Originally posted by citizen smith
A solar-thermal design unsing recycled fridge components

(unfortunately I can't remember the original source for the image but will cite a credit where due when I can)

The thermal-capacity could also be increased by fixing a series of cheap plastic fresnel lenses onto the glass sheet to focus hotspots onto the water-pipes

[edit on 27-2-2008 by citizen smith]

You do realize that design is for making water hot (ish), not for making electricity, right? Infact the design requires electrical power to run the water pump.

Steam? Really?

Scares the crap out of me. You better know what you are doing when using steam pressure, or you are dead.

I'm putting wind up this year, will charge everything I need, if I need it. Sure, can be seen, but if "they" are looking for me, I'm done already.

Power is great, but realisticly, if it all comes to this, more work for no gain. Internet will be gone, your laptop will crash, batteries only recharge so many times. Better to learn now how to deal without power, because if society falls, we will be there eventually.

However you generate electricity, if you want to be able to produce it on your own in a survival situation, you need to build it yourself from scratch and understand each process, because in a post-apocolyptic situation, there's no tech support to phone when it breaks down, nobody to return it to and get a replacement, there's just you, so buying an off the shelf generator does not guarantee you power long term.