Solar panel with recycled plastic bottles

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In our continuous effort to share any form of recycling of all kinds of waste materials, and continuing with the creative recycling that we have already dealt with in several articles, we have discovered José Alano. This Brazilian is the inventor of the first solar panel for the production of hot water made with Plastic bottles.

Alano’s initiative has had great success in Brazil, especially after being awarded in 2004 by the non-profit magazine on renewable projects Superinteresante. Since then he has given numerous workshops and lectures in schools and community centers, especially in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, where he resides.

In 2002 this retired mechanic transformed a pile of PET bottles and packaging of tetra pack in a solar collector. Since then, thousands of people in Brazil have benefited from his invention, saving money and energy, and helping to reduce the volume of plastic waste.
The idea arose from the lack of infrastructure for recycling in his hometown, Tubarão. For years he dedicated himself to storing it, but given the enormous amount of material he decided to find a use for it. In his own words: “At 59 years old, I have had the opportunity to witness the technological advances that have contributed to improving food storage. But today the volume of the packaging is almost the same as that of the product itself. Years ago I decided that I was not ready for this new model of consumption.”

Based on his basic knowledge of solar collectors, he and his wife built an alternative version with 100 plastic bottles and 100 milk containers. The result was very positive, a perfect operation as well as a responsible way of disposing of waste. The operation is similar to that of commercial systems and can heat water from 38º degrees in winter, to more than 50º in summer.

He has registered and patented the system to prevent it from being copied for financial gain, but he has never wanted to profit from it. The information on the form of construction is in the public domain and anyone can access it, although there are two restrictions: industrial production and its use by politicians in electoral campaigns.

Alano says that it is difficult to keep track of all the projects that have been developed in Brazil, but he mentions some figures from the southern states: “More than 7,000 people have already benefited from the solar collectors in the state of Santa Catarina. There are two cooperatives, one in Tubarão and another in Florianópolis, that were producing 737 collectors for official protection housing.”

In the state of Paraná, in 2008, the number of solar collectors had reached 6,000, thanks to the brochures distributed for their self-construction and the workshops that the SEMA, a government agency, has organized.

The solar collector can account for up to 30% of energy saving in water heating, but apart from that, Alano stresses that each recycled solar collector translates into fewer plastic bottles and paperboard dumped in landfills. Since the launch of this idea, in the town of Tubarão, a service of recyclingsomething that unfortunately is not very common in most Brazilian cities.

The operation of the Alano solar collector is based on the principle of the thermosyphon, and therefore does not require the support of electrical energy or pumps for its operation. The difference in the density of the water at different temperatures is enough to induce a cyclic movement of water circulation from the panel to the storage tank: the less dense hot water tends to rise while the denser cold water tends to fall. With this system you can heat water for a shower with approximately 1m2 of panel.

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The steps to follow to create this thermal solar panel are as follows:

The first is to collect the plastic bottles of the same size and remove the sticker, traces of glue and the caps. The number of bottles is variable depending on the size of the collector. The normal size is 5 bottles per row and about 25 rows, that is 125 bottles.
Then the bottom of the bottles is cut to the same height, it should be about 30cm long.

Second, as many TetraBricks of milk or juice are needed as there are plastic bottles. Next, it is given the shape indicated in the diagram and the part that will face the sun is painted with matte black synthetic enamel (the smooth part facing the sun and painted black, the part with the folds down).

The third step is to connect the PET bottles with copper or black plastic tubes with the same diameter as the bottle mouths (usually 20mm) and the length of the 5 bottles joined (about 105cm). The bottles are introduced until the complete mesh is formed (5 bottles per row in 25 rows). Then you must enter the Tetra Bricks below the tube, as shown in the image:

To finish the panel, the joints are made at the top and bottom. These will be connected with a T-type piece and connected to each other with the same 8.5cm long tube inside the bottles. Elbows are placed at the terminations, only two per panel. One of the upper corners must go with a T-tube (the hot water outlet) and the other with an elbow, and in the lower part, the opposite corner in a T (cold water inlet) and the opposite one in an elbow.

The tank is somewhat more complicated to build and its size will depend on the use of water. It is important to differentiate very well the water inlets and outlets (six in total: three inlet and three outlet) and where they should go. Here’s your schematic:

The panels must be placed at least 30cm below the tank. They must be facing south. For optimal heat absorption, the panels must have the inclination of their latitude plus 10º above the horizontal. In Madrid, for example, the panel’s inclination should be 50º.
Alano recommends replacing PET bottles every 5 years, as they become opaque over time, reducing their capturing capacity.
The system developed by José Alano contributes to the necessary change in the consumption model as well as being a good example of creativity and commitment to society. As he himself says: “I don’t consider myself an inventor. I am just a citizen trying to find solutions to problems.”

Here we leave you a video in which José Alano himself explains the system designed by him.

If you want to learn more about the process of building and installing the solar panel with recycled plastic bottles, here we leave you the original document of the complete technical manual.

Source: ecococci

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Here we leave you countless ideas for the creative recycling of plastic bottles. If you like crafts and recycling do not miss this article.

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