Can you imagine getting electrical power from balloons? This is what Cool Earth of Livermore, California, has designed the next generation of solar collectors to look like. The basic concept hasn’t changed; convert sunlight into electric power using solar cells; but the packaging has changed, and this is where the solar balloons are unique.

The cost to install and maintain the current flat-panel solar cell design is prohibiting its large scale adoption. The glass cover is easily damaged by windstorms, hailstorms or vandalism. When this happens, it leaves the solar array exposed to the elements where they can be damaged. The unique balloon design by Cool Earth eliminates many of these shortcomings.

The system’s design is centered on the concept of an air-filled Mylar balloon like a children’s birthday balloon. One half of the balloon is a highly reflective mirror-like surface and the other half is transparent. The solar cell is located at the center of the clear side allowing sunlight to pass by, be collected and focused back onto the solar cell.

The orb’s design will concentrate the sunlight 300 to 400 times better than traditional roof mounted solar panels. By design, this reduces the cost of each balloon and greatly increases electrical output per cubic inch of solar cell material. This means that the cost of the electricity produced will be on par with current natural gas power plants.

The basic structure of each orb is simple. It has a lightweight circular metal frame with an arm that holds the solar cells near the top of the clear side of the orb. Even though the balloon is eight feet in diameter, the frame is the only rigid component of the basic design. It connects to a point where external hardware is attached for mounting.

One of the areas under consideration is the need to add more peaking power plants, also known as peaker plants. A peaker plant is operational only when demand for electricity is at the greatest, like during the hot summer months. This green product could be used to eliminate rolling brown outages that we have encountered in the past few years.

At Green Products, one of the most interesting aspects we see is the way the system is brought together to create a solar power plant and the near elimination of physical limitations on plant installations. Check it out.

Michael

Tags: Renewable Energy