According to airportsworldwide.com and ScienceDirect in related stories, a solar balloon is a hot air balloon that gains the ability to float when the air inside the balloon is heated by solar radiation or the sun’s heat waves. Solar Balloons are usually made out of black or dark balloon material. The heated air inside the balloon is less dense than the air surrounding it, making it like a hot air balloon. Solar balloons can be used to produce energy by activating a generator during the ascension of the balloon. They are also described by phys.org as giant plastic bags with some charcoal dust so it is dark, the balloons are built using painter’s plastic from the hardware store, shipping tape, and charcoal powder from pyrotechnic supply stores.
According to Solaripedia, in related stories, a company called “CoolEarth” uses solar balloons instead of expensive solar panels or concentrating mirrors. Half the balloon is transparent, allowing solar light to be focused on a small, high-efficiency solar panel because of the concave interior. The energy made is around 500 watts to 1 kilowatt and can produce enough clean energy that can eventually solve the world’s energy crisis. This concentration reduces the cost and time of making solar power plants, which makes it competitive with fossil fuels. In related stories, even ScienceDirect said the lift force of tethered solar balloons can produce energy by activating a generator during the ascension motion of the balloon.
Here are the materials needed for a solar balloon, according to headfullofair.com. You will need 9’x5’3 of thin 0.3 millimeters HDPE plastic tape, scotch utility tape is also another option for this step, generic or brand name super glue, a fishing line 10 lb rest or thickness, white big stick pen, a binder clip with 3/4 of an inch, a thin rag, a craft knife with brands Olfa or x-acto or a pair of scissors, a yardstick or measuring tape, and a big mixing bowl about 12 inches or a compass.
According to phys.org, in related stories, the stratosphere is usually relatively calm on the Earth. Solar balloons can float by getting energy from solar radiation. The researchers want to use solar balloons for exploration because they are easy to make and launch, inexpensive, and can be GPS-tracked. The balloons heard the usual human and environmental sounds. Still, Daniel Bowman, a researcher at Sandia National Laboratories, has found unusual sounds in the earth’s stratosphere with his team. The source is still unknown, but solar balloons can explore much more than this, such as Venus’ seismic and volcanic activity through its thick atmosphere.
In conclusion, solar balloons are easy to make. The materials are charcoal dust, painter’s plastic from the hardware store, shipping tape, and charcoal powder from a pyrotechnic supply store, and there are instructions. Solar balloons have been used to make discoveries and generate clean solar energy. Solar balloons might even solve the world’s energy supply crisis because their energy is comparable with that of fossil fuels.
Related stories:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038092X10000289
https://www.solaripedia.com/13/130/solar_balloons_provide_electric_power.html
https://www.airports-worldwide.com/articles/article0341.php
https://phys.org/news/2023-05-solar-powered-balloons-mysterious-stratosphere.html
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