Free Power From The Sun :)

[ekul]

I was just looking around for some info on an article i read about solar brewing and i found this . Basically they are harnessing the power of the sun to boil their kettle. I can't tell if they are mashing or making extract because the lid of the kettle seems to be shut. Also when they are burning the hops, wouldn't this cause insta-skunking?

I did some research and apparently there is 1000W per m2 on a sunny day. So if this concentrated down it can boil water. I spose for a single batch of beer you'd need at least 3m2 to get a good boil going (3000W). Or 5m2 for a double batch. One that big could also double as a death ray. h34r:

These guys here (http://www.greenpowerscience.com/) have large fresnel lenses for sale but they are pretty expensive. Need to find some cheaper bigger ones and we are away! I knew this guy that was playing around with them, pretty sure he was getting them for $10-20.
There's some pretty cool stuff on the site, apparently these things can melt steel and glass!

EDITED TO ADD~ Cheap/free source of fresnel lenses can be had from rear projection tvs. The lens will be the same size as the screen. From here (how to build a solar deathray)

 

[jbirbeck]

I was just looking around for some info on an article i read about solar brewing and i found this . Basically they are harnessing the power of the sun to boil their kettle. I can't tell if they are mashing or making extract because the lid of the kettle seems to be shut. Also when they are burning the hops, wouldn't this cause insta-skunking?

I did some research and apparently there is 1000W per m2 on a sunny day. So if this concentrated down it can boil water. I spose for a single batch of beer you'd need at least 3m2 to get a good boil going (3000W). Or 5m2 for a double batch. One that big could also double as a death ray. h34r:

These guys here (http://www.greenpowerscience.com/) have large fresnel lenses for sale but they are pretty expensive. Need to find some cheaper bigger ones and we are away! I think tvs have fresnel lenses inside of them maybe..? I knew this guy that was playing around with them, pretty sure he was getting them for $10-20.
There's some pretty cool stuff on the site, apparently these things can melt steel and glass!

I just installed solar panels on my roof...try and use a bit of electricity to do the brew either supplementing the natural gas or straight element depending on the size of the batch. I've not yet looked to see if I'm importing or exporting when I do this...Probably importing my power.

 

[unrealeous]

If you want to go green, build a wood-fired brewery. That way, you can feed good about using a renewable resource, and still brew at night.

 

[The_Duck]

Or use wind power ? http://www.enviro-energies.com/products.htm

One of the bigger units that puts out 10KW at full clip would easily do 3 elements, for free with no emissions.

If you lived on a cattle farm you could also do BioGas (methane/natural gas) and use that thru a natural gas burner to heat the kettle.

there are many options if you are serious about brewing green.. no, NOT green beer :icon_vomit: .

(green) Duck

 

[MarkBastard]

WTF were those guys doing in that video?

Roasting grain, okay maybe that makes sense.
Roasting hops, WTF?
Throwing grain into a fully enclosed corny-keg-kettle and boiling it? WTF? Looks like they didn't mash, just boiled for the whole time with the grain in there.

These guys would make a certain brewer from banora point nervous!

 

[chopdog]

in the latest beer and brewer mag there is an article about a micro brewery in vic that is green, i tried his beers at the brew fest back in may, not bad

 

[dent]

That fresnel thing on youtube seems pretty lame - there just isn't enough watts over such a small area. I reckon it would be rather more effective to have multiple flat mirrors on the ground pointing upward at the kettle in the centre, similar to the solar power tower but on a smaller scale. Having the kettle up somewhere you'd get burnt to death while trying to add hops would be awkward though - better would be to locate a steam boiler there and have a steam powered kettle elsewhere.

I think this could be possible on the small commercial scale where it might be important to save on the energy costs of brewing.

 

[Goofinder]

You could try building a hotel to harness the power of the sun...