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Energy [R]evolution: A Watershed Moment in India

solar balloon waterpump WIP

Using the power of the sun and wind to pump water from the ground.

Solution

With my approace, i tried to figure what is mostly available in dry countries: The sun.

My concept evolves around the idea of a solar balloon, that produces a pulling force, when the sun heatens up the air in the inside.

With this force, an underpressure in a closed well is established, which then pumps water to a kind of reservoir from where the water can be distributed in the fields.

This is just a first sketch of my idea, I will work on the well and the distribution to the crops in the upcoming weeks.

Comments

Show older comments (5)

Jesko Stoetzer

almost 6 years ago

Dear richardlennox,

thanks a lot for your submission and first draft of your idea.

• I like to see your unconventional thinking and brainstorming

• Can you explain the system of your main idea in some more detail? I do not understand how the hot air will create underpressure in the closed well.

• I am not sure if a kite will work there. Do you have some information about the wind situation in Bihar? Would your idea work without a kite as well?

Thrilled to see your next steps.

Yours Jesko

richardlennoxowner

Jesko Stoetzer

almost 6 years ago

Hey thanks a lot for your feedback!

The kite is just meant to be a supporting feature, the main idea is to have the balloon pull water in a closed tube. I am still working on the detail visualization.

Sahararainforest

almost 6 years ago

Dear Richardlennox,

It's a parachute configured to be a kite :) If it were balloon then it would never fall, and wind-caused movements would give some energy, I like it, but is it strong enough to extract water from the ground?

Cheers, Kris

richardlennoxowner

Sahararainforest

almost 6 years ago

Thanks very much for the reply!

The balloon would fall at night, and rise again on the next day.

Such a balloon could pull up several people in the air, so it is producing quite some upward force. It is all a question of dimensioning i think, and i will try to provide some calculations for the expected force.

here is some reference video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ECvO8QjJUE

They dont use black material though and i think it isnt quite optimized.

moritz_solar

almost 6 years ago

Hi, yes, some calculations would be interesting. How would you pull out the water if you only have a small bore hole ? Also, several people (maybe 500 kg) isn't a whole lot of water, only 500 l.

prismlight

almost 6 years ago

This idea has merit.

Imagine

A suitably sized blimp, filled with hydrogen
moored to the ground above the farmers field
The higher the blimps altitude the greater and more consistent would be the wind energy available.
An electricity generating windmill turbine and/ or solar panels are suspended beneath the blimp. Or indeed its surface is coated with the new solar films coming on to the market.
Electricity is fed to the ground through a cable to a standard elecetric motor and water pump.

I think this design would eliminate to some extent the variability of wind/sun available to provide consistency.

If the farmer were to dig a storage tank or better still support one in a frame/earth bank above the crops to be irrigated, the blimp could remain in place all day pumping water.

The blimp could be deflated, packed away and re-inflated the next.

It would work.

Simple Phil

claudianicoara

almost 6 years ago

No so suitable if you read that there is no wind in that area

Kwazai

almost 6 years ago

Good idea. Check NASA Kite pages (aerodynamics pages) for some of the math. I know that Google' Makani uses low wind to get the kite into the upper atmosphere to utilize 'Laddermill Theory' (figure eights for speed) to get energy. Wind is available- just way up. In NC, US it's a little over 100ft to a reasonably steady 10mph wind(very low pumping) and further up to get to useable. The figure eights make electricity production viable. A 'kid' could fly a kite all day to water fields ....lol

thomaslust

almost 6 years ago

A black hot air balloon as power source, rising and falling through day and night. I like the way you think. It's going to have to be pretty big, but it might work if you can find a cheap and strong enough material to make it out of.