Super Cool Phase Change Solar Tracker - No Power Needed!!

Summary

Engineer 775 introduces a unique solar tracker from Pursuit Solar at SPI in Utah. The tracker, which uses no motors or electronics, relies on a mechanical system powered by heated industrial wax to move solar panels. Capable of tracking 18 72-cell panels, it's designed to increase solar production by 20%. Despite a potential issue with cloudy days hindering tracking, the tracker's strength and innovative design are praised. The video also discusses the cost-benefit analysis of trackers versus fixed mounts and hints at another upcoming tracker review.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Engineer 775 introduces a unique solar tracker from Pursuit Solar that caught his attention at SPI in Utah.
• 🔧 The tracker operates mechanically without the need for motors, controllers, or PLCs, using industrial wax and a piston.
• 🌞 It utilizes a parabolic dish to collect sunlight, which heats the wax and moves the piston, enabling the tracking mechanism.
• 📐 The demo unit is designed to show the strength of the mechanism, capable of tracking 18 full 72-cell panels.
• 💡 The tracker is estimated to increase solar production by about 20%, offering a trade-off between cost and efficiency.
• 💰 Engineer 775 discusses the cost-effectiveness of the tracker compared to fixed ground mounts, especially in situations with limited space.
• 🌧️ A drawback mentioned is that the tracker may not start tracking on cloudy days, potentially missing out on sunlight.
• 🌻 The concept of the tracker is inspired by heliotropism, similar to how a sunflower tracks the sun throughout the day.
• 🛠️ The standard model is capable of holding 12 72-cell panels, with an 18-panel version also available, emphasizing the tracker's power and reliability.
• 🔍 Engineer 775 has been observing the demo unit for two months, noting its consistent operation and the need for potential adjustments.
• 📞 Pursuit Solar's owner, Eddie, is highlighted as a resource for information and support on tracker installation and setup.

Q & A

What is the product that Engineer 775 is excited about sharing in the video?

The product is a solar tracking system from Pursuit Solar that uses an industrial wax, a piston, and a parabolic dish to track the sun without the need for motors, controllers, or PLCs.

Why was Engineer 775 particularly interested in this solar tracker?

Engineer 775 was intrigued by the mechanical engineering aspect of the tracker, which operates without any electronic components such as motors or controllers.

How does the solar tracking system work mechanically?

The system uses the heat from the sun collected in a parabolic dish to melt industrial wax, which then moves a piston. This piston motion drives the tracking mechanism.

What is the purpose of the parabolic dish in the solar tracking system?

The parabolic dish is used to collect and concentrate sunlight onto a collector tube, which heats the wax inside, initiating the tracking mechanism.

How much weight can the demo unit of the solar tracker lift to demonstrate its strength?

The demo unit can lift approximately 2,000 pounds of blocks about 4 inches, showcasing the force it can exert.

What is the estimated increase in solar production with the use of this tracking system?

The tracking system is estimated to increase solar production by about 20%.

What is the main drawback mentioned by Engineer 775 regarding the solar tracker's operation?

The main drawback is that if the tracker doesn't start tracking due to overcast conditions in the early morning, it cannot catch up with the sun's position throughout the day.

What concept does the solar tracker use to follow the sun throughout the day?

The tracker uses the concept of heliotropism, similar to how a sunflower follows the sun from morning to evening and then resets.

What is the standard model's capacity in terms of the number of solar panels it can hold?

The standard model is designed to hold 12 72-cell panels, and there is an 18-panel version available.

What is the significance of the piston in the demo unit's demonstration of the tracking system's strength?

The piston in the demo unit moves and lifts a cable, which in turn lifts 2,000 pounds of material, demonstrating the system's mechanical strength and reliability.

Why might someone choose a solar tracker over a fixed ground mount?

A solar tracker might be chosen if there is limited space, as it can significantly increase energy production without needing to add more panels. It's also a good option for those interested in innovative technology.

What is the name of the company and the contact person mentioned for more information about the solar tracker?

The company is Pursuit Solar, and the contact person is Eddie Bug, the owner.

Outlines

00:00

🌞 Innovative Mechanical Solar Tracker

Engineer 775 introduces a unique solar tracker from Pursuit Solar that caught his attention due to its mechanical design without the need for motors, controllers, or PLCs. The tracker utilizes industrial wax, a piston, and a parabolic dish to track the sun, increasing solar production by approximately 20%. Despite the higher cost compared to fixed mounts, the mechanical ingenuity and potential for higher energy output make it an exciting product. However, the tracker has a limitation where it may not start tracking on cloudy days, potentially missing out on sunlight. The presenter shares his enthusiasm for the technology and its potential, even though it requires some adjustments for better performance.

