Solar arrays could help local communities power their own creations
Hi-tech DIY to solve local problems - that’s the title of an article by Clark Boyd, Technology Correspondent at BBC News. Of all the cool, futuristic machines featured on the television series Star Trek, the “replicator” was certainly one of the most useful. This articles discuses personal fabrication at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Aside from sheep with mobile phones as an example to that they can be located on moutains, part of the article covers alternative energy.
Graduate student Amy Sun is working on designs for small solar reflectors that are easy to manufacture. Sun, who has helped set up labs, had the idea because almost everywhere she went she found a lack of locally available power. “It’s extremely frustrating,” Sun says. “We spend a lot of time picking machines that can make nearly anything, and we’re all stuck with this one little problem, which is that we can’t plug into anything. “The idea here is to think about getting power not from a central source, but from a small reflector that you can put anywhere you need it.” For more information on Solar Arrays used in the Space Programme click here.
