Cool Earth Solar’s design is unique in the solar energy world. The company uses an inflatable plastic thin-film balloon (solar concentrator) that, upon inflation, focuses sunlight onto a photovoltaic cell held at its focal point. The design produces 400 times the electricity that a solar cell would create without the company’s concentrator.
Some neat stuff coming out of California. Granted, their commercial model is only supposed to generate some 30 megawatts at best (compared to the average 400 megawatt nuclear power plant), but that’s why they’re in balloons. Nuclear power plants require lebensraum and icky safety measures to prevent meltdown. Balloons just need the sky.
Cool Earth "Solar Balloon" Prototype
Some neat stuff coming out of California. Granted, their commercial model is only supposed to generate some 30 megawatts at best (compared to the average 400 megawatt nuclear power plant), but that’s why they’re in balloons. Nuclear power plants require lebensraum and icky safety measures to prevent meltdown. Balloons just need the sky.
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