Stirling engines?

[mikeschn]

I got this message today from Joe,

Is there any hope for generating electricity from these parts, or are we just inhaling more smoke?

Mike...

I'd like see you guys come up with a way to generate electricity with these two stirling engines:

http://www.pmresearchinc.com/solar03.htm

or this one:

http://www.pmresearchinc.com/solar06.htm

I'd like to see these hooked up to a bosch volkswagen generator like this:

http://www2.autopartsauthority.com/part ... =Generator

and voltage regulator:

http://www2.autopartsauthority.com/part ... +Regulator

lets see what you guys can come up with.

[Jiminsav]

a sterling engine dosn't have enough cojonas to turn a generator, it barely has enough to turn itself over.

[mikeschn]

That's what I thought... these are just toys!

Mike...

[Rick R]

There are larger and stronger Stirlings. But presently any capable of turning a generator would be roughly double the size and weight of a gas engine of equal power, and FAR more expensive! And while Stirlings are great at maintaining a given speed, they have far less torque than gas engines, and would take a long time to get up to a given speed.

In the future they might make good airplane and permanent generator engines, but right now they are hardly more than experimental curiosities.