Make Your Own Fresnel Lens for Intense Solar Power

Got a DirectTV dish you don't need? Make a powerful fresnel lens to heat stuff up quickly!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q90i31JIQ3M

Reading about using a water mass to keep greenhouses warm makes me think this is an easy way to heat up some water. I'm not sure on the management of the water and the dish and how long it could be left unattended, but this seems like a very simple and powerful use of the sun!

Here is a modular water heat storage system

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n90Y6Qwab_8

Here is a way to manage the target of the fresnel lens

http://www.youtube.com/user/GREENPOWERSCIENCE?feature=watch

This Greenpower Science channel on youtube is going to take up all my time learning!

I've embedded those video below.

This one is excellent. It takes nothing more than greenhouse plastic braced on a frame with water in the middle to reflect enough heat to burn a board. The frame he the uses could easily be worked into a greenhouse structure.

http://youtu.be/eeSyHgO5fmQ

I beat youtube into submission and persuaded it to embed.