How to Build a Solar Furnace
Posted on January 1st, 2009 by monsterguide
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Solar furnaces are actually made up of something known as silicon, the same substance that makes silica or sand. The
funny part is that though sand is found in abundance on earth, it is still rather expensive to build solar furnaces.
This is because making cells that are photovoltaic are used in the furnaces is an expensive affair. However, once you
get the cells, making the furnaces is an easy enough job.
Required Materials
- furnace tray
- frame absorber plate
- copper tubing
- insulation
- glazing
Basic Choices
Monocrystalline Solar Furnaces: These solar furnaces have perfectly rounded solar cells that are visible from
every angle and are always stacked in perfectly uniform rows. This is the option that is most efficient and is a
perfect choice for households where there is not a lot of room.
Polycrystalline Solar Furnaces: These are made from silicon that is multi-crystalline. They are diverse and
shaped as a square and look like mosaics. The manufacturing cost is cheaper, even though the efficiency is less than
mono-crystalline modules. On a large scale, thus is more affordable for consumers.
Thin Film Solar Furnaces: Thin film solar furnaces are a new technology that uses glass or stainless steel,
on which silicon material is applied. From the manufacturing angle, they are more efficient as they easily absorb
light. Less material and a thin design is used.
Instructions
Step one: The cells that are photovoltaic, usually flat and light can easily be transported from one place to
another. To build a solar furnace you should first identify a good place in the backyard or garden depending on where
you want to place the furnace. The place should actually be such that it receives maximum amount of the heat from the
sun heat be directly under the sun.
Step two: Cells that are photovoltaic need to be placed horizontally, and they must be on ground or on roof.
The solar panels will then get heated and the heat will get stored in them as the rays of the sun fall on it directly.
These furnaces are designed to produce from the sun’s heat, which can be used for running household appliances.
Step three: Most do-it-at-home solar furnaces come with a tool kit, which can be used to assemble the solar
furnace. For additional guidance the buyers are also provided with a complimentary CD-ROM to guide them through the
process. A layman with no prior construction experience can assemble a solar furnace and use it from the very first
day.
Regarding the durability materials used, since the primary materials used in building the furnace is actually wood
as well as glass, there is minimal chances of damage in the furnace. Moreover, glass does not get spoilt even when it
is continuously exposed to dust and sun. The primary metal used in the furnace, copper, is also a very durable metal
and does not rust like iron. So the entire structure of the furnace is built to last for several years.
Ask a question
on March 23rd, 2009 at 5:46 am
Most of your information seems to be more applicable to Photovoltaics and not to the true nature of the solar furnace. A Solar Furnace can be described as “A multitude of individual shiny surfaces (Mirrors), used to reflect light onto a single point. It has many uses. It can burn waste, cook food, produce electricity, sterilize water, melt steel into liquid, and stone into lava! You can find an excellent home-made 112 mirror one at http://www.solardeathray.com. He Burns all kinds of stuff.
There are also a multitude of solar furnace farms being built in New Mexico. They produce electricity by spinning a magnet inside a coil. The magnet is spun on a shaft driven by a heat driven machine called a stirling engine.
Solar Furnaces are NOT made of silicon. Please correct your statement, it is misleading.