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May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
How concentrating solar collectors work
By
Marshall Brain
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
We hear so much about carbon dioxide and global climate change, and every day it seems like the price of gasoline is rising again. You might be wondering if there is anything that we can do, as a society, to solve these problems.
One possible answer is solar energy. And it turns out that there are some gigantic solar projects currently getting underway in the United States. The largest of these is a 500 megawatt plant in California. 500 megawatts is a lot of power - enough to run a small city.
Why solar? Because the sun's energy is free and abundant. Each square yard of earth's surface receives about 1,000 watts of free energy on a bright sunny day. In other words, the earth receives thousands of times more energy from the sun than humans will ever need. All we have to do is find inexpensive ways to convert all of this light into electricity, and our energy problems are solved.
There are several different ways to use solar power. One of the simplest is a solar water heater. It has been said that in China there are so many solar water heaters on people's roof tops that it saves the country from having to build 40 power plants.
There are also large photovoltaic panels that convert sunlight directly into electricity. You frequently see these panels on rooftops, especially in California.
However, almost all of the large-scale projects use something called concentrating solar collectors. There are four different ways for concentrating collectors to work, but all of them have one thing in common: they use mirrors to concentrate sunlight.
One of the simpler systems is called a parabolic trough collector. A trough collector looks like a half tube, with the inside of the tube mirrored. Sun reflects off the mirror and hits a pipe running down the center of the tube.
Inside the pipe is mineral oil that reaches temperatures as high as 500 degrees F. This hot oil is used to boil water, creating steam that drives a turbine and electrical generator.
Another simple mirror system uses a parabolic dish lined with mirrors. These collectors look something like large satellite TV antennas. They reflect the sun's light to a point, and at that point are one of two things. The first possibility is a Stirling heat engine. A Stirling engine converts heat to motion, and the motion drives an electrical generator. Less common but growing in popularity are small water-cooled photovoltaic panels. The super-intense sunlight creates lots of electricity directly in the small panel, and water keeps the panel from melting.
Finally there are the tower systems. A tall tower of some sort sits in a field of large, moveable mirror panels. The mirrors all rotate so that they reflect their sunlight at the top of the tower, which gets incredibly hot. This heat can boil water, creating steam that drives an electrical generator. Some newer systems use the heat to melt salt or graphite, which can be stored for nighttime power generation.
You might imagine that solar power has a big disadvantage - there is no sunlight at night, meaning no electricity. But engineers are working on ways to store power overnight to eliminate this problem. In one system, excess electricity created during the day drives giant air compressors. The compressed air goes into huge underground salt domes. At night, the compressed air drives generators. In another system, the excess electricity drives pumps that move water to an uphill lake. Then during the night the water flows through generators to a downhill lake. As already mentioned, molten salt is another system with potential.
As petroleum gets more and more expensive, solar energy looks better and better from both the financial and the environmental angles. We should be seeing many more large solar projects getting under way in the near future.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment by clicking here.
Previously:
How your key fob works
How the common cold works
How the Large Hadron Collider Works
How making a TV show works
How dry cleaning works
How exoskeletons work
How an oil refinery works
How landfills work
How the Orion spacecraft works
The cutting edge in HDTV
Redefining the CD
How the HDMI cable scam works
How glow-in-the-dark toys work
How the subprime mortgage crisis works
How gift cards work
How Tasers work
How giant TV screens work
How foreclosure works
How Air Force One works
How wildfire fighting works
How vitamins work
How ejection seats work
How reattaching limbs works
How hot air balloons work
How paparazzi work
How counterfeiting works
How CDs work
How the Edsel worked
How Stinger missiles work
How hybrid cars work
How sharks work
How mosquitoes work
How diesel engines work
How water towers work
How the Dawn mission works
How Kassam rockets work
How the North American Eagle works
Why aren't we flying to work?
How tofu and soy milk work
How Colony Collapse Disorder works
How airbags work
How the U.S. income tax works
How gum works
How caffeine works
How Daylight Saving Time works
How a cruise missile works
How snow making works
© 2007, How Stuff Works Inc. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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