2009, as a joint project between OSE and the UK team. This will mark a historical, side-by-side comparison of two systems – steam engine and PV systems. Both are calculated to be cheaper than coal power. Breakthroughs are expected in both systems, and the OSE team predicts approximately 30% lower system cost for the steam engine version, on a small, 3 kW prototype. Scaling is expected to be favorable for steam power in larger systems. The PV system offers the advantage of being more economical on a small scale (1 kW and under). Modularity is expected in 1-10 kW units.
I will be visiting the authors after I present on the Global Village Construction Set and on our new 1000 True Fans – 1000 Global Villages campaign at the Oekonux Conference in Manchester. More on the 1000 Squared campaign soon.
Please study the drawings and comment here or at the wiki. Please pass this on to others who may be knowledgeable about the topic. A discussion of some of the features of the design are found in a past blog post.
The total cost, with foundation, steam engine, and generator – is $3066 for the first prototype, with 60 kW of solar intercept. That would meet the $1/watt prototype prediction (5% efficiency), and once we optimize the system to overall 10% performance, we are expecting $1/watt for complete systems produced via flexible fabrication for outside markets.
We predict collector efficiencies of 60%. The steam engine cycle is documented historically to offer simple systems with at least 12% efficiency for the relatively modest (150 PSI, 500F) conditions. Historical data indicates that 5% overall efficiency for our system should be achieved relatively easily.
We are taking the Solar Turbine project to the next level. Nick Raaum is our Project Manager, and he will be arriving here in about 2 weeks. He has put in his 2 week’s notice for leaving his post as a performance engineer in a coal-fired power plant.
Here is a brochure on the Solar Turbine:
We are serious about the first link in this brochure. Http://OpenFarmTech.org/Solar.html links to a working paper for developing the Solar Turbine, under a Community Supported Manufacturing model. This is OSE Working Paper #1. It is on the OSE wiki – so you can review, edit, and comment. We are making some heavy claims there – so we invite you to poke holes in any of the arguments.
Here’s how you can get involved.
Print a copy of the brochure above and pass it to your friends and networks. You can dowload a high resolution version and source files here. Let us know if you can help us with at-cost color printing or bulk mailing by email.
Solar electricity generation remains a hot priority for us – as one of the essential parts of the Global Village Construction Set. We are taking the solar turbine project to the next level – a working prototype, 3kW of electrical production at $3k in material costs.
If you read this post carefully, you will believe that this performance figure is achievable – utilizing proven technologies. At the very least, you’ll be introduced to this possibility even if you don’t believe it – as we are proposing an explicit implementation path. (more…)
Thank you to all the people that supported us for the month of October – our transition to support via crowd funding. The October funding and corresponding progress were a major success. Here is the progress report.
Overview: We are on our way to neocommercialization of the CEB press, starting with the building of a flexible, digital fabrication facility. This building addition is planned to feature CEB walls, a living roof, solar design, CEB masonry stove, sauna, and off-grid operation. The month of October was taken up primarily by field testing of the open source LifeTrac/CEB/rototiller/toothbar bucket/backhoe combination – as applied to site and earth preparation for CEB construction. We also built a number of roof trusses.
Funding: Our goal was $3125, and we collected a total of $2705 in value. The highest third-party donation was $600, and the lowest was $5. There were only 17 donations, with an average of $159. We received $240 in direct material/tool donations.
Accomplishments: This month, we completed the entire CEB construction infrastructure. The tractor, tooth-bar bucket, backhoe, and rototiller are in working order for CEB block production. We moved about 60 tons of soil, sufficient for approximately 8000 bricks. We completed several of the 25 total trusses (32 foot long) for the roof and got gravel delivered to the site.
In addition, we built one Hexayurt, received an insulated army tent on loan for a year, and published our initial CEB CSM business plan.
Tooling and inftrastructure upgrades: We received a miter saw for truss construction. We upgraded our acetylene torch setup from a 150 to a 250 lb oxygen bottle. We installed 8 of the 14 solar panels, installed the inverter, and an open source on-demand water heater for our shower. This heater is quite useful, so we documented its construction:
We purchased a larger metal grinder. We also got a stove donated for the Hexayurt, and a hot water heater that we’ll heat with stove flue gases.We also bent out the tines on the tiller, and added a 4th tine set.Funding allocation: The resource allocation is as follows. Initially, we proposed about $2300 in building materials, and $800 in stipends. We received $2725. The stipends were not paid out. Alex left. Bob went away for 2 weeks to work. This money was allocated additional building materials.
Note: items in italics were not yet purchased. The total resources needed (about $500) carry over into the November funding cycle.
Challenges: The main one was the tractor breaking at the main joint. This was fixed. Weight distribution is still poor, because the front loader sticks out too much at the front. It should be closer to the tractor body. Even with 1500 of weights on the back (dead battery banks), the back wheels almost begin to come off the ground when the front loader is filled with soil.
Commentary: The development path is full of challenges and decision forks – constant, on-the-feet problem solving is required. Nothing, outside of the general direction, goes as planned – one can plan only after experience in an experimental program like this. Demoralization for the team is a constant issue, which I address personally by regular meditation and mind-body practice. Indeed, the deeper the challenge, the deeper the solution. That’s been the history in my experience – unsolved issues linger for no more than a few days at a time, and typically they are addressed either the same day or day after.
Next month plan: We are in the thick of brick pressing and building. The month of November will be completion of the CEB CSM workshop facility – so we can begin work on the digital fabrication XYZ torch table in December.
We are also planning a sawmill prototype for November as proposed before: . The sawmill is relevant to the replication of the CEB CSM business model – where self-generated lumber allows low-cost construction of facilities. This falls under the scenario of decentralization technology-based Global Village creation.The total budget for November, described on our wiki, is $3400. So please continue your support by donating here – so we can bring a revolutionary, open source business model to life.
We are setting up our 15 kWhr battery bank and solar panels – so we’ll be off off-grid for the next few days as we set up the system. The new system is sufficient to power all of our facility except for the welder. You may not hear from us for a few days, but when we emerge, we shall have exciting CEB footage in our next Factor e Live.
We are farmer scientists - working to develop a world class research center for decentralization technologies using open source permaculture and technology to work together for providing basic needs and self replicating the entire operation at the cost of scrap metal. We seek societal transformation through interconnected self-sufficient villages and homes. This is a stepping stone to transcending survival and evolving to freedom. Factor e Farm is the land-based facility where we put this theory, Open Source Ecology, into practice. More
[Open Source Ecology] is yet another example of the many efforts underway to accelerate DIY technology development for Resilient Communities (The RC). As personal fabrication improves, these tinkering efforts will become MUCH more sophisticated at an ever decreasing cost. We (collectively, those of us engaged in decentralized thinking/action) are in the process of reinventing how the global economy is structured at a root level — good thing we didn’t ask permission. — John Robb, Global Guerrillas
