Solar panels can replace balloons
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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A team of French-Japanese experts is working on the use of solar energy. Scientists have developed a unique solution that can overcome some of the limitations that traditional solar panels have. It is known that the energy of the sun has great potential, in the future, sunlight can be used by public utilities and in residential buildings.
Standard solar panels have several drawbacks, in particular, they can only be used in certain places, efficiency decreases in cloudy weather, and also the problem of energy production in the dark is quite acute. In addition, such panels are quite expensive and most people can not afford to buy them, although in recent years the price of panels has decreased slightly.
The French-Japanese group of scientists developed an innovative solution - a balloon that will help to improve the situation for the better. The uniqueness of the new system is that energy can be produced both day and night - in a balloon, the production of solar and hydrogen energy is combined, which also acts as a source of energy storage in the dark.
Researchers note that the new system will increase the amount of electricity several times, since the balloons are located at an altitude of 6 km above the clouds, resulting in solar radiation entering the whole day, regardless of the weather on the ground.
The main drawback of photovoltaic panels is that clouds can cover the sun's rays, which immediately affects the production of energy. At 6 km altitude, there are practically no clouds, as the sky darkens, direct illumination increases, and the accumulation of solar energy increases efficiency, explained one of the specialists working on the project.
According to the head of the group, who is also the head of the NextPV laboratory, in which work is being done, the use of hydrogen has solved one of the problems - obtaining energy in the dark. The formation of hydrogen occurs as a result of the electrolysis of excessive solar energy produced in the daytime. Receiving energy in the dark time of the day allows the recombination of hydrogen and oxygen, while water is formed as a by-product.
In addition, hydrogen can be used to keep balloons in the air without additional energy sources, which will also affect the efficiency of the new system. Today solar balloons solve some problems of photovoltaic systems only on paper, but in the NextPV laboratory they intend to create a working prototype in the coming years. After the prototype is created, the developers may have a number of other questions, in particular, the use of 6-kilometer cables and cables that will connect the balloon to the ground, as well as the price issue, since balloons must have a competing price with traditional solar panels , the value of which continues to decline.
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