Solar Blimps

In recent weeks we have seen many natural disasters. From the storms that killed eight last night in Iowa to the Myanmar Hurricane and the China earthquake and aftershocks, we seen a lot. One of the main problems is not being prepared for the disaster, it is responding to the disaster. In China and Myanmar, and even to a greater extent the Tsunami a few years, thousands of aid workers have poured into the these regions. In Myanmar it took a while because of diplomacy and the military government. Often the entire infrastructure has been wiped out and it is very hard to set up refugee camps and coordinate efforts to rebuild.

And this is where Andrew Leinonen comes in. He has conceived a novel idea--a floating power plant. A blimp, covered with solar panels, could be flown to a disaster site, even unmanned if need be. This small airship would provide power to aid rescue workers in regions where there is no available power. This blimp could generate enough electricity for 125 shallow-water pumps, which would generate enough drinking water for 12,000 people everyday.

This airship, while not yet built is an innovative idea that could help care for thousands of refugees after a horrible disaster. With every-increasing numbers of people and seemingly more frequent natural disasters, devices like these will be needed. Nice job Mr. Leinonen, I wish I would have thought of blimps.