Green Products Has Located an Incredible Low Cost High Output Solar Design

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 current installed solar plants use flat-panels. Each panel is heavy, large, easily damaged, and costly to repair. This means the cost to produce a watt of electricity is 5-7 times greater than using natural gas and is not a feasible alternative to fossil fuels. This is no longer true with the Cool Earth solar balloon system.

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.

Each balloon is eight feet in diameter and can withstand over 100 mile per hour winds. The balloons are linked together in series, with the initial installation able to produce 10 megawatts, enough to power 3,500 homes during the day.

Like all solar designs, the system will not be used as a base power plant because the energy collected during the day cannot be economically stored for nighttime operations. On the other hand, the system will be an ideal "peaker" power plant to be used during the hot summer months when energy demands are high.

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

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