A solar powered printing press still sounds futuristic, and probably little impractical, but in fact a working solar press was demonstrated back in the '80s.....the 1880's.
Abel Pifre demonstrated his press in 1882 and used sunlight concentrated using an 11 foot concave reflector. He envisioned the device being practical for areas such as Peru and Egypt, where sunlight is practical.
Sadly, while technically successful, the solar press never became a commercial success, Tony McGinley tells the whole story in his sustainable energy blog.
