Admittedly, I don't have a scientific mind. Every person who had the misfortune to try and explain mathematics, physics and chemistry to me will tell you so.:winkytongue:
However, I've been toying with the idea of an alt-world (POD in the 12th century) in which solar power would've been used earlier than OTL for a little while now and I've been wondering what it would have taken for solar energy to develop much earlier. Would it even be possible?
 
There's a really good TL on the site (Solar Dreams) that has solar power develop in the 18th century if my math isn't off.

But 12th century beyond minimal uses of the sun to light a fire somewhere is out of the question. They have no concept of power nor a need for it
 
One issue is the ability to concentrate solar energy to the point where you can gain useful work from it.

This will be affected by the quality of glass (to form lenses) and mirrors (to form focusing arrays).
 
There's a really good TL on the site (Solar Dreams) that has solar power develop in the 18th century if my math isn't off.

But 12th century beyond minimal uses of the sun to light a fire somewhere is out of the question. They have no concept of power nor a need for it
Thank you:)
Yes, I mentioned the date of the POD but I honestly didn't think solar power could be used as early as this - at least not in Western Europe and I can't see my POD affecting the development of technology in other places so soon.
One issue is the ability to concentrate solar energy to the point where you can gain useful work from it.

This will be affected by the quality of glass (to form lenses) and mirrors (to form focusing arrays).
Indeed. So I'll have to give a thought to glass production/trade.
 
Indeed. So I'll have to give a thought to glass production/trade.
There's also the matter of intensity of ambient sunlight and the thermal conductivity of materials.

IMO, with a 12th century POD, I would suggest the Early Modern era* at the absolute earliest for this sort of thing to be actually practical. For instance, the MythBusters tried (IIRC) three times to try and duplicate the "Archimedes Solar Death Ray", but just couldn't get it to work effectively using a huge array of bronze mirrors.

Steam engines of various kinds existed for well over a thousand years before someone invented one that was actually practical, after all.



*or technologically equivalent to it, at any rate. Telescope grade lenses, and silver-backed mirrors, those sorts of things. You also need materials that can contain the energies involved - if you are planning a solar-powered steam engine, for instance, beware of issues around leaks and pressure.
 
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