[Reuters] Ari Rabinovitch - Giant solar energy balloons floating high in the air may be a cheap way to provide electricity to areas lacking the land and infrastructure needed for traditional power systems, researchers in Israel say. Designed by a team from the Technion Institute of Technology, helium-filled balloons, covered with thin solar panels, hover as high as a few hundred meters in the air, and are connected via a wire cable to an inverter, which converts the electricity into a form households can use. Initial research showed a balloon with a three meter diameter could provide about one kilowatt of energy, the same as 25 square meters of traditional solar panels. While 25 square meters of traditional solar panels may cost $10,000, the target cost of the balloon is less than $4,000, with most of the savings coming from the minimal structural support needed.
2008-04-11 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive