From: mung_me@att.net   
      
   On 2/16/2012 3:46 PM, Winston wrote:   
   > Jim Wilkins wrote:   
   >> "j" wrote in message   
      
   >   
   > Right now, I'm experimenting with solar reflectors.   
   >   
   > I have some surplus acrylic mirror material taped to some MDF   
   > which is propped up on a step ladder. It reflects solar   
   > energy from the back yard into the kitchen/living room area.   
   > It brightens the place up a lot. The stuff is $7 to $10 a   
   > square foot, so I buy cheap 'drops' of it when I'm in the   
   > area of my plastic monger.   
   >   
   > Curiously, aluminum foil did not reflect nearly as well as I'd   
   > hoped. The crinkly surface puts too much power at inconvenient   
   > angles. Also, I find that plain (non-mirror) acrylic appears   
   > to work nearly as well as does the expensive 'mirror' stuff   
   > in reflecting sunlight.   
      
   FWIW, I ran across this, again, today:   
      
   http://wims.unice.fr/xiao/solar/diy-en.pdf   
      
   Since you have the mirror source. Although you can get metalized mylar   
   cheap.   
      
   I had thought of doing an acoustic stirling (or a simple variation), but   
   the amount of dead clear days is too few here, and the complexity, too much.   
      
   There is a lot to be said for simple ideas that work! Like your   
   reflector and fan!   
      
      Jeff   
   >   
   > I've also discovered that merely opening a screen door and   
   > allowing my garage exhaust fan to pull in heated air from outside   
   > heats the place up a *lot* faster than does my solar reflector.   
   >   
   > --Winston   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)