At Green Products, we have come across a product from Cool Earth: Solar Balloons. Cool Earth was created with the mandate of producing electricity using solar power, specifically solar cells. Solar power is not a new concept, but how the sunlight is collected and concentrated is truly unique.

One of the areas of concern with the current flat-panel solar design is cost. Flat-panel designs require metal cases, rigid mounting hardware, heavy glass and large amounts of cell material. The cost per watt for solar panels is generally 5 to 7 times greater than conventional power plants. This is no longer true with the solar balloon system.

One side of the balloon is made from reflective silver Mylar plastic. The other half is transparent to allow in sunlight. The silver material is parabolic-shaped to concentrate the sunlight on to a single point to achieve maximum light concentration. This is why high performance solar cells are used.

With the new design comes and the ability to increase sunlight concentration and reduce expensive solar cell material by 300 to 400 times. This cost reduction will bring the price down to a mere one dollar per watt. To give that some context: a typical flat-panel PV(photovoltaic) system on a residential rooftop is about seven to eight dollars per watt.

The orb has a simple circular metal frame that is used to hold the Mylar in the proper shape. An arm extends from the ring to the top center of the orb. This holds the solar cells that produce the electricity at the proper focal point. The shape of the balloon and consequently the focal point is altered by adjusting the internal air pressure.

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.

Another of the aspects we find most interesting at Green Products is how the balloons are linked together with wire, wood and sheet metal. We are also impressed at the lack of limitations that are imposed when the systems are installed and how they eliminate the destructive heat that destroys most solar cells. Soon this system will be installed and go online. Check it out.

Michael