Why in desert areas?
There are many arguments in favor of installing LumoBags in desert areas:
- Solar radiation reaches its highest levels there. This means that the greatest amount of energy can be reflected in relation to the area used.
- Conflicts of interest with agricultural use can be avoided.
- Due to the low biodiversity and the even distribution of species over large areas, negative effects on biodiversity can be minimized.
Won’t the LumoBags be blown over by the sand?
Desert areas consist mainly of stone or boulder deserts, sandy deserts make up around 20% (Sahara). The Lumobag system is very flexible and can be used in all types of landscape. In all cases, a control and maintenance system is part of the concept to ensure the highest possible backlighting. This will mainly be carried out by solar-powered automated cleaning systems, as are already used in the maintenance of photovoltaic systems.
Why aluminum?
Aluminum has the best reflective properties over the entire required spectral range. Aluminum is readily available, durable and fully recyclable. Therefore, aluminum is the ideal material to permanently achieve a reflectance of more than 90 %. Because thin layers are used, the LUMOBAG project requires only a small amount of aluminum per square meter of reflective surface.
Why aren’t photovoltaic systems built instead?
Photovoltaic systems have a completely different function – they are used to generate electricity. Around 20 % of the irradiated energy is converted into electrical energy, the rest into low-temperature heat, which remains in the earth’s atmosphere. Therefore, they cannot be used to reflect solar radiation.
Does the LUMOBAG system remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere?
No, the LUMOBAG system does not remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, but offsets their effect on the rise in the earth’s temperature. By laying one square meter of reflective surface, the emission of at least one ton of CO2 can be offset – immediately. This buys time to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions without the temperature rise reaching catastrophic proportions. Decarbonizing the global economy as quickly as possible is and remains the most important measure in the fight against man-made climate change.
Why is this solution better than others?
There are always reports in the media about ideas for reducing solar radiation, but their potential negative effects on our planet cannot be predicted.
The LUMOBAG project, on the other hand, is scientifically proven, can be implemented immediately, is scalable at will and is completely reversible. The reflective surface could be quickly dismantled again if necessary.
Another decisive advantage is that the temperature-reducing effect of LUMOBAG starts immediately. This is particularly important as we only have a few years left before the 1.5°C limit is finally exceeded. Only rapid progress on the LUMOBAG project can ensure that the temperature rise is limited.
