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Pointing at the sun
all day long
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Is can be difficult, or
it can be easy as pie
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Our proprietary solar panel design
consists of interconnected closed loop pipes containing a working fluid. Inexpensive parabolic mirrors focus
concentrated (20 times) sunlight on the network of pipes containing the working fluid. That heat causes the
fluid in the tubing to vaporize and thereby generate pressure (steam).
The pressurized vapor is piped into our
proprietary engine design The vapor is introduced into the intake side of our radial array two cycle piston
steam engine where it drives the pistons. During the down stroke, the vapor condenses. Having the condensation
occur within the engine allows STS to extract further energy from the working fluid.
The ensuing up stroke pushes the vapor/liquid
out the exhaust port into the condenser. A return pump then pushes the liquid back into the solar panel array to
vaporize again and continue the cycle.
The engine crankshaft turns a conventional,
commercially available generator, at a preset R.P.M., to ensure a cycle match to the generation needs of the
installation. The same piston engine is of sufficient capacity for systems ranging up to 500kW. This output
increase is achieved by adding additional panels and upgrading the generator. The engine is versatile and
efficient enough to power systems as small as 50kW.
What enables the STS to successfully operate
in this role is the Computer Controlled Variable Valve Technology developed by Paul Passarelli, the founder of
STS and the Chief Technology Officer. Without this innovation, the piston engine would not be able to maintain a
steady speed, which is required for usable electrical generation.
The energy efficiency of the STS design is
some multiple greater than Photo-Voltaic systems or any of the turbine or Sterling engine solar-thermal systems
operating over the same temperature range. Additionally, when economics are taken into the efficiency equation
(the system build, install and operating costs), the STS system is many times more efficient.
Also inherent in the design is the ability to operate from heat sources other than
the Sun. The main unit of the STS system, which contains the engine, condenser, generator and computer controls,
can just as easily be operated by waste or geo-thermal sources of heat. Obviously, this versatility is not
shared with any other solar generation approaches.
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