No pollution in power generation
but I guess some still in production

there will be NO pollution.it will actually remove greenhouse gases.
bit from website>
Clean Green Continuous Energy

The Solar Mission Project is the realisation of large-scale clean green renewable energy generation from the world’s first 200MW solar thermal power station using innovative Solar Tower technology.

One 200MW power station will provide enough electricity to around 200,000 typical Australian households and will abate over 900,000 tonnes of greenhouse producing gases from entering the environment annually.

The monolithic scale of the project is sure to attract world attention and add value to the construction of the power station through tourism and associated economic benefits.

^cullwulla of course there will be pollution during construction, you cannot make concrete or pump concrete without using energy. This energy WILL come from fossil fuels, the quantity of concrete and height of pumping means that this will produce a MASSIVE ammount of CO2 during construction, it is inevitable. I wish the company would be honest about this and give a realistic pay off date for carbon emissions. Currently i am not at all convinced that this will be a "green" project for many many years.

May I sugest to make it 11m higher thus becoming the tallest tower passing the Guangzhou TV Tower at 610m ;)

the tallest tower and structure on earth will be the Burj Dubai ^^

Wow, what a beast...

the tallest tower and structure on earth will be the Burj Dubai ^^

Until a very windy night...

joking.

^cullwulla of course there will be pollution during construction, you cannot make concrete or pump concrete without using energy. This energy WILL come from fossil fuels, the quantity of concrete and height of pumping means that this will produce a MASSIVE ammount of CO2 during construction, it is inevitable. I wish the company would be honest about this and give a realistic pay off date for carbon emissions. Currently i am not at all convinced that this will be a "green" project for many many years.

Thanks for making my point clear

20,000 MW of just WIND!!, thats equivalent to the power generation of the three gorges dam in China

Great stuff!

We need more projects from the sole superpower of the world! and less wars.

very well said!
ditto to this!

^^ the one in Australia is 600m but the U.S. could get a 1000m verionIs there a US version?? HMm but 1000 meters? hmm i dont think so,since we have limit height.

the USA are planning such a project as far as i know but the 1000m version came from Australia, but now we'll see only a 600m tower

found a video about this project here....

http://www.thoughtware.tv/videos/show/548

looks well.

nice vid. thanks.

Thank you for the video. I was puzzled what this was all about. :)

july update!
looks like Australia is still forging ahead with its solar tower. latest figure is quoted at 600m high! or 1800ft which is actually 550m.
new 3min movie>

http://dsc.discovery.com/beyond/player.html?playerId=203711706&bclid=958525258

i posted this on july16. its a shorter version of the one ulster posted.
looks like atm, 600m or 2000ft seems to be the design Enviromission are aiming at. with a diametre of 65m/210ft. i think a canopy diamtre of 2km? thats a massive amount of glass .
cheers

Wouldnt want a major a hale storm passing over... It would reak havok!

Wouldnt want a major a hale storm passing over... It would reak havok!

I doubt you'd get hailstorms in the middle of nowhere, let alone rain.

^^ texas has some of the worst t-storms in the world, so im sure that they would get multiple hail-storms a year.

maybe they will use a plastic/glass material to be tough against elements? would be silly to use normal glass. would keep glaziers happy? lol after a storm

your probably right. plastic on top to keep out the elements and then glass to keep the sun in.

^^ texas has some of the worst t-storms in the world, so im sure that they would get multiple hail-storms a year.

This isn't Texas we're talking about, it's the Australian outback.

^^ we were talking about the proposed one for texas.

wow

Jeezus...this thing is massive!

Really phenomenal idea, I love it. Hope it gets built.

I really hope this thing will be built!

it will eventually. need funding.

wow

I love the way you bump this. :lol:

it will eventually. need funding.
So when do you think they have the funds?

Well, some facts need to be corrected. Interestingly, all over the media they reported on the power plant in Spain, and said it was first. Then one media outlet after another had to run corrections, the first was built in the US in the Mojave desert. I guess the Spanish were a little "liberal" in their press releases.

The first power plant of this type was completed in CALIFORNIA about 20 years ago, near Barstow. It was also expanded in the 90's. It also caught fire once.

So, look it up on the DWP site or Wiki or whatever. Been around 20 years and been to the site myself in 1991. It is pretty cool. I guess you aren't allowed as close as you once were, but, off the 40 east of Barstow is the facility.

