Not just hot air: balloon engineer wants to build a gigantic inflatable solar chimney

Towering chimneys have long been thought of as a potential alternative to traditional solar panels, but so far the concept has failed to become a viable reality. Lindstrand — who is best known for his record breaking hot air balloon flights with Sir Richard Branson — is working to potentially develop the concept as a source of power for the ALMA Observatory in Chile. Known as a solar updraft tower, the concept was proposed as far back as 1903, and involves using the sun to create an updraft of hot air in the chimney, which is then used to drive turbines and produce power.

via Tech News Headlines - Yahoo! News http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/20/5125946/inflatable-solar-chimney-concept