As the consumption of electrical energy increases, the concern regarding the environmental impact of generating electricity is growing significantly. Today power plants play a key role in converting various forms of energy into electrical power. However, the imposing threat to the environment is one of the disadvantages of today’s power generation methods. The world’s supply of the sun and the air is huge and infinite in comparison to the other forms of energy that are being utilized in modern power plants. The MAHST team strived to design a unit where there is no fossil fuel to be burned, no water to be boiled, and no high cost production to be considered.

The MAHST consists of a parabolic reflector that is capable of creating a centralized focal point in order to heat a Stirling engine. The sun is also used directly to provide solar energy to a PV panel. A tracking system is used to maximize the exposure of the Stirling engine and the solar panel to the sun. MAHST’s tracking system follows the sun using timing devices. The idea behind this is that the length of the day and the position of the sun are already known, and this information can be programmed into a microcontroller. At the end of the day, the reflector will return to its original position. This method completely controls the dish, and eliminates variables that might interfere if another system were in place.

MAHST project includes a battery and a charge controller. The battery system will be used to store the energy generated from the solar panel and the Stirling engine. Once the energy is stored, it can easily be accessed through the use of voltage regulators. A charge controller is implemented in MAHST to control the voltage going to the battery.

In order to keep track of the amount of power being generated, a monitoring system is designed for MAHST. The monitoring system enables the user to easily see the power being generated by the panel, the voltage stored in the battery, and the battery’s temperature. This part of the design will be implemented using microcontrollers, a display unit, current sensors, voltage sensors, and a temperature sensor. 

The MAHST will have two power outlets: a 5V DC for powering USB devices and a 12V DC. MAHST as its name stands for will deliver a mini at-home solar thermal power generator and will offer a great deal of savings in utility bills for every household around the country.