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Solar Energy
What works and what doesn't.
Cooking: An overall survey of solar cookers.
This is an online overall survey of solar cookers that ties into the next two explanations.
The SEALED version of the of the above site. This file will not be opened until after the nuclear war.
Cooking 2: An overall survey of BOX solar cookers.
Because there are so many different designs of solar cookers the information referenced here has been narrowed to what seemed most applicable to the anticipated immediate needs of nuclear survivors.
The SEALED version of the of the above site. This file will not be opened until after the nuclear war.
Cooking 3: A very simple design.
This is a detailed explanation about one exceptionally simple design. With more time and resources one will probably wish to consider one of the other designs in the links above. This design, however, has the additional advantage in that it is very portable.
The SEALED version of the of the above site. This file will not be opened until after the nuclear war.
Hotwater 1: Make it with the sun even in cold climates.
This SEALED 9 page .pdf file is about a closed anti-freeze system. This file will not be opened until after the nuclear war.
Hotwater 2: Build Your Own Solar Water Heater.
This SEALED 118 page .pdf file is much more detailed. This file will not be opened until after the nuclear war.
Hotwater 3: Solar Hotwater Heating - A DIY Guide.
This SEALED 31 page .pdf file is another system. It is always good to get a variety of ideas and explanations. This file will not be opened until after the nuclear war.
After a nuclear war, solar power for making electricity is probably not going to be an option unless one happens to find some salvagable solar panels. I obtained books on the subject of making "hobbyist" solar panels and they are so terribly inefficient that it is just not a practical way to go at all. Solar panels operate only during daytime, on days that are not cloudy, and in locations near enough to the equator that you don't get low sun angles and long nights. Consequently commercial solar panels presently have a payout of about a hundred years which means, given interest rates, the value of money, the life expectancy of the panels themselves, and human life expectancy - they just are not a practical way to go in most situations. They have application for some small power requirements in very remote locations but that is about it in many parts of the world. In outerspace with 24 hour sunlight they may be the cat's meow - but nothing that we need to concern ourselves about in a nuclear recovery situation.
Still, sunlight is a great power source for stills, solar cookers and as a means of heating water. Those are the applications that are treated here.
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