BBC Focus Magazine

[Healerman]

This one took me by surprise, but it does actually make very good sense.

Kotaro Kawajiri at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology mapped solar irradiance across the globe in collaboration with colleagues in Japan. They found that some of the highest levels of sunlight can be found in the Himalayas and the Andes: at altitude, less light is lost to the atmosphere.
There's another reason why high-altitude solar power makes sense. At temperatures of around 40 °C, 13 per cent of the energy solar panels would normally produce is lost to heat. The cold air at high-altitude keeps the panels cool and efficient, says Kawajiri.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2 ... solar.html

Though, I imagine there will be some environmental groups getting up in arms about this idea.

On the side of this, I also saw an interesting piece on an experiment into optimising land utilisation with solar farming, by growing shade loving crops under the solar panels.

Double Cropping is a term we borrowed from the wind industry," said Lyle Estill, co-founder of Piedmont Biofuels, and originator of the project. "We intend to demonstrate the ability to make electricity and grow food in the same space at the same time." Estill noted that in some jurisdictions, solar installations are being banned on prime farmland. "We need clean energy. And we need sustainable food," Estill said. "This installation will enable both.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/10 ... opping.php

Seven billion, and counting, let's hope this works out.

[M Paul Lloyd]

As an interesting theoretical concept it sounds really good, a bit like the idea of putting solar power stations in orbit did forty years ago, but from an engineering point of view it presents some interesting problems not least of all the instalation of said panels in the Himalayas at sufficient altitude to make much of a difference. You would have to build roads all the way tthrough the mountain ranges even before you could transport anything up there. Even then you have to worry about the loss of energy from any transmission system to areas that can use that power. Cables are sadly very inefficient over hundreds of miles and low temperatures even at high voltages, above or below ground, so what you might gain through an ideal location you would almost certainly lose over distance and installation costs. I doubt even the Chinese would be interested in buying any power generated by such a system by the time it reached them.

To be honest I think we have to look closer to home, like the Swiss/Austrian/French/Italian Alps, the Pyrenees, and such. Bit of a pain for all those well heeled folk who like to go sliding about on ski thingies, but when needs must.

[Healerman]

The Klosters Solar Generating Facility...How very egalitarian.

[M Paul Lloyd]

You could sell it as Eco-Ski.

Possibly?

[Nails]

Maybe even if it only powered the lift it would be useful!

[M Paul Lloyd]

Now that is a good idea Nails, plus, possibly, even the wider ski resort ridding of any need to import fuel and energy over many miles of difficult terrain.

[Jamie]

Someone has beaten you to it:

http://www.planetski.eu/news/1692

[M Paul Lloyd]

Well there goes the royalties!!