"Dr. Jai Maharaj" <usenet@mantra.com> wrote in message
news:SEUfU2166ICOpo@JsiAp...

Solar Tower of Power
For instance, in the next year or so,
construction will begin in Australia's Outback on the
most expansive, and tallest, manmade structure on Earth.

Haven't they built that thing yet? I thought I read about it 5 years ago.

Since the amount of energy falling on each square foot of
a collector is relatively small (100 watts at the most
when the sun is directly overhead), even a perfectly
efficient system does not get much energy bang for the
buck. The solar tower design instead uses the Earths
surface, probably a desert location, as the solar
collector.

Forwarded message:

View image here:

http://www.techcentralstation.com/images/solartower.jpg

Posted on 5/16/2005 6:16:47 AM by aculeus

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End of forwarded message

Solar Tower of Power

By Roy Spencer
Tech Central Station
www.techcentralstation.com
May 16, 2005

In a recent speech, President Bush addressed the need to
start building more oil refineries, nuclear power plants,
and natural gas terminals to meet the growing demand for
energy in the U.S. While improved fuel efficiency for
cars was also mentioned, the speech was met with disdain
from environmentalists for its reliance on the further
expansion of the fossil fuel industry infrastructure.

In today's world, and in the foreseeable future, it's
impossible to not have foreign oil as part of the energy
mix, but there are advances in new technologies that may
make renewables a more viable option for future
generations. For instance, in the next year or so,
construction will begin in Australia's Outback on the
most expansive, and tallest, manmade structure on Earth.
The "Solar Tower" will be a 200 megawatt electrical
generating plant that gets its energy from harnessing the
daily solar heating of the desert surface. This heat
creates a self-contained wind field that drives a network
of 32 turbines. The concept is marvelously simple, but is
still an engineering challenge. The 3,000 foot tall
"chimney" at the center will dwarf other buildings around
the world, standing nearly twice as tall as "Taipei 101"
in Taiwan. The glass-covered canopy surrounding the tower
will be about four miles in diameter. A much smaller
version of the Australian facility was built in Spain,
and operated continuously between 1982 and 1989. Once
built, the facility will continue to produce electricity
indefinitely.

Most solar energy technologies have historically been
rather expensive. This is partly because the solar
collector surface has always been man-made. Since the
amount of energy falling on each square foot of a
collector is relatively small (100 watts at the most when
the sun is directly overhead), even a perfectly efficient
system does not get much energy bang for the buck. The
solar tower design instead uses the Earths surface,
probably a desert location, as the solar collector. It
simply requires a clear canopy for the sunlight to enter,
but to contain the solar-heated air, preventing it from
rising until it is naturally sucked up the chimney.

Since the current Solar Tower design is expected to be
somewhat more expensive than a coal-fired power plant
with comparable output, it has been partially subsidized
by the Australian government. Yet, I can see hope for
improving the power output efficiency of the basic
design, which currently runs around 1 to 3 percent. After
reading technical papers on the subject, the first
advance I could see is covering the ground under the
canopy with a thin layer of black material, maybe crushed
lava rock, to maximize the absorption of solar radiation.
Similarly, engineering advances that could bring down the
cost of the two main structural components, the central
tower and the huge glass-covered canopy, would also
improve its cost competitiveness.

The Solar Tower is about as green as you can get. It
generates no waste or pollution. It is safe. People can
work under the canopy since the wind speeds it generates
are less than about 30 mph. And of course, it uses no
fossil fuels. It also continues to generate electricity
at night, at reduced output, because the soil that is
heated during the daytime continues to release its heat
to the air at night.

From what I have been able to determine, the U.S.
government is not currently funding research into solar
towers. (Or, if it is, it has been a well kept secret).
If the current administration would like to enhance its
green credentials, maybe it is time to spearhead a major
solar tower research initiative here in the United
States. The first one built would be a source of national
pride, and a tourist attraction, to boot. This is the
first solar power technology I have personally been
excited about, and I have a feeling that it will
eventually be a major component of our energy generation
future. In combination with a future hydrogen fuel
technology, solar towers could eventually provide the
electricity needed to make hydrogen to fuel cars. Or,
battery powered cars could be charged directly.

We don't know if the Solar Tower is the answer, if
hydrogen will become workable or if there is some other,
new, yet undiscovered energy source that will provide
future generations' energy. What we do know is that we
won't find the answer unless we continue to fund research
and technology. Technology will eventually make all of
our energy cleaner -- fossil-fuel based and renewable.

Tech Central Station

http://www.techcentralstation.com/051605C.html

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Posted on 5/16/2005 6:16:47 AM by aculeus

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End of forwarded message

Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti

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The terrorist mission of Jesus stated in the Christian bible:

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not so send
peace, but a sword.
"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in
law.
"And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
- Matthew 10:34-36.

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