Superspace has designed a system of energy-harvesting balloons for Abu Dhabi. The project, titled “solarCLOUD” formed part of the LandArt generator competition and is intended as the city portal of Masdar City. The system consists of a group of solar balloons woven with solar fabric, creating a shaded park during the day while tracking and harvesting solar energy. At night, the system settles down to become a kinetic light art show.
The collection of 1500 solar balloons are comprised of double stratified balloons tethered with auto-weight triggered wheel pulleys, and a woven solar fabric imposed into the solar balloons. The balloons are imagined like a crop, growing daily and catching the sun for electric energy.
The system starts by rising to the heat of the sun to catch daylight, also triggering the roller for mechanical energy. While serving as an energy and shading device during the day, at night the balloons would descend to a specific height after losing their heat energy inside and instead become 1500 pixels in a media cloud. In this instance, the “open-air new-media museum” could host artists from around the world with varied content.
It is estimated that the field of 1500 solar balloons could generate 466 kW per day, or 1700 MW per year, with each balloon offering six square meters of solar fabric and 310 w/day. The scheme would cost $2million to install and maintain, using cutting edge material solutions soon to be brought to the market.
News via: Superspace