"Solar One was completed in 1981 and was operational from 1982 to 1986. Later redesigned and renamed Solar Two, it can be seen from Interstate 40 where it covers a 51 hectare (126 acre) site."

"In 1995 Solar One was converted into Solar Two, by adding a second ring of 108 larger 95 m² (1,000 ft²) heliostats around the existing Solar One, totaling 1926 heliostats with a total area of 82,750 m² (891,000 ft²). This gave Solar Two the capability of redirecting the equivalent of 600 suns and the ability to produce 10 megawatts. Solar One used water. Solar Two used molten salt, a combination of 60% sodium nitrate and 40% potassium nitrate, as an energy storage medium instead of water or oil. "

those solar panals?
http://www.t-mation.com/images/print/enviro/enviro009.jpg
if they are there huge!


Also this is amazing:
[url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/culwulla/MVC-004S.jpg[\url]
the CN tower doesn't stand a chance

Solar one and two you talk about uses a completly different concept. They infact focus the radiation from the sun on one central point so as to create a very focused energy on the collector. From there I'm not quite sure how it is converted to energy but that is the fundamental idea. The idea of the Solar tower is that hot air is trapped under the glazing and therefore wants to escape to the cooler air outside-high to low pressure. The tower is the only method for this superheated air to escape and because warm air rises it naturally is drawn to the tower. At the base the large turbines are forced to spin by the moving air and this is how you get the electricity. The tower helps to accelerate this effect.

Well, all of these designs fall under the category of a "Solar Collector" as opposed to a photovoltaic system. Whether its air, salt solution or water that makes the power is the only difference. All use a central tower surrounded by a massive field of mirrors. I think all of these ideas are awesome, 600m tower! amazing.

^^ we were talking about the proposed one for texas.

No we're talking about the one in Australia, as this is the thread for it, not the one in texas. Fail.

Well, all of these designs fall under the category of a "Solar Collector" as opposed to a photovoltaic system. Whether its air, salt solution or water that makes the power is the only difference. All use a central tower surrounded by a massive field of mirrors. I think all of these ideas are awesome, 600m tower! amazing.

Um no they don't!

The solar tower in australia and the one in spain don't use mirrors at all. They use the greenhouse effect to create superheated air under the glass canopy, which is drawn to the centre of the facility via a heat differential. the fast moving air is pulled through large turbines (which create the power) and up and out of the chimney and into the atmosphere.

yes, this project really is a new concept. nothing actually to do with collectors ect. but as avatar said, simple idea of hot air rising up through an emormous stack creating power by turning turbines to generate power.
go to this website and click on "artist rendition of solar tower. great little movie.
http://www.enviromission.com.au/

It would be even better if the entire floor was layered with solar panels.

^^ no because if you put solar panels the heat would pass trought and the solar tower wouldn t work properly .

^ pass through what?

^ pass through what?

There would be no accumulation of heat within the enclosed area if the heat is absorbed by Solar Panels. What you instead need to do is have an accumulation of heat within the enclosed area so that the air is heated and forces it to rise > Only way out is through the Chimney on its way out it'll turn the the turbines with its force producing electricity for your laptop to run so that you can refresh the "WTB - Burj Dubai" thread on SSC = )

LOLOL! There are two pages in my Science book about this. :lol:

i guess they could put those new solar panel things in the glass. some kind of see-though solar panels that they fuse into the glass or something. Hold on, i'll try to find the link.

any photos?

I thought this smokestack was originally proposed at twice the height....? Sorry, haven't read the thread.

Anyone have some good comprehensive links on this project, and the science and economics behind it?

http://www.enviromission.com.au/

There would be no accumulation of heat within the enclosed area if the heat is absorbed by Solar Panels.

The whole point is for the floor to heat up. Then the air gets heated, and moves into and up the column. Covering the floor with dark, heat absorbent solar panels makes sense to me.

in the website. be sure to click on small movie of the project. unreal. really gives you instant idea how it works. very simple idea, just on a grand scale.
the 1m thick concrete tower was going to be 1000m with a 130m dia, but now it will be more like 600m with a 65m dia.
Still an impressive structure.It will be by far the tallest structure in Australia.
Our tallest structure is a flimsy 427m guyed mast and tallest chimney is MIM stack @ 270m.

The whole point is for the floor to heat up. Then the air gets heated, and moves into and up the column. Covering the floor with dark, heat absorbent solar panels makes sense to me.

