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.
Great question about durability. The thin film plastics are treated with a UV protective coating and rated for 5 years in the outdoors. But Cool Earth Solar plans to change the entire “balloon” every year as part of regular maintenance. In between a scheduled change, any small punctures in the plastic film can be sealed with clear packing tape.
Cool Earth Solar actively inflates the air pressure in each concentrator. This not only compensates for outside temperature but also allows control over the shape of the reflective surface! This means the part of the concentrator that serves as the mirror can always be optimized for maximum power generation from the sun.
How does it convert solar energy to electricity? I didn’t see a solar cell there, and boiling and moving water doesn’t seem feasible either.
Would it survive in even modest winds? How are the solar cells supported? Would the cells overheat in the closed environment? It looks like the balloon is supported in a substantial steel frame for tracking the sun. What would be the net electrical output after subtracting for energy required for blower to keep it inflated and tracking the sun? Seems maintenance cost would be high for commercial operation. Do they rip the balloon open to service the solar cells? How about a lenticular design to place the cells outside the baloon? How about a film stretched across a pan with a vacuum behind the film to maintain the curved shape? Sounds impractical as presented.
They aren’t for homes - they are for empty land, big installations.
They have positive inflation pressure. They are made from plastic because its extremely cheap and if it breaks you just swap it out, even unskilled labor can do it which brings the cost to run them over time down way low (most solar installations do not include the cost of maintenance when they talk about cost per kilowatt-hour, but its critical!). Glass is way too heavy and requires lots of heavy rigging too.
I love it. Go to the site if you have questions, it is all explained.
This is the future, baby!
I want one for my home! Do they plan to design them for home use and if so, when?
Wouldn’t that melt or catch fire in extreme heat? Not trying to put down the idea just wondering how durable some thing like that would be.