A massive medieval cart with a parabolic structure mounted on top of it to concentrate sunlight is the centre of attraction on the Rooi Plain at Maties today (15 April). Watch on video on the University's Facebook page here.
Prof. Paul Papka and physics students from the Solar Thermal Energy research group in the Department of Physics hope to raise awareness of solar energy by dishing out soup cooked in 50 liter cauldron, hoisted above the solar panel.
On the side-line, prof. Frank Dinter and students from the Centre for Renewable Energy Studies prepared wors on a smaller solar panel.
The cart is nine metres long, eight metres wide and six metres high. The parabolic structures, pannelled with mirrors, are concentrating 12 square metres of sunlight onto a surface area of only 30 square centimetres in order to cook the soup.
This represents the amount of energy used to boil three to four kettles. When ready, the soup will be dished out to students passing by.
Prof. Papka says it took a year of planning and another three months of buildling the cart and parabolic structure from recycled materials.
The structure will be now be dismantled and carted to its final destination at Africa Burn later this month. There it will cook 70 litres of soup every day before it will, very appropriately, go up in flames.
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