No the whole point is for the AIR to be heated up, If you have Solar panels that are absorbing the heat (which is how they work) the air won't be heated to its maximum potential. The Air Won't heat up if you have solar panels absorbing the heat! You need something that would heat up the air and continue to release the collected heat into the enclosed area for as long as possible keeping the hot air rising.

I wonder why there's Australia in the thread name, not the city this is going to be built? There are strict rules about that :) I say this won't get built. And if it will, half shorter.

i will not be build in a city :lol:. that's the reason why the title says Australia

No the whole point is for the AIR to be heated up, If you have Solar panels that are absorbing the heat (which is how they work) the air won't be heated to its maximum potential. The Air Won't heat up if you have solar panels absorbing the heat! You need something that would heat up the air and continue to release the collected heat into the enclosed area for as long as possible keeping the hot air rising.


How do you think air gets heated? You think it directly gets heated by the sun? No. The earth's surface gets heated, which then heats the air above it. Having dark panels to attract the sunlight would be even better.

http://www.enviromission.com.au/

Thanks.

How do you think air gets heated? You think it directly gets heated by the sun? No. The earth's surface gets heated, which then heats the air above it. Having dark panels to attract the sunlight would be even better.


I know that, but you need some sort of material that would give off heat within the enclosed area not absorb it. Solar Panels I don't think can do the job optimally, for the panels to function themselves a lot of the heat that is absorbed would be used to generate electricity. Look at the video they have on that site they talk about some sort of collectors in place that would give off energy even through the night. Solar Panels from what I know optimally absorb the sun's energy.

Does this one classify as a skyscraper "officially"?

Awesome video.

I wonder why they have reduced the height and thickness of the tower, it's probably a cost decision, does the extra height warrant the extra power produced ? Maybe this is seen as a prototype of sorts, if it works out ok we could well see more and bigger towers like this across the world.

Exciting project.

Does this one classify as a skyscraper "officially"?

No, I think it would be classified (as others have noted) as a chimney. So it qualifies for "freestanding structure" but not "building".

If Toronto is going to lose it worlds tallest title, I wouldn't mind it going to a project like this, help save the Earth.

It already has.

If solar tower goes ahead it will have the worlds highest observatory @ 600m high!

heres a diagram i did a while back
http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/1243/solartowercomparisonsoz4.jpg

repost of renders

observation ring
http://www.t-mation.com/images/print/enviro/enviro002.jpg

http://www.t-mation.com/images/print/enviro/enviro000.jpg

http://www.t-mation.com/images/print/enviro/enviro007.jpg

http://www.t-mation.com/images/print/enviro/enviro005.jpg

There's nothing to see out there :dunno:

^^
:hilarious

There's nothing to see out there :dunno:

what do you mean???

what do you mean???
At the observation deck..

:lol:, yes that's right. but i think it would still be a great feeling to stand 600m above the ground

OMG 600m. Very tall building!

Thats supertall indeed ! But, in the middle of nowhere??? Looks more like a skyscraper in the renders.

why not in the middle of nowhere? that is the only place you can build such a project.

^^ Sometimes science is lost on people.

^^ Hahaha, quality!

yes , the site where the tower is to be built is 25km from a town called Mildura. The Tower will be built at Buronga which is in NSW ,some 800km west of sydney.They have many days of the year of 40+deg, so its perfect hot temp for Solar Tower.
your right there wont be much to see but being up 2000ft will be awesome. especially the lift ride up being glass pod.

Mildura is a town known for grape growing

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/127/365360907_e5588cff4d_b.jpg
and its major tourism is the Murray River

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1355/1457243626_c7188fbc52_b.jpg

current tallest structure is the 75m Telstra tower.lol

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/46/159817821_aa15689504_o.jpg

perfect for ballooning
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/2/3362983_8e1bf37739_o.jpg

I like the idea so much. This is the new generation of skyscrapers. The solar ones :)

It is quite a good idea since Australia is such a hot place with a lot of sunshine, I like this idea.

latest sookie lala letter.
http://www.enviromission.com.au/fina...VM%20CA372.pdf
Chairman davey is basically saying hopefully labor Gov will take a step forward and get interested in funding the project

WOW I hope it gets the funding it needs.
They should make a basejumping base at the top, since its in the middle of grapefruit country and there is no other building or electrical cables to worry about.:badnews:

^^

only a 7 km diameter 'tent' for catching the air to drive the turbines :ohno:

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/3812/enviro007iy4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Did you even bother to read the thread ??

