This DIY Solar-Powered Steam Generator Can Reach 250 Celsius

Energy & Sustainability Science
This DIY Solar-Powered Steam Generator Can Reach 250 Celsius

Editorial note: This is one of the many cool projects to come out of the POC21 conference where 100 eco-hackers gathered in a French castle to brainstorm ways to improve the world.

Solar OSE CORNER

Around 25% of the total energy used in industrialized countries is consumed as heat, much of it generated by burning fossil fuels. The Solar OSE team (Open Source Écologie France) took on this energy sustainability challenge during POC21, developing this solar concentrator to allow mid-sized local enterprises, like small-scale industries or artisans, to generate clean, free heat or steam by harnessing the power of the sun. Their DIY linear Fresnel reflector array collects and transforms solar energy into steam up to 250º Celcius.

Solar OSE COVER

Solar concentrators work by focusing the sun’s rays on a water pipe to generate steam. The Solar OSE uses Arduino-controlled motors to pivot the array of mirror strips at the base of the structure to track the sun, automatically maintaining optimal solar concentration on the pipe. The steam produced has many uses, some of which include: cooking, sterilization, pasteurization, distillation, chemical processes, heating, extraction of essential oils, water purification, wood treatment, and even… hammams.

Solar OSE BUILDING

The Solar OSE team is a part of the Open Source Ecology project which has developed an open source library of machines to rebuild the world as we know it. The project is fully documented on Instructables and can be built for around $2100 in a week with a dedicated crew. The project takes us a step further in the transition to a distributed, sustainable energy system.

Solar OSE CIRCUITS

Solar OSE recently ran a successful Kickstarter campaign, raising almost $9000 to build a solar concentrator that’s four times bigger and capable of producing 5kW. Now that’s hot stuff.

To view the entire project, check it out on Instructables.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

Michael Floyd is a creative director and sustainability consultant. As Marketing Lead for Autodesk's Making for Impact program, his work supports and amplifies the positive environmental and social impact of the global maker community. Originally from the US, he has been a Londoner for seven years

View more articles by Michael Floyd

ADVERTISEMENT

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 16th iteration!

Prices Increase in....

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
FEEDBACK