05:00

📊 Cost-Effective Solar Solutions with Trackers

The second paragraph delves into the practical considerations of using solar trackers, comparing them with fixed ground mounts. It discusses how the increased power production from trackers can be offset by adding more panels to a cheaper ground mount, making it a cost-effective alternative. The presenter mentions his interactions with Pursuit Solar's owner, Eddie, who can provide detailed information and assistance with tracker installations. The paragraph also touches on the resurgence of interest in solar trackers due to their potential to maximize energy yield despite the initial high costs. The presenter teases an upcoming discussion on another type of tracker that is more traditional and less expensive, indicating a growing market for such technologies.

Keywords

💡SPI

SPI stands for Solar Power International, a major trade show for the solar energy industry. In the context of the video, it is where the host, Engineer 775, encountered the product from Pursuit Solar, which sparked his interest and led to the video's theme.

💡Pursuit Solar

Pursuit Solar is the company that developed the solar tracking system discussed in the video. It is highlighted for its innovative approach to solar energy, which is the main focus of the video.

💡Solar Tracker

A solar tracker is a device that adjusts the position of solar panels to follow the sun's path across the sky, maximizing sunlight exposure. In the video, the host is excited about a particular solar tracker from Pursuit Solar due to its mechanical design without the need for electronic components.

💡Heliotropism

Heliotropism refers to the movement of a part of a plant towards the sun. The video uses this term to describe the action of the solar tracker, which mimics the way a sunflower follows the sun throughout the day.

💡Parabolic Dish

A parabolic dish is a shape that focuses sunlight onto a specific point, like a collector. In the script, it is used to concentrate sunlight onto a collector tube, which heats a wax inside, causing a piston to move and thus track the sun.

💡Evacuated Tube

An evacuated tube is a type of solar collector that is used to collect solar energy. In the video, it is mentioned as part of the solar tracker's mechanism, where the heated wax inside the tube moves a piston.

💡Piston

A piston is a moving part in a mechanical system. In the context of the video, the heated wax moves a piston, which in turn powers the tracking mechanism of the solar panels.

💡Cost per Watt

Cost per watt is a measure of the price of solar panels or systems based on their power output. The video discusses the trade-off between the increased efficiency of the solar tracker and its cost per watt compared to fixed mounts.

💡72 Cell Panels

72 cell panels refer to solar panels that contain 72 photovoltaic cells. The video mentions that the tracker is capable of handling 18 of these panels, indicating its strength and capacity.

💡Cool Factor

The 'cool factor' in the video refers to the host's enthusiasm for the innovative and unique aspects of the solar tracker. It is a subjective measure of how exciting or impressive a product is, which in this case, is driven by the mechanical ingenuity of the tracker.

💡Eddy Bug

Eddy Bug is the owner of Pursuit Solar, as mentioned in the video. The host suggests contacting Eddy for more information about the tracker, indicating his role as a knowledgeable resource on the product.

Highlights

Engineer 775 introduces a unique solar tracker from Pursuit Solar at SPI in Utah.

The solar tracker is mechanically driven without the need for motors, controllers, or PLCs.

It utilizes industrial wax, a piston, and a parabolic dish to track the sun.

The demo unit shows the mechanism's strength capable of tracking 18 full 72 cell panels.

The tracker is expected to increase solar production by approximately 20%.

A potential drawback is the tracker's inability to catch up if it doesn't start tracking early in the day.

The tracker operates on the principle of heliotropism, similar to how a sunflower tracks the sun.

The standard model is designed to hold 12 72-cell panels, with an 18 panel version also available.

The tracker's piston is shown to be extremely powerful and reliable in lifting heavy weights.

Engineer 775 discusses the cost-effectiveness of trackers versus fixed ground mounts.

The tracker's mechanical design is praised for its potential reliability and lack of electronic components.

Eddie Bug, the owner of Pursuit Solar, is mentioned for his expertise and willingness to assist with installations.

Engineer 775 expresses his excitement about the 'cool factor' of the mechanical solar tracker.

A comparison is made between the cost per watt and the innovative technology of the tracker.

The video mentions an upcoming review of another tracker with a horizontal shaft and a different design.

Engineer 775 invites viewers to share their thoughts on solar trackers and their practical applications.

The video concludes with a personal note about Engineer 775's new branded t-shirt.

