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This is Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I’m Cynthia Graber. This will just take a minute.

One of the problems with large-scale solar power plants is that they require a huge amount of space. To rise above that problem Israeli researchers recently patented a system of solar collecting balloons. The helium-filled globes will be covered with thin-film flexible photovoltaic panels to capture sun’s rays. Designs have been proposed before that include floating or flying solar arrays. But this is a modular system tethered to the ground through a system of cables. Some cables will deliver helium to the balloons, others will carry the solar energy back to earth. The researchers are testing the arrays on a few sites in Israel. A benefit of this system is that the arrays won’t cover a huge parcel of land and the system can be easily expanded. Need more power? Hook up another balloon. Of course there are still challenges, such as reducing the weight of the balloons, dealing¹ with wind and designing the optimal² system for transporting the energy down to the surface. But developers say that thin-film solar energy advances every month and they hope their breakthroughs will make solar balloons realistic and economically viable³ in the not too distant future.

Thanks for the minute for Scientific American's 60-Second Science. I’m Cynthia Graber.