Intensify Sunlight by a Factor of 1,000

A team led by MIT students successfully developed a prototype of solar power system which may be the most cost-efficient on the face the earth. The 12-foot-wide dish, made from a lightweight frame of inexpensive aluminum tubing and strips of mirror, concentrates sunlight by a factor of 1,000, producing heat so intense it could melt metal.

To demonstrate how hot it is at the center of focal point, students put a long plank in front of the dish, smoke and flames erupted from the wood almost instantly. Read the rest of this entry »

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