A new parabolic trough can stop global warming. Quickly.

Re: A new parabolic trough can stop global warming. Quickly.

One of Azuedu links was to the STG project.

Using car parts (power steering pump and turbo charger connected to an alternator) to run off a butane or pentane boiler "fueled" by the parabolic reflector.

Interesting as a back yard mechanic exercise. But, I really wonder that it would go anywhere (I found these guys a year or so ago--and they seem not to be moving too fast). Hard to tell if the website is more hype than real to collect donations and build up a resume for college students (not enough information to see how the system was really built).

Notice that in any remote and poor location, security is a huge problem... Their one (of two?) demonstration systems had the storage batteries stolen.

Wonder why they are working in Africa instead of spending the costs of the trip building and debugging the systems "at home" first.

-Bill

Re: A new parabolic trough can stop global warming. Quickly.

Well, for us AGM deniers, CO2 has minimal effect on surface temperatures. The major green house gas (or at least IR moderating gas) is Water Vapor. And we know that clouds have a huge effect... I don't go looking at my CO2 meter to see if it is going to be hot or cold tomorrow, I look at the forecast regarding cloud cover. And even then, it is much more complex because clouds transport a huge amount of heat, and they reflect short and long wave IR heat back into space from the sun, and long wave IR back down to earth.

Just like adding insulation to an enclosed box does not make it warmer--it just limits the temperature extremes (assuming no other heat sources or sinks) inside the box. Now, we can guess that the colder temperatures are not as cold, and the hotter temperatures are not as hot--did the "average" temperature go up or down?

Even a 100 years ago, it was proven that the "real green house effect" was not the result of glass letting in short wave IR and trapping/reflecting long wave IR. It is not... The Green House Effect (see last section of linked post) is based on preventing convective and wind mixing of ground "heat" and warm air with upper level cooler air. Any material that trapped wind and convective currents inside would do the same thing.

At this point, we already see what buildings (blocking wind flow) and adding additional heat (electricity and fossil fuels) does to cities--it is called the urban heat island effect.

So--if you are wondering, it is not hard to figure out the albedo of a solar panel / solar collector... But, to a degree, it also depends on where you install them... Put them over an asphalt roof, dirt, or paved area--the panels will probably reflect more heat than the roof, dirt, or paving. If you put them over sand, green vegetation, etc., they probably will absorb more heat.

Is it more or less than burning fossil fuels--don't know.

And by adding solar panels could act like a "real" green house and prevent mixing of air which will affect the local environment.

In any case, any change, whether by humans or nature, will have lots of effects (large and small). I don't believe that all life on earth will end if we put in several thousand square miles of solar panels--but there will be secondary effects (from the panels themselves, the mines for the source of the solar panels and structure, human use of power, etc.).

If people using these collectors can limit the burning of fire wood and other sources of heat (dung, brush, etc.)--it will probably have a positive effect on the local environment and reduction of desertification.

-Bill