Inflatable Solar Collectors

[WarblesOnALot]

@magna45

@LiquidChem

@PeakPixels G'day Bob. Thanks for sending me here... Um, as LiquidChem says, it is a trifle ambiguous. Methinks that mowing under it would be a Pain in the Arse. Windstorms & Hail would wreak lots of Damage. The Plastic doesn 't hold THAT pressure for long. Diurnal Temp.-Cycles send the Bags Floppy...; and UV discolours Plastic, too. And if they're up against Polished Aluminum, they're Mirrors, focussing on a Boiler. I think ?

[HHO4ALL]

Nice

[lifehackertips]

It's been 4 years and nothing. Even their website hasn't had any news since 2010.

[ConnorXV]

@LiquidChem i think it is just a video/animation to show what it looks like and go along with say a presentation, theyve just stuck the video on YouTube.

[9493760]

YOUR ONTO SOMETHING HERE. GIANFRANCO FRONZI AUGUST 14/11

[LiquidChem]

I think it is just mind boggling that a company would make a product and a demo video, and NOT even say WHAT this thing is, exactly, and what it does. Obviously, its some kind of solar collector, but what is it doing? If this is how stupid the people are running this company, i surely dont want any of thier products. You should say in the very beginning, "This is a device that uses sunlight to make electricity by doing this:" - even a simple explanation. something.

[LiquidChem]

@LiquidChem I might have thought about purchasing this product, but im sitting here going What does it DO?! what IS IT?! skip this- NEXT video..what a waste of time..

[b101aa2]

it's a good idea in theory. but ground mounted, they would be easily destroyed. the moment any bird lands on one, poof.. and that will be all day every day. if they were assembled in a modular fashion and tethered several thousand feet in the atmosphere, it becomes much more practical as they would be much harder to damage then. my 2 cents.

[olzzn]

Does it blend?

[12inchpianists]

What happens when one of those birds takes a heaping dump on it

[spencertron88]

they should take it a step further and inflate them with helium and heat, and collect sunlight from the upper stratosphere!

[djyeshua]

1. How do you keep the pressurised gas from escaping from the balloon? A gland?

2. how do you remove the heat from inside the balloon?

3. Why are you not producing this for private use?

thanks.

[yukonhootch]

jeesus,!!!! My cat just launched onto the table knocking stuff everywhere. The soundtrack to your vid made here tthik it was summerr again I guess. She wants to kill the birds that arent really here.

[angetodac]

where can I buy some of this?

[brstar]

I don't think anyone patented the balloon yet, F@#k them if they can't bring it to the people. Lets make it our self's !

I agree i don't see any utility company passing on the savings to us, unless we force them to.

solar power to the people

[dzgfdg]

very bad idea, the solar cell inside it will over heat and degrade faster

[11clemmi]

I'm quoting from the video discription " lasts a year"

what are the reasons for that short operational life?

[ShawnHydedotcom]

takes a bit of oil to make those balloons if your trying to stay away from fosil fuel.

[MrEnergyCzar]

Great video...I converted my home to a net-zero solar powered home that uses no oil or gas...I made a video about it called, "Preparing for Peak Oil"....

[PeakPixels]

Actually tested in 125 mph winds, and designed so the concentrator can produce electricity in winds up to 40 mph.

The wires and harnesses are very stable.

[tenderlndr]

are they UL approve....

[beatryxa]

UL approve, who cares if they help do the work more proficiently, here in my country we don't have that stupid agency, we just care if the thing is useful

[toob247]

thats precisely the use , you get to build something with the finite supply of oil instead of using it once for energy.

[Seiku]

It lasts a very long time though.

[respectbluder]

jack 1

[paperacid]

that's a beautiful idea

[Beingreal40]

I don't know what your comparing to as far as operational, maintence and construction cost. The current pannels installed on the roof are averaged at $16,000 grand start up cost. After about 20 years they have to be replaced. They're not discarding the idea. It's the cost comparison over the long run. And do you have the extra money to get started. Because you know you can't get a loan.

