| 释义 |
Solar engine
| an engine in which the energy of solar heat is used to produce motion, as in evaporating water for a steam engine, or expanding air for an air engine. |
See also: Solar solar engine
solar engine[′sō·lər ′en·jən] (mechanical engineering) An engine which converts thermal energy from the sun into electrical, mechanical, or refrigeration energy; may be used as a method of spacecraft propulsion, either directly by photon pressure on huge solar sails, or indirectly from solar cells or from a reflector-boiler combination used to heat a fluid. |