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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Food dehydration by solar energy.

Solar driers that are currently being investigated for drying of agricultural products can be divided into two major divisions, depending upon how they transfer the incident solar energy to the product to be dried. These two divisions are direct and indirect drying, with some work also being done on combination drying procedures. In direct solar driers, the product to be dried is usually either inside a tent, greenhouse, or a glass-topped box, where the product to be dried is heated by the direct rays from the sun and the moist air is removed by ambient wind movement. These dryers do accelerate moisture loss rate and the product is usually safe from inclement weather. These dryers usually do not require fans for forced air circulation. With indirect drying, the opposite is true, where most require powered fans for forced air circulation. With this type of dryer, both flatplate and inflated tube solar heat absorbers are used, with each offering certain advantages. Also, combination dryers have been built that utilize both direct and indirect principles. Product evaluation of solar dried foods indicate that in most cases the physical properties, flavor, and vitamin A and C retention were as good as, or better than, conventional dried foods. The economics of the solar systems indicate that most drying procedures are economically feasible for use in small-scale operations only, with the exception of grain drying.

Agriculture↗

Pasteurization of naturally contaminated water with solar energy.

A solar box cooker (SBC) was constructed with a cooking area deep enough to hold several 3.7-liter jugs of water, and this was used to investigate the potential of using solar energy to pasteurize naturally contaminated water. When river water was heated either in the SBC or on a hot plate, coliform bacteria were inactivated at temperatures of 60 degrees C or greater. Heating water in an SBC to at least 65 degrees C ensures that the water will be above the milk pasteurization temperature of 62.8 degrees C for at least an hour, which appears sufficient to pasteurize contaminated water. On clear or partly cloudy days, with the SBC facing magnetic south in Sacramento, bottom water temperatures of at least 65 degrees C could be obtained in 11.1 liters of water during the 6 weeks on either side of the summer solstice, in 7.4 liters of water from mid-March through mid-September, and in 3.7 liters of water an additional 2 to 3 weeks at the beginning and end of the solar season. Periodic repositioning of the SBC towards the sun, adjusting the back reflective lid, and preheating water in a simple reflective device increased final water temperatures. Simultaneous cooking and heating water to pasteurizing temperatures was possible. Additional uses of the SBC to pasteurize soil and to decontaminate hospital materials before disposal in remote areas are suggested.

Enterobacteriaceae↗

Adequacy of solar energy to keep babies warm.

OBJECTIVE: Solar energy could be used as an alternate energy source for keeping neonates warm especially in tropical countries. The present study investigated the efficacy of solar powered room heating system. SETTING: Referral center for neonatal care. INTERVENTION: A fluid system heated by solar panels and circulated into a room was used to maintain room temperature. A servocontrolled heating device was used to regulate and maintain desired room temperature. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Neonatal rectal temperature and room temperature. RESULT: Infants between 1750-2250 g were observed to require a mean room temperature of 32.5 degrees C to maintain normothermia. In 85 infants less than 1500 g, of the 5050 infant temperature records, only 3% showed a record less than 36 degrees C. CONCLUSIONS: Solar powered room heating is effective in maintaining infant temperature and is cost-effective as compared to the existing warming devices.

Humans↗

Solar energy for the hospital?

You can't scrap your boiler and expect solar panels to provide steam for process and heating, but solar systems are cost-effective now for domestic hot water generation, according to a leading solar energy engineering/design/build firm.

Conservation of Energy Resources↗

Model role for bacteriorhodopsin for solar energy utilization by primordial organisms.

Enzymes similar in function to contemporary bacteriorhodopsin could have been active in primordial living organisms for the utilization of solar energy to produce ATP. The energy-conversion system, which depends on a light-driven proton pump, is enzymatically simple, insensitive to cyanide inhibition and functional under highly lipid conditions in an anaerobic atmosphere.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Absorption of Solar Energy in the Atmosphere: Discrepancy Between Model and Observations

An atmospheric general circulation model, which assimilates data from daily observations of temperature, humidity, wind, and sea-level air pressure, was compared with a set of observations that combines satellite and ground-based measurements of solar flux. The comparison reveals that the model underestimates by 25 to 30 watts per square meter the amount of solar energy absorbed by Earth's atmosphere. Contrary to some recent reports, clouds have little or no overall effect on atmospheric absorption, a consistent feature of both the observations and the model. Of several variables considered, water vapor appears to be the dominant influence on atmospheric absorption.

Journal Article↗

[Occupational hygiene at solar-energy electric power plants].

The labour conditions of the personnel engaged in servicing an experimental solar electric power station in warm seasons of the year were characterized by the unfavourable environmental factors peculiar of working out-doors (heliostat sites) and in the station's shops (solar radiation, heating microclimate, noise). Combinations and activity of those factors were professionally determined. Established was the role of the labour conditions and respective occupational peculiarities in the individual response formation to work overload. A set of health-related preventive measures was also proposed.

Adult↗