[johan28]

I think it's really funny how people are so skeptical of solar energy and how they want to discard the idea when we're not going to be running out of any solar energy for a long, long time. That's the hole in their entire argument. And once you have these systems in place, they're the cheapest form of power available because their operational and maintenance costs are much lower than their construction costs.

[hammurabi8888]

We generally use solar collectors to heat water in Turkey.

[svesolar]

how long will the plastic last in the UV rays?

[DanieljDixon]

My thoughts exactly... constant repairs after a while. But hey I always encourage new technology. I am not so sure this is it, but it is interesting.

[diamondsmajestic1]

Seems a great idea for poor people if they can be made to last. I hope some clever energy researchers can help solve the reliability problem

[drakio99]

Why dont the made a solar panel with like special glass that makes suns energy %50000 more powerful to get like 10000 watts of power per second :D

[brattzzzzz]

yeah, with special lens that increase the power of the sun like microscope lens

[jerryaltman]

Since it use the optic principle of a concave mirror, it need to be direct pointed to the sun, and keept pointed. So as the sun move, relative moving, since Erth that moves, the ballon need to be pointed accompanyng the sun.

[littlejay123]

agreed

[ravenise]

it is probably very simple to make them last longer... couldn't one dip them in some kind of plastic/material that could extend its life? or is it the photovoltaic parts that degrade over time?

[orangeblueandlavenda]

if you could figure out away to make them last three to five years - they would sell.

[ericj9]

So when exactly does it come to market? After going to the website, I found this fun FAQ:

Can I buy coolearth's solar concentrator? How much?

No, we don't sell our products or systems to third parties and consequently we don't quote our prices either on this web site or through email inquiries.

$0.18 per watt does nothing for me if I can't get it. Somehow I don't see the utility company passing the savings on to me either. I wish there was an alternative to the $8 solar panel. distant future?

[tappakeggaday1]

@ericj9 I agree, if someone invents something like this that people could easily erect in their back yards then it would put the hurt to the electric companies.they are making them for themselves and like anyone who is in business they are looking for the greatest gain for themselves and not humanity.they could make so much more if they marketed their item for the public instead of just selling electricity to the power companies.

[FlanneltheNerfer]

Where does the discarded balloons go? A landfill? Perhaps this system creates waste? Could the cost of recycling the balloons be incorporated into the final cost of the system?

[daveymilla]

i think a very good idea with wide range of applications. i was just looking at your grid for holding and pointng these devices. i think this could be done with cables only and no brackets. ie one tight cable and one adjustable cable. the solarballs are pivoted on the tight cable, the angle is adjusted by the second cable.

[Cr3ativity]

One large problem that you may have not realized. Solar panels do not consume as much solar energy when they are placed in heat, as opposed to when they are cool. However, if the inside of the ball is a vacuum then it would work. The problem with the vacuum idea now is that there is no AIR. Hence, there is NOTHING to inflate the balloon with....

[AviChick]

i think the lifespan is a problem, otherwise not a bad idea

[Risktaker2006]

Just when solar green utopia is finally achieved on planet earth and fossil fuels are history the sun will go super nova. "2012"

[bereaman]

Whats that mean exactly.?

[MajorUtah]

I mean "Dude" LOL | | V

[MajorUtah]

Dued.. I hope you make A KILLING on this one!! Hoorah... Keep it up...  *XD

[humexavier]

Nano solar cells energized with a nano laser, from a distance of a meter, and even under water/ used in energize a Atomic submarine core to charge devices like the core clock and temputure from a distance of three meters from the atomic core devices, safer no wires needed just a nano laser charging nano solar cells just laser ray instead of the sun light.

[teddybrightman]

humexavier, i don't understand what you are saying. are you suggesting a solar power system which does not rely on the sun? Where are you proposing to get the energy for your nano laser from to charge these solar cells?

[WalksOnClouds]

Very, VERY cool!

