Hot air - fuel of the future?
Roger Davey, an entrepreneur from Australia, thinks so. He wants to build a 2,600 foot tall solar updraft tower, in the Arizona desert. It would turn 32 turbines as the hot air moves into the tower, spinning them fast enough to create mechanical energy, which generators convert into electricity.
EnviroMission, his company, says this tower can create up to 200 megawatts of power per day which would be enough to power 100,000 homes. This tower is only a concept right now though. He says the Arizona project will cost $750 million to build at its present size.
Here's how the tower would work. The sun would heat the air underneath a translucent canopy around the tower that is about as wide as a football field. The air is heated to around 194 degrees, then it goes into the tower and makes the turbines spin and rises. And after sundown the ground still releases energy and more power would be generated.
The plant should take about 2 years to build. Once the plant would open, there would be about a 30 person staff.
Comments
Good but be sure to add personal thoughts!