Feasible new approach to solar power use? - Metal bars thermal expansion

 Hello everyone,

I´ve just recently joined the group and this is my first post here. I
´ve been thinking on trying a different approach to solar power, that
I would like to share with you all, “run the gauntlet”, hear the
critics/discuss and see how stupid or feasible it is actually.

Basically, I don’t know if anyone knows anything about the use of
solar energy to heat up metal bars (a metal bar being used as a
thermal collector in a parabolic trough) and then use the metal linear
thermal expansion to generate energy. Due to the sluggish linear
expansion of a metal bar (movement) into a direction, I thought
something like using this small movement each day to lift up heavy
loads cumulatively until a certain height (several ways to do it, with
cables connected to a ratchet wheel mechanism for instance -- I didn’t
figured out the better mechanism to be used with the metal bar)

Such heavy object lifted up would serve to generate energy due to
gravitational potential energy of the object being converted into
kinetic energy. It would serve an “energy reserve” and once it’s
released down, it would generate movement at a constant pace, for a
brief period (I didn’t figured out as well the better mechanism to
capture this movement, but I have some ideas).

Despite obvious inefficiency expected of the system and the fact that
it requires a large area, I think it would be useful because of the
cheap cost to assemble it (no complex structure) and its low
maintenance cost / high durability.

IF there is anyone interested in sharing and discuss this, or
criticize it, please contact me directly at fkohler@yahoo.com.

Thank you all.

Fabiano Kohler Silva
Brazil

  its not feasible
Hello everyone,

I´ve just recently joined the group and this is my first post here. I
´ve been thinking on trying a different approach to solar power, that
I would like to share with you all, “run the gauntlet”, hear the
critics/discuss and see how stupid or feasible it is actually.

Basically, I don’t know if anyone knows anything about the use of
solar energy to heat up metal bars (a metal bar being used as a
thermal collector in a parabolic trough) and then use the metal linear
thermal expansion to generate energy. Due to the sluggish linear
expansion of a metal bar (movement) into a direction, I thought
something like using this small movement each day to lift up heavy
loads cumulatively until a certain height (several ways to do it, with
cables connected to a ratchet wheel mechanism for instance -- I didn’t
figured out the better mechanism to be used with the metal bar)

Such heavy object lifted up would serve to generate energy due to
gravitational potential energy of the object being converted into
kinetic energy. It would serve an “energy reserve” and once it’s
released down, it would generate movement at a constant pace, for a
brief period (I didn’t figured out as well the better mechanism to
capture this movement, but I have some ideas).

Despite obvious inefficiency expected of the system and the fact that
it requires a large area, I think it would be useful because of the
cheap cost to assemble it (no complex structure) and its low
maintenance cost / high durability.

IF there is anyone interested in sharing and discuss this, or
criticize it, please contact me directly at fkohler@yahoo.com.

Thank you all.

Fabiano Kohler Silva
Brazil