Thermoelectric and mechanical conversion of solar power

Abstract

It has been frequently demonstrated that solar energy can produce power by its direct heating effect. It has previously been overlooked, however, that sunshine stores vast amounts of free energy in the atmosphere by lowering its relative humidity, particularly in desert areas. The presently described equipment is a composite of a solar collector, a thermoelectric generator, and a mechanical converter which will generate power from waste heat and stored free energy of dry atmospheric air. The mechanical converter is unusual in its simplicity, its flexibility, and its capability to use small temperature differentials. Although the mechanical converter is described as associated with a reflecting solar collector, field tests may show the mechanical converter to be more practical without the collector, in which case air of the greatest usefulness would be collected from the surface of the solar heated ground by a grid of air ducts. Several cycle variations are possible with the same basic machine, which uses air as the working substance. Although the use of salt or fresh water for evaporation improves the power output, the mechanical converter will operate without evaporating water if water cannot be obtained.