^^

only a 7 km diameter 'tent' for catching the air to drive the turbines :ohno:

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/3812/enviro007iy4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Did you even bother to read the thread ??
lol thats why they should make a basejump base... imagine the adrenaline:lol:
of course it would be at your own risk.
Risk of death: Possible

to me this is by far the greatest thing to help the environment then any other proposal. really hope it gets built

Does anybody know how the other Solar Towers in other countrys are developing. Last I heard was that another country was building a 250m one, (maybe)

Does anybody know how the other Solar Towers in other countrys are developing. Last I heard was that another country was building a 250m one, (maybe)

I don't know, Spain may be? But if they end up building that in Spain it will be significantly smaller, I think.

yes, there's one in spain...about 200m tall

The original project was suppose to be 1km tall...




Damn it, where is that height!!!

^the 1km tower was simply going to be a huge undertaking. 130m wide, 1m thick concrete shell. just so big.
they have scaled it to 65m diam and 600m high and will achieve same power output.
anyway
THE LATEST

looks like we missed it last week? anyone see it?
sounds good for the American project

Solar Tower to Marvel on History Channel

Solar Tower marvels the imagination at History Channel's "Modern Marvels" program on February 28 at 11pm and February 29 at 3:00am.

"Modern Marvels" includes EnviroMission's Solar Tower technology in a series about environmental technologies and innovations 'designed to hold off global warming meltdown.'

Viewers can see how a Solar Tower power station will use energy from the sun to generate clean electricity and learn how clean electricity technologies, like Solar Towers, are key in the global challenge to global warming.

Solar Towers are planned for development in the south west corner of the US at locations with high to extreme levels of solar radiation to increase the economic and environmental benefits from the technology's marvelous renewable energy capability.

"EnviroMission values the inclusion of Solar Tower technology in the 'Modern Marvels Environmental Technologies II' series, because the program's viewers that stand to immediately benefit from the environmental benefits of the development of Solar Towers are the same viewers that can influence environmental decisions and outcomes for future generations using the information and experiences available to them today.

"The program will be an excellent opportunity for many people to see the iconic design of a Solar Tower for the first time and better understand how it will make clean power when it is developed in the US," EnviroMission Chief Executive, Roger Davey, said.

^the 1km tower was simply going to be a huge undertaking. 130m wide, 1m thick concrete shell. just so big.
they have scaled it to 65m diam and 600m high and will achieve same power output.
anyway
THE LATEST

looks like we missed it last week? anyone see it?
sounds good for the American project

Solar Tower to Marvel on History Channel

Solar Tower marvels the imagination at History Channel's "Modern Marvels" program on February 28 at 11pm and February 29 at 3:00am.

"Modern Marvels" includes EnviroMission's Solar Tower technology in a series about environmental technologies and innovations 'designed to hold off global warming meltdown.'

Viewers can see how a Solar Tower power station will use energy from the sun to generate clean electricity and learn how clean electricity technologies, like Solar Towers, are key in the global challenge to global warming.

Solar Towers are planned for development in the south west corner of the US at locations with high to extreme levels of solar radiation to increase the economic and environmental benefits from the technology's marvelous renewable energy capability.

"EnviroMission values the inclusion of Solar Tower technology in the 'Modern Marvels Environmental Technologies II' series, because the program's viewers that stand to immediately benefit from the environmental benefits of the development of Solar Towers are the same viewers that can influence environmental decisions and outcomes for future generations using the information and experiences available to them today.

"The program will be an excellent opportunity for many people to see the iconic design of a Solar Tower for the first time and better understand how it will make clean power when it is developed in the US," EnviroMission Chief Executive, Roger Davey, said.


Solar Power Due To Shine In Arizona.

Arizona in the USA could soon become home to the worlds largest solar plant with a venture straight out of a sci-fi movie.

The plant which will be named Solana, which means "a sunny place" in Spanish, is a joint venture between Abengoa Solar and Arizona Public Service Company (APS) and will cover 1900 acres.

The plant will be able to power up to 70,000 homes by generating 280 megawatts and will be the first example of a major utility getting a vast majority of its energy using solar in the country. The plant would also create approximately 1,500 jobs.

