CoolEarth Solar have patented a design for inflatable solar collectors that, according to the company, are about 400 times cheaper than the more expensive and ordinary polished aluminium mirrors. If their statistics turns out to be correct this will be a huge economic breakthrough for solar power.

Their design is 400x cheaper than polished aluminum mirrors, will withstand 130 mph winds, lasts a year, repairs with tape, takes 15 minutes to change out, costs $2 per balloon, or 18 cents per watt, compared to $5 per watt for conventional installations, and has a minimal effect on the ground underneath the array!

Learn more about these inflatable solar panels by watching the video after the jump.