5 ms·

I think that it might be interested to use something like that to help aim solar panels towards the sun?

post_break 8y ago
Here is an example of that https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6QIutZfsFs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6QIutZfsFs
gwern 8y ago
One idea I had a while ago was that you could use these for saving energy by targeting exposed skin surfaces only. This would be particularly useful for offices: the office can be set to the lower temperature preferred by men, and then women can be targeted by the infrared heaters to keep them comfortable as well, so no one has to be uncomfortable while still saving energy. (It has to default to colder/male preferences because you save more energy by keeping the office as a whole at the lower temperature, and anyway, there's no such thing as an 'anti-heat beam' so you can't cool down a subset.)
- benj111 8y ago
  That's explored here: https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2015/03/local-heating.html https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2015/03/local-heating.html
  - gwern 8y ago
    Indeed, women in offices now tend to either suffer or sweater. They are solutions, but not good ones. Infrared trackers would allow one to have one's cake of attractive stylish (non-sweater) clothing while not suffering in the eating. So to speak.
    - avisser 8y ago
      If they were pervasive, they could allow institutional users to lower the temperature in their buildings a few degrees. One degree on the thermostat for a large building in New England could equate to a lot of savings in fuel.
- luma 8y ago
  You sound like a fella that doesn't spend much time around post-menopausal women :)
- pbhjpbhj 8y ago
  Or those who feel cold could put a jumper on?
jessriedel 8y ago
The sun follows a pretty regular schedule, so might be easier to just program that in :)
- vidanay 8y ago
  No programming required....the mechanical clockworks for that was figured out a few hundred years ago.
  - InclinedPlane 8y ago
    It may surprise you but using a micro-controller and some servos is today often an easier and simpler solution than building a complex mechanism using cams and clockworks.
    - vidanay 8y ago
      True. Your user name makes that statement hilarious though. :)
Scoundreller 8y ago
The thing is... heliostats are expensive, susceptible to breakdown, and require maintenance. And panels are getting cheaper and cheaper. If you’re dealing with “free” rooftop mounting space, it’s cheaper to just throw more panels at the problem. And you’ll get better peak power with more panels. Or get a manually adjustable setup and manually adjust them for each season.
zizee 8y ago
That sounds like a fun project, but economically impractical. When we installed panels on our roof it was cheaper to just lay them flat and buy extra panels to make up the difference, than to install them on static frames to angle them for most efficient energy generation. If static frames are not worth it, dynamic ones are definitely going to be too expensive. Perhaps at scale, things would be different, but I doubt it.

Here is an example of that https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6QIutZfsFs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6QIutZfsFs

One idea I had a while ago was that you could use these for saving energy by targeting exposed skin surfaces only. This would be particularly useful for offices: the office can be set to the lower temperature preferred by men, and then women can be targeted by the infrared heaters to keep them comfortable as well, so no one has to be uncomfortable while still saving energy. (It has to default to colder/male preferences because you save more energy by keeping the office as a whole at the lower temperature, and anyway, there's no such thing as an 'anti-heat beam' so you can't cool down a subset.)

benj111 8y ago
That's explored here: https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2015/03/local-heating.html https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2015/03/local-heating.html
- gwern 8y ago
  Indeed, women in offices now tend to either suffer or sweater. They are solutions, but not good ones. Infrared trackers would allow one to have one's cake of attractive stylish (non-sweater) clothing while not suffering in the eating. So to speak.
  - avisser 8y ago
    If they were pervasive, they could allow institutional users to lower the temperature in their buildings a few degrees. One degree on the thermostat for a large building in New England could equate to a lot of savings in fuel.
luma 8y ago
You sound like a fella that doesn't spend much time around post-menopausal women :)
pbhjpbhj 8y ago
Or those who feel cold could put a jumper on?

jessriedel 8y ago

The sun follows a pretty regular schedule, so might be easier to just program that in :)

vidanay 8y ago
No programming required....the mechanical clockworks for that was figured out a few hundred years ago.
- InclinedPlane 8y ago
  It may surprise you but using a micro-controller and some servos is today often an easier and simpler solution than building a complex mechanism using cams and clockworks.
  - vidanay 8y ago
    True. Your user name makes that statement hilarious though. :)

Scoundreller 8y ago

The thing is... heliostats are expensive, susceptible to breakdown, and require maintenance. And panels are getting cheaper and cheaper. If you’re dealing with “free” rooftop mounting space, it’s cheaper to just throw more panels at the problem. And you’ll get better peak power with more panels. Or get a manually adjustable setup and manually adjust them for each season.

zizee 8y ago

That sounds like a fun project, but economically impractical. When we installed panels on our roof it was cheaper to just lay them flat and buy extra panels to make up the difference, than to install them on static frames to angle them for most efficient energy generation. If static frames are not worth it, dynamic ones are definitely going to be too expensive. Perhaps at scale, things would be different, but I doubt it.