I love when people are thinking. Good job, this is very innovative.

[yougotmalk]

dammit..this is so kewl..but i read they dont sell it to anyone but companies..darn

[tomterahedrob]

are these also made of Tedlar?It lasts20 years+

[gnssengr]

Mylar will last about 6 months in the sun. It will then be brittle and crack.

I would prefer thick hard plastic bowls covered with reflective coatings (like a car headlight lens)

[vital2mi]

Yes, this Mylar is a problem...no longevity.

I love the "solar Paint" technology in development. Think (hope) they may have something there. Something has got to give, and soon! NO MORE FOSSIL FUELS!

[servant74]

They say it lasts about a year in the FAQ

[ntuman]

how does it reflect light?

[PeakPixels]

The inner Mylar mirrored surface in back on the balloon reflects the light back out to the Solar Cell concentrated as much as 600 times.

[ntuman]

cool... is it patented?

[PAINELES]

what a scam they dont sell to the puplic all they want to do is get as rich as the oil companies by holdin on to the tech selfish @#$ thier waiting for a government grant an the ok from the utilities to sell to power back to them guess what scam bags your waiting for a present that wont come the gov makes to much money off oil an aint gonna give the compitetion a chanch to take that away unless you pay them alot of money sell the tech to the puplic before the oil companies killyou an the tech

[bellaggio1770]

Get off the cocaine please, this stuff messes with your brain and makes you paranoid. Get treatment, we don't need that kind of trash posting comments on youtube.

[TheDarkPassengerr]

could any one help me out i need to know how many i need to power a house?

[mynameiscaleb]

how long would it take to generate 500watts? 10 years or 5 minutes?

[HypersapienQ]

Thats sick nasty! Anybody interested in putting up a grid that uses these? Whats the efficiency compared to a normal cell?

[Giorgist]

Plastic & UV = Ooops

[Section9Tech]

Interesting idea. What kind of temperatures do you suspect the inflatable material will be able to withstand?

[nrdesign1991]

Great idea, but their making procedure will pollute earth

[roidroid]

it could be made of recycled plastic

[massenergy]

Very good idea.

[OghamTheBold]

Solar condoms are the cheapest source material

[lepermunna]

ah a stroke of brilliance! excellent!

[lukphonp]

how would u make the solar panel membrane for the balloon cheaply tho?

[massenergy]

If you take a close look at the video, a small membrane is actually inside of the inflatable. Dramatically reducing the amount of solar membranes required.

[lukphonp]

yes but how would you MAKE it CHEAPLY something that thin that is able to absorb energy, is not going to be cheaply made, its a nice idea but i think its somewhat impracticle, if anyone makes one though good job

[massenergy]

umm... do you ever actually read anything about solar panels?  how cheap is your idea of cheap? this design is far, far cheaper than conventional solar panels, and could potentially bring the price of solar energy down enough to match that of hydroelectric.

[roidroid]

if you reduce the curve of the mirror you could focus the sunlight outside of the device - perhaps focusing multiple balloons onto one single large "solar tower" or external shared stirling or steam engine.

[jbphot0]

I doubt they'll hold focus very well as they change temp and a 25 yr warranty seems impossible. Good concept, not practical, that's why we don't see any large working installs yet :-)

[massenergy]

well its a relatively new idea. the panels will be so cheap that even with maintenance costs, it will still be a lower price per kWh than conventional solar.

[servant74]

expect to replace the entire lot each year. They seem to be trying to 'go for the brass ring' of utility companies rather than 'real people'. If they get it sold, the vulture capitalists will make a killing. If not, we may loose a promising technology.

[buddchiefer]

Cool thanks.

[buddchiefer]

What about wind? Great idea though! I'll make one.

[roidroid]

CoolEarthSolar's inflatable concentrators can withstand 100mph winds.

Another inflatable concentrator design called the Solar-Sphere (google it) is partially filled with water to weigh it down.

[rochy1432000]

extraordinary invention I love it... genius working around here