About this project
My brother and I own a business called Solar Roast Coffee. As the name suggests, we are in the business of roasting coffee using solar power. To this end, I have built four generations of solar concentrators (like giant magnifying glasses) that focus sunlight to create heat for roasting coffee. The coffee we've been able to make by this process thus far has been wonderfully aromatic, dark, and never bitter, so we're sticking to it!
We are in the process of creating our fifth-generation machine, the Helios 5. The machine will be a miniature version of the so-called "power tower" systems used for generating electricity in the deserts of California and Spain. The real advancement is that the system can be installed on the roof of an urban building, and used to provide heat to some process on the floor below. In our case, we will be using this heat energy to roast our coffee; we know that coffee is just the start, though. This is why we have opted to release the plans and instructions for building our concentrator system as an open-source technology project. We're calling it "The Open Sun Project" and you can read more about it at www.opensunproject.com.
Our project will lay the groundwork for others who can then freely use the technology for business, industry, and humanitarian purposes. And it will let us scale up the production of our delicious solar roast coffee! :-)
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Funding Unsuccessful
This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on July 4, 2011.
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One sample bag of Solar Roast Coffee in our dark Helios Blend, specially created for The Open Sun Project.
Project By
Connected as David Hartkop (409 friends)
David Hartkop
David has an ongoing interest in alternative energy technology. He co-founded Solar Roast Coffee LLC in 2004 with his brother Michael. He has designed and constructed the four solar coffee roasting systems used by the company since then. Other projects include innovations in 3-D display technology, an educational sponsorship project "The Sun Tracker Challenge" and the creation and product launch of the "Sun Farm Home Solar Dehydrator Kit". He holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication and fine arts with emphasis in film production from Loyola Marymount University. He has over 8 years of professional digital special effects experience in television, film, and advertising. He spends his past time running, drawing, and burning things with a magnifying glass.
Michael Hartkop
As CEO of Solar Roast Coffee since its start in 2004, Michael oversees the running of every facet of the business. He administers two retail coffee shops, as well as some 60 wholesale customers throughout the United States. He earned his bachelor's degree in Business and Entrepreneurship from the University of Tasmania in Launceston. In 2003, he completed a coffee roasting apprenticeship under Sal Mellelo of Mellelo Coffee Roasters in Medford, Oregon. He started Solar Roast Coffee with David in July of 2004. Michael's interests include coffee roasting, gardening, and music.