Solana will make use of Abengoa Solar's Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technology that is already in use in a solar plant in Spain. This uses solar radiation concentration to generate steam or hot air that is then used by an electric plant to run steam turbines.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/1392SolarPowerDueToShineInArizona_pic1.jpg

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/1392SolarPowerDueToShineInArizona_pic2.jpg

Source:Skyscrapernews

I think it is important to point out here there are 2 different types of Solar Tower

a/ where air is sucked up through a turbine to create power as in the proposed Australian project.

b/ where sunlight is reflected by mirrors to create steam to drive a turbine as in the Spanish project and proposed Arizona project.

Cul, are you sure about the same power output with the 600m as with the 1000m?

Have there been any sort of advancement in technology for the increased efficiency?

Is this 1000 metre or 600 metre? people say different things.

^ Started at 1000m, downsized to 600m.

for what this tower ?

produce electricity ^^

I finally saw the segment on Modern Marvels. Very interesting! I think they said it would take 670 of these towers to power the United States.

I finally saw the segment on Modern Marvels. Very interesting! I think they said it would take 670 of these towers to power the United States.

670? even if each of these costs 2billion the total cost would be around 1Trillion, which is as much US has spent in its War in Iraq. So why not just build these solar towers instead of going for Iraq's oil.

670? even if each of these costs 2billion the total cost would be around 1Trillion, which is as much US has spent in its War in Iraq. So why not just build these solar towers instead of going for Iraq's oil.
Towers don't drive cars.

Towers don't drive cars.
They will shortly. Electric cars!

670? even if each of these costs 2billion the total cost would be around 1Trillion, which is as much US has spent in its War in Iraq. So why not just build these solar towers instead of going for Iraq's oil.

i hate to think about things like that.

its like after a night of drinking, who would say 'that took me a whole day to earn enough money to get blind drunk and have a hangover'. When in fact its 'god we spent 1trillion dollars on a war instead of doing something 100% worthwhile...dayum!'

670? even if each of these costs 2billion the total cost would be around 1Trillion, which is as much US has spent in its War in Iraq. So why not just build these solar towers instead of going for Iraq's oil.

That number is wrong. You'd need 3,839 280MW $2bn 650m-tall solar updraft towers to provide electricity to the US. That's nearly $8 trillion. Besides, Iraq's oil production hasn't even increased considerably since the US invaded.

Just to explain why this will never happen, to generate 1 tonne of concrete requires 100kg of fuel. Haven't bothered to work out all the values, but did a while ago and have lost the data. Basically when you calculate the CO2 produced in building this thing the payoff is something like 250years. The life expectancy is less than 100, so it is a moronic, flawed concept.

For those that don't understand what i am saying, a coal power plant is better for the environment than this, we need to find other ways.... looking to the sea is the future!

^^
Heard about the Nuclear Fusion? It is the "infinite" energy that empowers our sun and the stars. The only problem is in order for the Nuclear Fusion to work you need an ingredient called "Helium 3". Helium 3 is very rare to find here in our world but it is very abundant to our Moon and probably other planets as well. We just have to go there and mine it.

^^
Heard about the Nuclear Fusion? It is the "infinite" energy that empowers our sun and the stars. The only problem is in order for the Nuclear Fusion to work you need an ingredient called "Helium 3". Helium 3 is very rare to find here in our world but it is very abundant to our Moon and probably other planets as well. We just have to go there and mine it.
Uhm, not quite. Helium-3 is an element deemed very suitable for nuclear fusion in theory, but it isn't some magic potion that would bring us any closer to getting the concept itself to work. We can mine the moon all we want, we'll still have to get the science to make it work done first.

please stay on topic guys ^^

670? even if each of these costs 2billion the total cost would be around 1Trillion, which is as much US has spent in its War in Iraq. So why not just build these solar towers instead of going for Iraq's oil.



Uh because our enviros would say birds would hit them, our residents would say they were ugly and "you can't build it where I live", our congress would find some permitting issue and it would take 20 years to get approval let alone actually build them. That's why.


Oh and since we are off topic and this will be pulled anyway. Don't you think if we went to Iraq to get the oil we would have gotten it by now? God, man, think before you parrot someone elses stupidity.

^^
Heard about the Nuclear Fusion? It is the "infinite" energy that empowers our sun and the stars. The only problem is in order for the Nuclear Fusion to work you need an ingredient called "Helium 3". Helium 3 is very rare to find here in our world but it is very abundant to our Moon and probably other planets as well. We just have to go there and mine it.

