Hi, I've had some good discussions here in the past, so I thought I'd reach out with an idea for a resource I'd like to try to put together for solarpunk writers and artists.
I was talking with A.E. Marling about a story he's working on, and one of the things he was looking for was uses for old cars.
I think the obvious answer you'll get from solarpunks (aside for limited use where it makes sense) is to melt them down for your society's steel manufacturing needs - electric arc furnace smelters running off a green grid, recycling, are about as close to zero emission steel as you're likely to get, and the metal is already refined so I think you could get pretty tight control over the quality on the output.
But I think reuse offers some much more interesting opportunities. I'm only just starting to learn about fixing cars, but I've already been struck by the fact that at least some parts in cars can go into other things. For example, it looks like certain old alternators can be used to generate a wide range of amperage and voltage, suitable for different needs, including welding: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/diy-low-cost-generator-from-vehicle-alternator-alternating-generator.1843/ so perhaps one could be hooked by belts (adjusting speed) to a waterwheel or something?
I feel like a solarpunk society with a really strong library economy might start cataloguing parts of more complicated machines (even salvaged from machines like cars).
And looking for parts commonalities and alternative uses strikes me as a really cool step towards building an open-source manufacturing sphere. Perhaps starting with a database of hardware/parts so they could be identified and repurposed, and alternatives identified.
So the actual proposal:
I'd like to try and put together a list of common car parts which can be reasonably used in other (more solarpunk) contexts. This doesn't have to be specific down to the model number or include a how-to guide, (though I recognize that some reuses might only be possible with a specific model) just something solarpunk writers could casually drop into a description of a room or workshop, or an artist could put in the background of a scene. Something that shows that this isn't a scratch-built future, but that they're repurposing stuff where they can. Think of all the weird ways postapoclyptic movies dress the sets with misused items from the present - we could offer something like that to solarpunk, but grounded in at least some practicality. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
Thanks!
edit: I've built out a list and it's located over here: https://slrpnk.net/post/13032570
Relays can be used for anything, and a car contains a fair number.
You can make a pulse jet engine from a muffler parts, but a solarpunk society would probably not do that. :)
Copper brake pipe and cooling radiators can be used as heat exchangers for other stuff.
Air conditioner parts can be reverse-used for Stirling engines or to pump heat in other contexts.
That's a good list, thank you! I have a couple questions you might be able to answer:
Could you elaborate on the relays? I don't know anything about them yet (in their intended use or alternatives). Though I am reading up on them.
I know there's a some benefit in running 12v appliances (intended for campers) with solar panel setups because you don't have to convert from DC to AC then back to DC at the appliance. Would that work for just using a car's AC unit to cool a room, or are they built too specific to a car or not efficient enough to justify the work?
Thank you!!
Relays: my use for truck relays is switching on heaters in my thermal storage water tank. Not big ones, though - I use relays rated for 24V and 40A of current. Since they are old, I have applied a safety margin and only let 25 A flow through them, so each of them handles 24 x 25 = 600 W.
As for using DC appliances: benefits do exist. If a household has a low voltage DC battery bank (some do, some don't) then dropping the battery voltage a few times to power car parts comes with a smaller efficiency loss. In my household, DC appliances are used for lighting, communications, computing, cooling food, pumping water and soldering electronics. The rest goes via AC. I think a car air conditioner could cool some small storage room decently. With big living rooms, it would have difficulty since it's a small device.
Thanks, that makes sense on both topics, they're definitely going on the list!
Tim Hunkin's Secret Life of Components did an episode on Relays, which goes over the different types and the ways he uses them. A great series even for a complete novice!
Nice! I'll check that out!