Transcripts

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[Applause]

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hey folks engineer 775 here wanna share

with you today a really cool product I

was so excited when I went to SPI

last year in Utah and I met the folks

from pursuit solar and they had this

cool track it was the last thing I got

to look at for the day and I just they

had to kick me out of the place as I

went over it and looked at it I was

really excited you know I've done videos

on trackers where I haven't been too

excited about it because of the cost

now tractors are still obviously more

expensive than a fixed pole mount or

ground mount but this one really caught

my eye as a mechanical engineer because

there was no motors no controllers no

PLC's no anything to make this thing

track so it really caught my attention

and so let me tell you a little bit

about it it uses an industrial wax and a

piston and a parabolic dish and

combination with a mechanism so

basically as the Sun is picked up in the

parabolic dish and you can see that up

here where there's a collector that hits

like it looks like an evacuated tube

almost and it collects on that tube

which heats the wax which moves a piston

now this is a demo unit so this you're

like what is going on why are you doing

with one panel this thing is strong

enough to actually track 18 full 72 cell

panels so this is just a demo model

showing how much work it can actually do

so the actual tractor doesn't look like

this this is just showing the force you

see if I move this you'll see the weight

this is basically 2,000 pounds of blocks

it picks those blocks up about 4 inches

which allows this mechanism to go

through its full range of motion so it's

kind of in the morning here it's about

10 o'clock in the morning and this will

rotate all the way over to the west

southwest side in the afternoon and so

it's already started tracking because we

got a pretty good sunny day and it'll

just track through the full range so

they the estimates are that it'll

increase your solar production by about

20% so there's always this trade up and

there's the cool factor which this

really caught my eye but there's also

the increased production but in so

there's I'm always in this conundrum of

cost per watt versus cool factor and

cool technology but again no power

required to do it the only thing that

you know it's a demo unit I've been

watching it now for two months looking

at it every day I come home and I see

where its position so sometimes what we

have here is sometimes if it's in the

early morning there's no snow sunshine

and it's rainy day or very cloudy day it

won't start to track and if it doesn't

start to track it can't catch up because

of where the Sun is in relationship to

the parabolic collector so that's the

only negative part of it so sorry about

that pursuit this is something that for

me when I come home I want to see my

tracker tracking over with the Sun and

this doesn't do it for you know I would

say five days out of the month from what

I've been observing the concept is still

amazing maybe there could be some

tweaking of the collector to allow it to

capture more and not skip a beat but

super strong I just love the concept

it's all mechanical they can't fail I've

been watching this pal two blocks go up

and down from for two months and so it's

pretty cool so the concept is called

heliotropism basically using this

concept like of a sunflower sunflower

well in the morning it'll be reset to

where the Sun is going to come up and

then it'll kind of the sunflower will

track that Sun all day long and then

reset and that's what this does it

tracks the Sun all day long and then

resets you can the standard model will

hold 12 72 cell panels they do have an

18 panel version but for production the

I think the 12 panel is where they're

heading for the most part so this is

just a demo this panels not hooked up to

anything it's just to show you that it

does track it's extremely powerful

piston very reliable so if you look back

here this is the the mechanism isn't the

same so the demo unit is just running a

piston as the as it rotates this piston

moves and it lifts this cable up lifting

2,000 pounds of material just to show

you how strong it was so it does track

very well when their son is is on it so

so this is it's it's interesting this

year for some reason I'm getting a lot

of requests about trackers and why don't

you do track your sky why don't you do

tractors in

a lot of times the cost of solar is so

high and we can't have kept pursuing at

the same time cheaper fixed ground

mounts so it's this you have the space

if you don't have the space the tracker

becomes very attractive if you have the

space then you can add more panels to a

cheaper ground mount and compensate for

what this would actually produce so it's

just math you can figure out if this

makes twenty percent more power you can

add twenty percent more panels and on

average your fixed ground mount is going

to equate to what a tractor is if you

don't have the room tractor is a great

option if you're into cool factors which

is really what caught my eye at SPI is

this is it's pretty awesome so check out

pursuit solar Eddy bug is the owner

there you can talk to Eddie about the

tracker he knows everything about it he

will walk you through an installation

how to set it up and there's a little

bit of setup education on it he's

they'll they'll walk you through some of

them he'll come out and actually help

you install it so that's about it on

this so let me know what you think let

me know if you think about trackers

because I'm actually about to debut

another tracker I know there's several

trackers on the market and there's some

that have gone out of business because

the tracker market was big when there

was small and when panels were so

expensive and then it kind of phased

away with panel prices going way down

and for some reason trackers have come

back and there's several companies in

about a two months gonna talk to you

about another horizontal shaft this

tracker it is timed and it won't have a

parabolic dish it's totally different

more of a traditional style tracker but

less expensive so anyway we'll be

talking to you about that kind of

questions about tracking let me know

this engineer 775 saina I wouldn't what

do you think my new cool sure I got a

new cool shirt today so I'm like

official I got my first branded t-shirt

so anyway I'll see you later folks bye

[Music]

you

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