Solar energy for the 21st century

The Arabs never do anything by halves. This time Qatar, bidding to host the 2022 Fifa Cup, has found something new to wow us with: engineers at Qatar University have invented a gas filled “cloud”, powered by solar energy, to float above the stadium and shade spectators and players from the blazing sun.

This “cloud” will be made of a very light carbon structure surrounding something like a dirigible filled with helium. It’ll be moved around by remote control from the ground, so that the moving sun needn’t worry anyone: the cloud can just move with it! It will fly at high altitude so that it can block out the rays of the sun for large patches on the ground. And when there’s nothing on at the stadium, it’ll use solar energy to power the neighborhood.

People have wondered why they haven’t just built a solar shade over the stadium instead of planning such a project. Well, you can’t move a fixed solar shade over to other stadiums when it’s not needed here, can you!

This cloud is in the development stage, but eleven years should be enough to finish the project!

The stadium which will host the event if Qatar wins the bid for the World Cup, the Lusail Iconic Stadium, is located in a new development in the north of Doha, Qatar’s capital city. Foster and Partners designed it as an eco friendly, energy efficient edifice. It is a specially built arena that will seat eighty-six thousand spectators, and has been made specifically for the extreme heat of Doha. It will host the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the games.

There will be a moat that everyone who wishes to go into the stadium will have to cross. There will be solar panels installed on canopies over the parking lot.

Yes, solar energy is the way to go!

Photo credits: African sports TV.