Until now, energy collection has taken the form of oilrigs drilling in oceans, pumps drawing oil from fields, wind turbines dotting mountain ridges and shorelines. A new venture firm is discussing their novel idea of using balloons as a form of energy capture and power source of the future.
Cool Earth Solar is that company and they are from Livermore, California; where they have designed and manufactured the eight foot plastic inflatable’s that they envision will be taking the renewable energy industry by storm.
Their balloons will be put under the microscope as they begin installing their power facility, connecting their solar sensitive balloons for power generation. Their initial operation is projected to produce two hundred fifty thousand watts of current from the balloons that appear to be eight foot wide Mylar birthday decorations. The plan is to be operating at full capacity by the end of this year.
When phase one of their worldwide plan is finished, they intend to build a second plant that will generate 1.5 million watts located in Tracy, California. The plan has always been to take their idea to the global market.
According to company sources, the materials to make the balloons costs about two dollars per inflatable and the power they generate is projected to be priced at equal levels as natural gas fueled electric current.
Alternative energy supporters are thrilled by the news of this venture because of the commercialization potential of such a system. The mechanism of action for the balloons comes from sunlight that is concentrated on a photovoltaic cell arranged at a focal point. This system of capture generates four hundred times more current than what comes from a solar cell that is not using Cool Earth’s concentrator unit.
They use balloons because of the larger plane they have that is much bigger than average solar receivers are. The cost is lowered since they use a cost effective fabric matter for the inflated unit and the surface is easily replaceable when necessary and collected energy is safely warehoused at Cool Earth’s plant where it is transferred to the consumer.
Chief technical officer and founding principal at Cool Earth Solar, Eric Cummings stated that protecting the intellectual property via patents pending from 2007 filings are a highlight of their development objectives and a manner of safeguarding Cool Earth Solar’s sweeping advances toward concentrated solar capabilities. He believes their technical methodology makes it so much easier to employ their system as a mass market utility application. Investors are coming on board as a twenty one million dollar injection of capital funding was announced on their website for their innovative solar power solution.
As solar enthusiasts like to state – The amount of sunlight hitting the earth in one hour could power the whole earth for an entire year. This has become a mantra at Cool Earth Solar.
The Cool Earth system works much the same as if a magnifying glass was focusing sun rays; concentrated solar units utilize a lens or a reflector device to concentrate the sun rays onto extremely effectual solar cells. When the sun’s rays are focused toward a lone highly effective solar cell, the technology being used means the standard solar cell surface space usually required is dramatically decreased. Multi-junction, high tech cells based on satellite tech knowledge means the concentrated photovoltaic [CPV] units are able to produce the same quantity of current as a flat solar panel PV device and does it while utilizing nearly three to four hundred times less solar cell elemental matter.
Imagine Millions of the balloon systems floating above the countryside as every one of them are harvesting the sunlight to the PV cell within it, generating power to the masses far cleaner and cheaper than anything available from fossil fuel burning plants. Cool Earth Solar is onto something with their novel approach to power generation and the future is as bright as the sun.
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