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Solar Thermal Concentrators
Description
Fixed Focus Solar Concentrators, are highly reflective geometric surfaces, which concentrate and focus solar radiation on a fixed point. This allows architecture and engineered processes (i.e. steam production, power generation, polymerization, etc.) to incorporate the produced thermal energy without complicated heat transfer technology. Venture Trust uses the Scheffler Reflector, pioneered by Wolfgang Scheffler and mathematically modeled by Anjum Munir.
Large aperture moving parabolic dish concentrator for University Level research
Use
As a source of heat energy, concentrated solar radiation can be used in most activities, which involve burning firewood, dung and/or biomass. Important applications include solar ovens and heat production.
Solar ovens can sterilize water, cook meals, and bake goods. In addition to these applications, solar concentrators can be used to provide heat for pasteurization, drying, power generation, food preservation and distillation.
Target Clients
We serve matriarchs, community kitchens, and agricultural processors with Fixed Focus Concentrators. The reason for this is to reduce total wood consumption, respiratory illness, and sickness brought on by undercooked food. Matriarchs are an important target client due to the fact that their cooking habits expose their children to smoke, which is a leading cause of death for children under 5 years of age. Community kitchens are promising business ventures, which improve the quality of food in the community, provide additional income, and serve as gathering spaces for educational demonstrations and social functions. Agricultural processors are target clients due to the sheer mass of fuel consumed by some processes. Furthermore, adequate processing provides sources of nutrition during food shortages.
Education
Venture Trust leads workshops on constructing Scheffler Fixed Focus Solar Concentrators with groups of interested students. Each workshop will produce 4 operational Fixed Focus Concentrators of varying aperture and thermal output. In Addition to constructing 4 of these concentrators, Venture Trust makes available 50 m2 of highly reflective mirror film, for students to experiment with. Workshops take place over the course of six weeks, during which, participants will conduct demonstrations to local community members. Workshop participants are encouraged to apply the skills demonstrated during workshops to real world opportunities for entrepreneurial activity. These opportunities evolve from participant identifications of community needs and the orientation of goals with the activities of existing energy and development professionals. Participants, having completed a workshop, will have the opportunity to work with Venture Trust to expand solar thermal capacity across the country.