Zero-fossil-fuel-using heating and cooling apparatus for residences and buildings with an array for tracking the sun

Abstract

The invention provides an apparatus which can heat water using a Fresnel lens or magnifying glass to focus and concentrate sunlight on water-filled radiator-like tubes which move water, by the water pressure from a water spigot or bib (without pumping), to: (1) move the heated water through tubes to heat any space inside any building, and (2) provide steam to power a steam-powered electricity generator to provide electricity, and charge a battery, during daylight hours, arid then use the charged battery to supply electricity during the night hours, and (3) move water, cooled by the subsurface ground, by water pressure from a water spigot / bib, without pumping, into proximity with any air space inside any building to cool the air space.

Description

[0001] A Zero-Fossil-Fuel-Using Heating and Cooling Apparatus for Residences and

[0002] Buildings with An Array for Tracking the Sun

[0003] The invention provides an apparatus which can heat water using a Fresnel lens or magnifying glass to focus and concentrate sunlight on water- filled radiator-like tubes which move water, by the water pressure from a water spigot / bib (without pumping), to:

[0004] 1. move the heated water through tubes to heat any space inside any building, and

[0005] 2. provide steam to power a steam-powered electricity generator to provide electricity, and charge a battery, during daylight hours, and then use the charged battery to supply electricity during the night hours, and

[0006] 3. move water, cooled by the subsurface ground, by water pressure from a water spigot / bib, without pumping, into proximity with any air space inside any building to cool the air space, and

[0007] 4. array a series of magnifying glasses or Fresnel lenses in order to catch the rays of the sun from sunrise to sunset and focus those rays on the car-radiator-like tubes full of water in order to heat the water without using fossil fuels, and

[0008] 5. support the array of magnifying glasses or Fresnel lenses and car- radiator-like water tubes with arch structures to bear the weight and protect the

[0009] Structure from earthquake damage.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising: a building, or residence, with a roof in position to catch the sun 's rays so that a magnifying glass or Fresnel lens can focus and concentrate the sun 's rays on an array of water-filled tubes, water, a garden hose spigot / bib or kitchen faucet for delivering the water under pressure, a solar collector, a magnifying glass or Fresnel lens that focuses sunlight on the solar collector, a transfer conduit fluidly connecting the garden hose spigot / bib or kitchen faucet and the solar collector, the transfer conduit delivering the water under pressure from the garden hose spigot / bib or kitchen faucet to the solar collector to be heated, a first piping structure fluidly connected to the solar collector and physically distributed internally through the building, the first piping structure receiving heated water from the solar collector and transmitting the heated water through the building for heating air space within the building, a steam-powered expander downstream of and fluidly connected to the solar collector, the steam-powered expander receiving steam from the solar collector,an electricity generator operatively connected to the steam powered expander for generating electricity, wherein the first piping structure is additionally fluidly connected to the steam-powered expander for additionally receiving steam and / or heated water from the steam-powered expander and transmitting the steam and / or heated water through the building for heating air space within the building, wherein the water is circulated through the transfer conduit and the first piping structure using only gravity and pressure from the garden hose spigot / bib or faucet, without using a pump for additional pressurization, wherein the magnifying glass or Fresnel lens consists of a curved and swiveling single line array of magnifying glasses or Fresnel lenses arranged in a half-circle positioned on the roof of the building or residence, which swivels along an axis pole so as to catch and focus the sun’s rays on a single line of water-filled radiator tubes.The axis pole’s East end pointing at the place on the horizon where the sun rises on the morning of the summer solstice and the axis pole’s West end pointing at the place on the horizon where the sun sets in the evening of the summer solstice, and wherein the swingle line array swivels along the axis pole to be in the best position to catch the sun’s direct rays and focus those sun’s rays on the radiatortubes, as the sun goes from east to west during each day and north to south and back to north as the seasons change from winter to summer to winter, in order to heat the water in the radiator tubes.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second piping structure fluidly connected to the garden hose spigot / bib or kitchen faucet and at least in part being physically distributed internally through a subsurface below a ground surface of the building, the second piping structure being configured to receive the water under pressure from the garden hose spigot / bib or kitchen faucet, to transmit the water in heat exchange relationship with the subsurface to cool the water, and to transmit the water through the building for cooling an air space within the building, wherein the water is circulated through the second piping structure using only gravity and pressure from the garden hose spigot / bib or kitchen faucet, without using a pump for additional pressurization.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second piping structure is fluidly connected to the first piping structure such that the first piping structure is also configured for cooling an air space within the building, when the apparatus is used for space cooling instead of space heating.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the subsurface is at least four feet or deeper below a ground surface of the building.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a hot water tank fluidly connected to the first / second combined piping structure as claimed in claim 3 above and configured to receive water from the first piping structure for storing hot water.

6. An apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a hot water tank fluidly connected to the first / second combined piping structure as claimed in claim 3 above and configured to receive water from the first piping structure for storing hot water.

7. An apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a hot water tank fluidly connected to the piping structure and configured to receive water from the first piping structure for storing hot water.

8. An apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a hot water tank fluidly connected to the piping structure and configured to receive water from the first piping structure for storing hot water.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising two to four arch supports arranged over the top of the residence or building so that the residence or building is suspended below the arch supports, the arch supports being connected by support bars that bear the weight of the Fresnel lenses or magnifying glasses and radiator tubes and provide an earthquake-resistant structure for the residence or building.