| How about generating green energy with hot air balloons? |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Sunday, 08 February 2009 | |
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Ian Edmonds, an environmental consultant with the Brisbane-based company Solartran has developed a way to use a hot air balloon as a piston. Dr. Edmonds published the results of his invention in the Journal Renewable Energy—online August 2008 and in the print form April 2009, volume 34, issue 4, pages 1100-1105. It is simply entitled “Hot air balloon engine.” He states in the abstract to his paper, “This paper describes a solar powered reciprocating engine based on the use of a tethered hot air balloon fuelled by hot air from a glazed collector. The basic theory of the balloon engine is derived and used to predict the performance of engines in the 10 kW to 1 MW range.” Edmonds adds, “The engine can operate over several thousand metres altitude with thermal efficiencies higher than 5%. The engine thermal efficiency compares favorably with the efficiency of other engines, such as solar updraft towers, that also utilize the atmospheric temperature gradient but are limited by technical constraints to operate over a much lower altitude range." "The increased efficiency allows the use of smaller area glazed collectors. Preliminary cost estimates suggest a lower $/W installation cost than equivalent power output tower engines.” The concept of a balloon engine uses a greenhouse to trap solar energy from the Sun. This heated air is then used to inflate a giant hot air balloon. Page two continues how this balloon generates green energy from the Sun. |
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