Ladywriter 7,783 Report post Posted July 8, 2008 Project could generate enough electricity for 200,000 homes A new energy concept called a solar tower could generate enough electricity for 200,000 homes. Looking like a giant smokestack, it would release no noxious fumes — just sun-heated air. EnviroMission Ltd. A Solar Tower prototype operated from 1982 to 1989 in Manzanares, Spain. Demonstrated more than 20 years ago, the basic design calls for solar collectors to warm the air near Earth's surface and then channel it up the tall central tower. Turbines placed at the bottom make electricity from the updraft. "It's a combination chimney, windmill, greenhouse," said Kim Forté of EnviroMission Limited in South Melbourne, Australia. EnviroMission has designed a kilometer-high solar tower (0.62 miles) and is now looking at possible sites in the southwestern United States. Solar-stack The solar tower is an updated version of a solar chimney — a centuries-old technique for providing ventilation to a home by creating a natural updraft from sun-heated air. The physics is also similar to the atmospheric vortex engine, where a man-made tornado funnels warm air up into the sky. Even though this vortex could extend higher than a solid structure, only the solar tower has been demonstrated to work, Forté said. In 1982, a small prototype was installed in Manzanares, Spain. Its tower was 195-meters-tall and was surrounded by a transparent canopy that covered an area of about 244 meters in diameter. As it was primarily a test facility, the maximum power output was only 50 kilowatts. Inexpensive materials were purposefully used to minimize costs, but eventually a storm blew the tower over in 1989. In comparison, EnviroMission’s design calls for a concrete tower that should last 50 years, Forté told LiveScience. Up, up in the sky The company's plan is not only to build stronger, but also taller. This allows for a greater temperature difference between the ground and the top of the tower, and this difference makes for more powerful suction up the chimney structure. The optimum configuration is an 800- to 1,000-meter tower (twice the height of the Empire State Building) surrounded by a greenhouse canopy 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) in radius on the ground. "It is a sizeable footprint [on the land], but with the rising cost of carbon fuels, it's becoming more commercial," Forté said. On a sunny day, the air at the top of the tower would be 70 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius), whereas the air in the greenhouse could reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius). As this hot air escapes up the tower at 34 mph (15 meters per second), it spins 32 turbines that generate up to 200 megawatts of electricity. Even with all this power, the solar tower is less than one tenth as efficient as solar cells in converting the sun's energy into electricity. The advantage for a solar tower is that its materials are much less expensive. A 200-megawatt solar tower would cost upwards of a billion dollars to build. According to a 2005 industry report, this would imply about 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, which is roughly a third of the cost of electricity from current solar cells. However, a solar tower must be fairly big to be effective. EnviroMission has recently developed a slightly smaller design that has a maximum output of 50 megawatts that may be appropriate in some markets. Lacking sufficient financial support in Australia, the company is now in negotiations with SolarMission Technology Inc., which owns the license to the technology in the United States. Waiting on a deal, EnviroMission is evaluating the weather patterns at four U.S. sites. Although the solar tower has less output at night, Forté said that it does supply a more constant supply of power during the day than simple wind turbines. And compared to traditional technologies — such as coal, natural gas and nuclear — the solar tower is certain to have "fuel" in the future. "We do know the sun will rise and set every day," Forté said. Look at the flowers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pchan 5,162 Report post Posted July 8, 2008 Freggin sweet ... they should set these up all across the equator in different nations for their own sake. I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Myk JL 1,731 Report post Posted July 8, 2008 The future gets everything... I want something in the present... Those who fight deplorables should see to it that they themselves do not become deplorables. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pchan 5,162 Report post Posted July 8, 2008 Stuff like this will be more in existence within the next 50 years, for sure. I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zepling 100 Report post Posted July 8, 2008 I hope the US will look at this and take a cue from Spain. Mayor Quimby I'll admit I used the city treasury to fund the murder of my enemies, but as Gabbo would say, I'm a bad wittle boy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Myk JL 1,731 Report post Posted July 9, 2008 I hope the US will look at this and take a cue from Spain. Most likely no... The whole point of our country seems to be scaring people into long unwanted wars so the few can make a profit from it while sending others to their deaths. Those who fight deplorables should see to it that they themselves do not become deplorables. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sledgstone 8,672 Report post Posted July 17, 2008 That looks like the precursor to the solar towers/elevators in Gundam 00. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
