most popular:
Green Your TP



most popular: i MiEV to Launch Early


most popular:
The Micro Compact Home


th comments
Rob C said: "Having lived in Ca. for over 50 years and being a farmer that watches snow pack closely, I just got to say that this type of article that uses "cou..." [read]

willbyrne said: ""I want to hear about a car that carries 4 plus cargo, is fwy legal and under $15K!" Comments like this seem to be depressingly common on t..." [read]

Flavio said: "It's easy to say that your aircraft uses 20% less fuel than the nearest competitor. Just compare them in different conditions. Make yours fly highe..." [read]

Senador said: "Just one comment on ice storage. It really is never more efficient than standard AC units. It takes a lot of energy to change ice to water. Typ..." [read]

Senador said: "Higher efficiency is the first step in moving to a more sustainable society. Current renewable energy technology cannot provide the same amount of..." [read]

Solar Powered Coffee Roaster

by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 11.29.05
Science & Technology (alternative energy)

Helios2.jpg Well we've covered news of a biodiesel-powered coffee roaster previously. But now there's word that two brothers — Mike and David Hartkop — have created a solar powered coffee roaster. Their solar roaster is a parabolic mirror array that focuses on a roasting drum and heats it to 600° F. The drum's motors are also solar powered. The roaster can crank out 7 pounds of coffee per hour when the sun is a shinin'. Solar Roast :: Solar Roast via Unplugged Living

Comments (1)

This is a genius idea. I'm sure the use of fossil fuels to roast coffee doesn't immensely affect global warming -- still, these guys have found a way to do with out. What it doesn't mention in this post is that on the Solar Roast blog these guys are looking for investors so that they can purchase land somewhere in the Southwest with year-round sun and build a second roaster for year-round operation. Also, they deal almost exclusively in fair-trade and organic coffees. What could be more TreeHugger than that?

jump to top Vahid says:
th ads
th top picks
th ads