Despite a myriad of solutions available to capture and use thermal energy concentrated from the Sun, these systems are not of generalized usage. This is mainly due to: (1) The cost per watt generated by large solar concentrator systems being disadvantageous to solar panels; (2) Scale economies for solar concentrators typically require large structures, designed to overcome a problem common to these systems: Accurate solar tracking.

In this café, Dr. L. Rafael Sanchez Vega presents a prototype of his design of a solar heat generator not subject to the constraints above. The prototype is mostly manual, simple to use, and can be economically made to a portable size. The mechanism depends mostly on mechanical power. It does not need to be plugged to the electric grid and, therefore, it can be used just about anywhere. It’s made up of a track, a timer, a container of water and a Fresnel spot lens. The track serves as a base, while the timer adjusts the position of the lens to optimize solar intake.

Originally designed to produce drinking water through boiling, other applications are being pursued which make use of the high temperatures that can be reached (1500 0C). These applications range from educational thermal models, to research on the fusion of plastics and metals.

The prototype took several years to complete, and Dr. Sanchez Vega would like to acknowledge the assistance of the students who in some degree helped along this work. Special thanks to MS students Noe Villagrana and Yu Hang.