Cool Earth Solar Constructing First Solar “Balloon” Prototype Plant
We’ve written about Livermore, CA-based startup Cool Earth Solar before. Now the company, which develops inflatable balloon-like solar concentrators, has announced that it is constructing a prototype plant in Livermore. Last week, I spoke to Cool Earth Solar CEO Rob Lamkin to get some more information on the upcoming project.
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According to Lamkin, the prototype plant will be online in approximately two months. The company plans to test out different solar concentrator designs at the plant to prove out the technology. This winter, Cool Earth will launch its first commercial-grade power plant. The plant will be relatively small— only 1.4 MW— but Cool Earth plans on launching a full-size plant (10 to 30 MW) by next summer.
If the prototype plant is successful, Cool Earth wants to expand far beyond the Livermore area. “Initially, we’ll be be doing projects in California and the Southwest, but we do want to expand overseas,” Lamkin said. “To address the global energy problem, we’ve got to scale bigtime worldwide.”
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.
Additionally, Cool Earth’s balloons are already price-competitive with natural gas-derived electricity. “Plastic thin film is abundant and cheap,” said Lamkin. “It only costs two dollars for the plastic material necessary for our solar concentrator.”
Keep watching Cool Earth Solar— I have a feeling that this company will become a household name in the near future.
Ok, in the ask a stupid question area of life. These inflate but they are not like a weather balloon are they? They stay on the ground? I am just not sure how they work. Are they for the home owner or for industry?
Rocque - they do inflate, but they stay on the ground. Right now, the solar balloon concept is only for industry. For detailed info on how the solar balloons work, check out the Cool Earth Solar FAQ: http://www.coolearthsolar.com/faq
Wow, now that looks like a great idea!
JIff
http://www.privacy-center.ru.tc
Solar Power gets better every day.
I think Solar and Wind Power will save ous when oil runs out.
Great idea, I’d like to have a few of these things to help generate energy for my home. Wonder how much these will cost for home owners, time will tell. - http://puredezigner.com
from what my intuition tells me that’s genius
And this plastic, is it made from petroleum?
I have often thought this type of technology would replace fields of panels before we got to far into this revolution. Concentrated solar!
I hate to burst your bubble (sorry, I couldn’t resist), but does the balloon deflate or inflate based on the temperature? What happens if it punctures? It looks really neat, but I’m wondering its durability.
Thanks for the information here, quite interesting