The future of solar power is … balloons?
While many debates about various aspects of solar energy and solar power will likely rage on for quite some time, there’s one seemingly undebatable point: cloudy days pose a problem.
Solar panels are becoming a more viable clean energy source each passing week with new technologies emerging and public interest increasing, but then there are the clouds.
What to do about the cloudy days?
Above the clouds
Well, an answer has come forth recently in the form of another question: what if we go above the clouds? Or, more specifically, what if we utilize balloons to take cloudy weather out of the solar equation?
Scientists in Japan are developing a solution by developing a way to place solar panels above the clouds. Yes, researchers at the Japanese-French Laboratory for Next Generation Photovoltaic Cells in Tokyo want to use giant solar panel balloons equipped with generators to gather solar energy.
Balloons that float above clouds could be the future of solar energy https://t.co/goOXxQHI5n pic.twitter.com/k3nOi360Ka
— HuffPost Science (@HuffPostScience) December 20, 2015
The power of high altitude solar energy
Gaining uninterrupted access to sunlight through the use of balloons could solve a lot of problems associated with unpredictable solar power generation due to bad weather.
Not only could energy production become predictable in this scenario, but scientists say that solar energy is five times more abundant up above the clouds than on the ground.
Orginally published on → Solar Energy Local
