Solar Energy

Aerial View of The Cosmos

Solar Energy

Providing the least amount of energy on The Cosmos will be the solar petals. Solar technology is fast improving but is not the highest-yielding energy source per dollar even in the most ideal conditions. As the sun will be in an energy-generating position relative to each Cosmos less than half of every day on average, and days will be sunny perhaps a global average of 50% of that time, and as the bee-hive shaped floating solar panels will not be controlled to always be facing the sun and a portion of one or more of the petals will be in the shade of the platform for 50% of that time, the solar power out-put will probably only be only enough to power the electrolysis of sea water.

The scale I have drawn The Cosmos is a 50 foot diameter central platform — each petal being 50 feet long. (It could be made any size, to be determined by conditions and logistics of the placement of each platform.)

36,000 Square Feet

40 full-size 6 foot hexagon panels and 16 partial panels (the equivalent of 8 panels) on eight petals will amount to 384 bouncing and bobbing solar panels glinting in the sun with a total area of approximately 35,915.52 square feet, operating at approximately 50% efficiency for 25% of the time.

Depending upon the solar material that has been developed by the time the first Cosmos is constructed, or what we innovate specifically for this application to maximize efficiency, the cost-to-benefit ratio of including solar power on The Cosmos must be determined.

I am intrigued with Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) and how it could be incorporated into the solar energy aspect of The Cosmos. See Gary Nolan’s video The Promise of OTEC.

See Water Desalination for alternate concept for utilizing solar energy passively.