hese engines it can be a solar Stirling engine simply by concentrating light on the heat cylinder using any lens but a Fresnel lens will work the best. Again this model is for demonstration purposes as a proof of concept and won’t be very useful. Scroll down if you’d like a list of places that will teach you how to build a productive solar Stirling engine.
The most simple design uses a single piston and a straight cylinder which is closed on one side and open on the other side with the piston placed inside. The closed side of the cylinder is heated using solar energy, a candle, burning wood, even your hand. This is the heat cylinder. The other side has a heat sink attached to provide cooling. This is often a simple fin heat sink made out of copper or another heat conducting metal. So, imagine a metal tube with one end closed. On the open end is a fin heat sink. Now you’ll need a piston that fits inside the tube creating a seal. This can be made out of any material like metal or even wood. On the end of the piston that isn’t inside the cylinder a rotation point will need to be created. This can be done using a simple nut a bolt with a slip washer.
Attach this end of the piston to a rod and then at the other end of the rod make another roation point. Connect this to a wheel on a drive shaft and you’ll have a complete Stirling engine. If you then place a magnet on the drive shaft inside some wound copper wire you’ll have an electric generator Stirling engine.
Below is a video of a small air cooled solar Stirling engine using a fresnel lens to focus light for heat. There is also a simple electric generator attached.
If you’ve always been interested in using solar energy in useful ways a solar Stirling engine is a great way to start. Get out there and make your own or if you’re strapped for time you can buy a kit like the one below. Also, as mentioned above there are a lot of variations in components and design that will work differently. I suggest you pick up the Stirling Engine Design Manual below if you’re interested in learning more about these design quirks or just Stirling engines in general. I hope you’ve found this information useful.
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