Solar panel for a fan

[PostSolar]

Have a pellet stove that heats our house and that has a fan that blows the hot air 24hrs a day. Can I buy a simple system to run the fan? How much would it cost? Any help is appreciated. Not really sure where to start other than asking the question on this forum.

[russ]

Have a pellet stove that heats our house and that has a fan that blows the hot air 24hrs a day. Can I buy a simple system to run the fan? How much would it cost? Any help is appreciated. Not really sure where to start other than asking the question on this forum.

What is the rating of the fan - the power requirements will be on the motor.

[russ]

Not sure how big your current fan is and if this could replace it, but what about a 'Stirling' powered fan? (Google search for 'heat powered fan' or 'stirling fan')

Please - that is a joke

[Handmade Matt]

Please - that is a joke

I think the chap was talking about THESE?

Although probably not suitable for this application and not actually a stirling fan they do use the heat of the stove to create electricity to drive a fan motor to move hot air around. They're pretty cool really.

[russ]

Definitely not anything to do with a Stirling engine!

The amount of power generated would very little though it might make the impeller turn. The amount of air moved would be marginal - fans are power hogs.

[billvon]

Have a pellet stove that heats our house and that has a fan that blows the hot air 24hrs a day. Can I buy a simple system to run the fan? How much would it cost? Any help is appreciated. Not really sure where to start other than asking the question on this forum.

As Matt mentioned, Peltier junctions can generate a moderate amount of power from the difference in temperature between two surfaces. Since a stove will provide a high temperature differential that might be a good way to go. Cost seems to be around $2/watt with a good (50C) temp differential.

[russ]

Solar powered attic fans do exactly this

Which ones?