Uh...I think you might need to hit the books a little hard on nuclear fusion. Even at a conceptual level.

^^ yeah don't you need the heat generated from a nuclear fission reaction to generate a fusion reaction?

Ok there is a hell of a lot of confusion over the last 5 posts, so sorry zz-II but i feel i should ellaborate. HElium 3 is such a stupid comment, mining the moon??? you on drugs??

Fusion reaction is the future definatly, but the ITER project will not reach maturity for at least 20 years, and that will be the first tokomak ever to generate power rather than consume it. The fuel used for fusion generation is deuterium or tritium which are isotopes of hydrogen, both in vast quantities on earth but isolating them can be tricky. The overall process will generate power, so to summarise:

1) You do not need to mine the moon to achieve fusion,
2) You do not need a fission reactor to power a fusion reactor (although some initial power is required as it is with almost all power stations)
3) We cannot rely on a technology which will not be ready for 50 years, we need a solution in the mean time, ideally a clean one.

For further reading try this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITER

looks like namibia may get first tower?
wow 1.5km tall, 280m dia? like to see that.
website>
www.greentower.net
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/2794487073_49a8b9523a_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/2794487081_2caf2fd900_o.jpg



http://www.afriquenligne.fr/sa-firm-...807299785.html

Windhoek, Namibia - A South African intellectual property firm Hanh & Hahn says it is planning a US$ 150 million 400 mega watt solar tower in Namibia as it moves to plug the gap in energy supply in the electricity starved southern African nation.

The solar tower, named Greentower, will be 1.5 kilometres high and 280 metres in diameter and will work by causing an updraft to the drive turbines, generating 400 MW of electricity.

Air within the solar tower is heated in a large circular greenhouse like structure, and the resulting convection causes the air to rise and escape through the tower.

The moving air drives turbines, which then produces electricity.

Hahn & Hahn managing director Alan Dunlop said Tuesday that the project had been approved by the Namibian government, adding that national power utility is partially funding a feasibility study.

But a senior government official has denied knowledge of the project.

Joseph Iita, permanent secretary in the ministry of mines and energy, said that government was not aware of the proposed solar tower, adding that 'fly-by-night' investors were flooding government with applications for energy generation projects.

“We have so many offers but we are only prepared to work with serious investors and despite so many investors showing interest in the field of energy generation, we haven't seen any project taking off,” Iita said.

Iita also said that government had not made any commitment to fund the ambitious solar power project.

Earlier, Dunlop said that the base of the tower will incorporate a 37-km2 greenhouse, in which cash crops can be grown.

The greenhouse will be used to develop soil humus to transform barren land to fertile soil that retains moisture and nutrients to enable rapid plant propagation.

Dunlop says that studies have shown that plant-linked humidity does not reduce the uplift in the tower by which the turbines are driven, and even represents a store of latent energy that can be drawn on after sunset.

Water for the plants in the greenhouse can be supplied by desalinating sea water or purifying groundwater, using known technology and a supply of energy, which is only a small fraction of the energy generated.

Solar tower technology has been slow to develop over the years.

Between 1979 and 1989, a German engineer is reported to have designed a solar to wer 200 metres high, which was built in Spain and financed by a grant from the German government.

The tower ran trouble free for eight years, producing 50 kW of electricity until it was decommissioned.

Windhoek - 29/07/2008
__________________

Woah. That's just massive. :D And its twins! wow!

:O

Namibia unveils 1.5km high solar tower proposal!

:nuts: :nuts: :nuts:

Namibia has announced a new proposal for the construction of a R1bn solar tower, which is being backed by the government, that would generate 400 MW of electricity and would stand 1.5km high.

The government said it is prepared to stump up half of the pre-feasibility study costs, according to intellectual property firm Hahn and Hahn. The proposal indicates the tower would be 1.5 km high and 280m in diameter.

Solar tower technology first emerged in the late 1970s, when German engineer Jorg Schlaich built a 200m solar tower in Spain, but was largely forgotten until the announcement of a 1km high solar tower in Australia to be built by 2010.

