Originally published October 16 2005
Connecticut man may revolutionize solar power industry with potato chip bags
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Michael Costner of Milford, Conn. has discovered a new use for potato chip bags: Using the aluminum mylar from the bags to reflect the sun's rays as a solar panel. The Connecticut Post reports the goal of the move is to reduce the cost of solar energy so that it has a chance of becoming more widely accepted.
Who would have thought the material used to make potato chip bags could revolutionize the solar energy industry?
Nobody, until Milford resident Michael Costner came along.
And now the mechanical engineer hopes to patent his visionary idea to make solar energy technology less expensive and more accessible to a larger market.
"We've developed a design that would deliver solar energy at more affordable costs," said Costner, a consultant with Aerospace Structural Research on Depot Road in Milford.
He added previous attempts to design a solar collector system, which focuses sunlight on a central beam, have been unsuccessful because of the costs involved.
Mirrors used in prototype collector systems to reflect the light are often too expensive and heavy for traditional uses.
He said the cost of a solar flat panel system that can produce 450 watts of peak output averages around $3,100, while the same system using his solar collector would cost a consumer $1,250, a savings of nearly 60 percent.
A typical flat panel system can take up to 12 years to pay itself off, Costner said, while his solar collector could pay itself off in less than five years.
An added benefit of the solar collector is besides providing electricity, it can also heat hot water.
"Besides cutting their electric bills, someone who installs this solar collector could also reduce their natural gas bills."
Rising energy costs and government incentives have increased the popularity of solar energy in recent years, Kaye said.
"The industry goal is to be cost competitive to retail electricity prices," he said.
"It sounds like this product could help to meet those goals."
Ann Berman, president of the Milford Environmental Concerns Coalition, said she has saved significantly on her electric bills after installing a traditional flat panel solar display on her home that cost about $22,000.
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