21–30 of 40 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Spain isn't that much farther away than outer space.
We can't beam energy from Spain to elsewhere via microwaves, though. And it still gets dark at night in Spain.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
They are energy collectors, I would assume you use some of that energy to heat the air in their balloons. I'm more interested in how you optimally position the solar cells, would a sphere really be the best or would a pontoon dragging in the wind give a better chance for the solar panels to receive optimal light? You probably don't want that 20km tether to be twisted too many times either.
Interesting point about placement --- seems like a dense array of these would be at risk of getting tangled. And then there's the risk of the tether / cabling becoming a conduit for electrostatic discharge. Of all the engineering issues here, I think tethering is the most problematic.
Having to build a long way from urban areas rather reduces the advantages of such a system over solar farms in the desert.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
We can't beam energy from Spain to elsewhere via microwaves, though. And it still gets dark at night in Spain.
It gets dark in the stratosphere too, and the UK already has a power grid connecting it with the Spanish power grid which doesn't rely on 20km cables into the sky...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Interesting point about placement --- seems like a dense array of these would be at risk of getting tangled. And then there's the risk of the tether / cabling becoming a conduit for electrostatic discharge. Of all the engineering issues here, I think tethering is the most problematic.
I can't imagine many people wanting to live near 20km electrically charged cables, never mind pilots flying between them in a high wind. Having to build a long way from urban areas rather reduces the advantages of such a system over solar farms in the desert.
Not being able to imagine something, and other people not being able to do it, are not functionally equivalent.
Lots of people live within 20km of much more dangerous structures already. But there are plenty of places that people live > 20km away from because they're considered a high risk. So, take your pick on that one.
Pilots already have experience at not flying in certain places - environmental reserves, war zones, hurricanes, mountains, etc - they're pretty good at reading maps.
> Having to build a long way from urban areas rather reduces the advantages of such a system over solar farms in the desert.
I'd suggest you refer to the article again for the proposed benefits of having these things above cloud level, rather than on the ground.
Currently (npi) most power generation occurs much more than 20km from the primary urban areas that they provide power to.
How are these things supposed to stay aloft? They need to lift: 1) Themselves 2) The solar panels 3) Fuel cells 4) 20km of tether and cable The idea seems really neat, but I'm an engineer and I want to see the math. Edit: And how about that tether? What's the wind load going to be like? How is it moored? What is it made of?
why tether? why not let the balloon charge a battery, and have drones carry the battery back to earth when full, and vice versa...
Tethering also lets you wind the appliance back to the ground even when (especially when) it's faulty.
Tethering also lets you obtain power throughout the 12+ hours of power generation per day.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
why tether? why not let the balloon charge a battery, and have drones carry the battery back to earth when full, and vice versa...
Good question. The winds up there are really strong. Tethering also lets you wind the appliance back to the ground even when (especially when) it's faulty. Tethering also lets you obtain power throughout the 12+ hours of power generation per day.