Yet another solution has been put forward to renewable energy’s biggest hangup: cost. Once again the solution comes by way of solar energy, widely recognized as the inevitable backbone of clean energy, and this one is certainly a big answer to a big problem. So what is this answer? This solar behemoth? Well, as Swiss inventor Thomas Hinderling posits, it is the creation of the Solar Island.

This 5 km wide and 20m high hovering island would be a thermosolar megastar. It is mobile, so that it can “follow the sun,” and rotates to track the sun across the sky. Funded by the corporation CSEM, a small-scale, prototype solar island is actually already under construction in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). You can view an aerial photo here: Conceptual Design of the Solar Island Prototype.

The company claims that each solar island can produce hundreds of kilowatts of electricity at a higher efficiency and a rate five times cheaper than current electricity rates. The islands are giant solar thermal farms that produce steam, which is then pumped onshore or to a nearby tanker ship. With production of the prototype already underway, CSEM is hoping to be in full production of the islands by 2011.

To get a visual idea of the final product, check out this link: Floating Solar Island Concept.

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Posted on June 12th in Solar News by Dan.