[ExI] Hot cells, red rain and Strato Solar

[Alfio Puglisi]

On Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 5:40 PM, Keith Henson <hkeithhenson at gmail.com> wrote:

> http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1008/1008.4960.pdf
>
> (for those who don't read /.)
>
> This has been under NDA up till now.  This much is now in the open.
>
> http://www.zinzzu.com/stratosolar.html
>
> http://www.slideshare.net/chris8649/stratosolar-overv<http://www.slideshare.net/chris8649/stratosolar-overview>
>
>>
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> iew <http://www.slideshare.net/chris8649/stratosolar-overview>
>
> Keith
>

Interesting, didn't see such an approach before. I tried to ballpark the
size of the plants mentioned in the presentation:

"small" pilot plant:

25 MWe  * 3 (thermo-electrical efficiency) / 1200 W/Sq mt. = 62500 square
meters --> a circle 280 meters in diameter.

1 GW plant:

1000 MWe *3 / 1200W/Sq mt. = 2500000 square meters = 1.8 KM  diameter

These are serious sizes. For comparison, the biggest radiation collecting
device on a single structure in operation that I know of is a 100 meters
diameter radio-telescope  (the 300 meters Arecibo radio telescope rests on
the ground and does not move), and the biggest design at optical wavelengths
is the european ELT at 42 meters diameter. Granted, the requirements on
precision and manufacturing are probably much easier, but this thing is
floating and must somehow track the sun.

Alfio
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