BIG PROJECTS: The SOLAR TOWER!This is the SOLAR TOWER: this power generator design has been tested and PROVEN to be effective on a smaller scale. The New South Wales (Australian State) Government is in the process of approval planning for this behemoth of an energy plant. The structure will be 1000m high(!) and cover an area of 24.6 square kilometers, having a distance from one side of the collector area to the other of 5.6km. It will incorporate 32 turbines. This power plant produces NO greenhouse gases, makes NO noise (except for the turbines spinning) and doesn't even produce warm air! Now how on EARTH does it do that? Have a look at this diagram:
Sunlight falls on the glass cover surrounding the solar tower itself. The sunlight becomes heat and the air gets hotter. As we know, hot air rises and so the air is forced towards the centre of the structure. By the time the heated air gets to the turbines, its temperature has increased by 50 degrees celsius and the estimated speed at the turbine is 15 metres per second. The spinning of the turbines generates electricity . The air cools as it rises through heat exchange with the tower walls and also possibly as a result of encountering further turbines in the column. This results in the air at the top of the tower being at roughly the same temperature as when it entered through the edge of the collector. Like solar panels, this generator collects heat from the project area and converts it to electricity. When we use the electricity that heat is released; all we are doing is moving the heat from the project area to our homes and using it to power the devices we use in everyday life. This project will provide sufficient power for 200,000 homes. If the Australian Government decided to build 50 of these they would provide pollution free energy to homes throughout the whole country. Have a look at this video of this proposed solar mega project: It's good; it gives a clear picture of the simplicity and magnificence of this structure.
NOTE: The trees you can see in this animation are just decoration. They will not be there when this has been built. Trees would probably survive but would both soak up solar energy and obstruct the wind flow which this generator relies on. They look nice in the video though.
NIGHT TIME OPERATION:The heat absorbent material soaks up the sun's energy during the daytime and releases it at night, ensuring the solar tower has steady operation 24 hours a day. The pilot project used black plastic sheeting filled with water. Possibilities for the full scale generator are black mining rubble, black painted concrete or specially designed heat absorbent material containing liquid or gel pockets. This is a proven steady operator: the prototype shown here has been operating since the 1980s and has steadily produced in the region of 50 kilowatts (1/20th of a megawatt) of green, clean electricity. Here's a video about the pilot project, from EnviroMission once again:
This is truly a landmark Renewable Energy Project.
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