Evening star., 1937-04-24

are readily attained, hot enough to
bake bread. In its present position
on Mount Wilson the reservoir and
mirror are partly shaded in the early
morning and altogether shaded after
about 2 O'Clock in the afternoon by
trees, so that only about seven hours
a day Of sunlight are available Never
theless the temperature of the ovens
remains always above boiling, so that
many kinds of food can be cooked
at night if desired.
Fruit, declares Dr. Abbot, is pre-
served with great ease. The pre-
pared fruit is put into glass jars, COW
cred over with sirup and left over
night in the lower oven. In the morn
ing the jar covers are fastened down
while still hot. The cooker is also
convenient because foods may be pre-
pared in cool kitchen with no danger
of burning in the well-tempered heat.
Foods may be left TO cook for hours
without harm and meats and vege-
tables become delicious viands indeed
when cooked by the sun.
DR.. Abbot has many interesting
things to tell about solar power. For
example, ne points out that the
wasted solar energy in deserts is thou
sands of times more than all the power
requirements of the world. If that
energy could be maintained con-
stantly it could be made to compete
on equal terms with coal at about So
a ton. 1t must be remembered, DR..
Abbot reminds us, that solar radia-
ton is interrupted by night and by
clouds, so that an efficient power or
heat storage would have to be pro-
vided if large solar power plants were
used.
Perfecting arrangements for power
purposes would present the most diff
fcult problem in developing solar
radiation for commercial purposes,
DR.. Abbot believes, because of the
necessity for improved methods of
storing the heat on large scale.
/ But he does not consider the prob
lem insurmountable by any means,
simply open to further and more as
siduous study than it has received
so far
AS for the use of the sun for cook
ing and for similar purposes, he is
enthusiastic, for present experiments
are working in such highly satis-
factory manner. Conceding that there
are certain sections of the United
States where solar radiation is more
constant and intense than in other
sections, DR.. Abbot still believes that
over great portion of the United
States solar power is possible and
practicable The State of New Mex
leo alone, he points out, receives near
ly 100 times as much solar heat as
the combined consumption of coal,
oil and hydroelectric energy in the
United States, il expressed in heat
units.
Evidently" he states New Mexico
would be rich State if she might
utilize this free gift from the sun
without costly devices for applying
it. There lies the crux. Is it possible
to utilize solar radiation for power
without prohibitive expense for the
| machinery?" DR.. Abbot believes that
1t is, provided such machines can be
built on a quantity production basis.
In addition to the heat collector and
solar engine, DR.. Abbot is the in
ventor of the solar cooker, a solar
distiller and solar toy for children
or grown-ups" that will cook food or
run small engines by the power of the
sun alone.
With his distilling apparatus it is
possible to distill waters charged with
alkali, for example, such as are found
in the Southwest regions. The distill-
ing is entirely a solar process He
has also invented what he calls
flash h-boiler"
This instrument was demonstrated
by DR. Abbot before the American
| Association for the AdvanceE. ant of
Science in Washington during the
Patent Centennial celebration and
has also been demonstrated in other
parts of the country. For a season
1t was on display at the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington. as was also
the solar engine. BY means of the
faSh-boiler it Is possible to generate
heat available for all purposes five
minutes after solar radiation has
begun.