I’ve been chatting to another user on here (https://slrpnk.net/u/JacobCoffinWrites who does the cool photobash images of solarpunk scenes) and it really got me thinking about solar concentrators so i went on a bit of a binge learning about them, there are so many really cool designs and so many things a source of heat like that can be used for.
One idea i especially like is using it to power absorption refrigeration (like off-grid gas powered refrigerators use) so when the sun is hot you can focus it’s power and use it to cool your house – then when it’s starting to get cooler switch it to heating, ideally heating a medium which will retain the heat so you can distribute it through the night. For agricultural use it could heat greenhouses and drying rooms, industrially there’s an endless amount of possibilities. Even recreationally it could be great, cutting out the cost of heating a pool or hot tub - could really make some off-grid luxury.
A great youtube channel with various diy examples is Sergiy Yurko, who’s still managing to make great videos despite living in Ukraine - https://www.youtube.com/@sergiyyurko8668/videos
and https://www.youtube.com/@GREENPOWERSCIENCE/videos has some really cool videos too, like demonstrating using a fresnal lens to melt metal
I’ve read about them, and considered, but so far I have done nothing with solar concentrators. I’ve been thinking about solar thermal + thermal storage, and about solar thermal + Stirling motors, but haven’t had the time to make any workable solutions.
What I have done, though, is to use dumpster-dived white plastic sheets (to be painted reflective sometime in the next summer) to increase the amount of radiation falling on my “solar fence” (which is literally a fence, about 1 meter tall, made of solar panels). They just sit on the ground 30 cm sunward from the fence, and due to being bright white, relfect additional sunlight onto the fence. :)
In winter, they make no difference, snow does the same job. :)