Inflatable Solar Arrays Cost Up To 25X Less
Inflatatable solar? Yeah, sounds kinda fishy, but I've been reading up and I'm starting to think that Cool Earth Solar is for real. They've created a new technology that uses traditional photovoltaics and a new inflatable concentrator. We've seen plenty of mirror concentrators before but this one is unique because it uses inflatable mirrors that are 400 times cheaper than polished aluminum mirrors.
Also the solar units are so light weight that they can be suspended on steel cable lines rather than each having their own base connected to the ground. This rigging system allows for minimal land use disruption, 60 times less steel material and faster installation. The cables double as a control mechanism to align the units toward the sun.