The government has also proposed that the base of the tower will incorporate a 37km2 greenhouse that would be used to change the region’s barren soil into fertile soil, in which crops can be grown.

link: http://www.tradeinvestsa.co.za/news/687264.htm

Solar Tower for Namibia.
http://sustainabledesignupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/solar-updraft-tower-wikipedia.png

A new proposal for the construction of a solar tower capable of generating 400 MW of electricity has been approved by the Namibian government.

The solar tower, aptly named the “Greentower” will be 1.5 km (about 5,000 feet!) high and 280 m (918 feet) in diameter. The tower functions like a chimney. Air heated in an apron around the tower becomes relatively buoyant and wants to rise. The only path is up the chimney. Turbines on the ground or near the bottom of the tower convert the updraft into electricity.

In 1982, a small-scale experimental model of a solar chimney power plant was built under the direction of German engineer Jörg Schlaich in Manzanares, Ciudad Real, 150 km south of Madrid, Spain; the project was funded by the German government. The tower ran trouble-free for eight years, producing 50 kW of electricity, until it was decommissioned.

In recent years there has been renewed interest in the solar tower concept, a 1 km-high solar tower, capable of producing 200 MW is scheduled to be constructed by 2010 in Australia. (Project Link)

Turbines can be installed in a ring around the base of the tower, with a horizontal axis, as planned for the Australian project, or, as in the prototype in Spain, a single vertical axis turbine can be installed inside the chimney.

He adds that the Australian tower, as well as its Namibian counterpart, will be built out of reinforced concrete, using technology developed for building high-rise buildings.

“Several thermodynamics, structural, wind loading and power generation experts have developed an executive summary for a prefeasibility study for the Namibian project,” says intellectual property company Hahn & Hahn MD representative Alan Dunlop.

This Namibian project may be eligible for carbon credits under the Kyoto Protocol and offers opportunities for countries to further develop solar tower technology.

Solar towers are relatively inefficient at converting sunlight to energy - about 1% of the sunlight falling on the apron is converted to electricity. Solar towers are inexpensive but inefficient.

(Disclosure: We are working on a solar tower design that is very efficient using concentrated solar power in a novel geometric configuration - we will be publishing schematics as soon as our lawyers give us the green light.)

Photo: Wikipedia

Via: Engineering News

only wait who first construct a solar tower, Australia, Spain or Namibia or another country :?

Namibia? really?

They probaly have to use 60% of their national economical money for this entire project.

1500m :nuts:, maybe Namibia will get the title for the tallest structure on earth :D

not that beautiful but i really like the concept :)

the tower has not to be beautiful :lol: ^^

I don't know about the height, but besides that a step in the right direction:okay:

Namibia? really?

They probaly have to use 60% of their national economical money for this entire project.

it's no so expensive to construct and design is simple

the tower has not to be beautiful :lol: ^^

agree but more beautiful than a thermic central electricity production.

1500m :nuts:, maybe Namibia will get the title for the tallest structure on earth :D

the most extreme things come from most unexpected places.

someone should make new thread for that tower in Namibia.

someone should make new thread for that tower in Namibia.
Agreed.

Yeah right ...


... Since more then 4 years this one in Australia has not moved from the "proposed" status, actually the only thing moving seams to be the proposed height: 900, 600, 1000 ...

i wish this project u/c.

Yeah right ...


... Since more then 4 years this one in Australia has not moved from the "proposed" status, actually the only thing moving seams to be the proposed height: 900, 600, 1000 ...
The Namibia proposal seems a lot more serious. There's Germans involved there after all. ;)

^^I was heared about tallest building in Dubai..it will had 1600m...but this building will had hotel,flats...

This structure will affect the wildlife. :ohno:

Yeah right ...


... Since more then 4 years this one in Australia has not moved from the "proposed" status, actually the only thing moving seams to be the proposed height: 900, 600, 1000 ...
yes its a real shame. ive followed this since its begining.
back in early 2000's the proposal was 1km high 200mw. then was reduced to 500m/50mw tower. which was achievable. but still funding was biggest hurdle. $800mil to be exact.
i really do hope one day one of these giants get built.

This structure will affect the wildlife. :ohno:

In desert I think not :lol: but for sure it will be not rising on natural parc.

only wait who first construct a solar tower, Australia, Spain or Namibia or another country :?
Spain already had the first one! but only 200 metres tall or so and it fell down. And we have the heliostate towers in Sevilla (3 towers x 160 metres), anyone has seen this kind of tower outside Spain?
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2189/2281683300_7bf17a59e7.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/425565190_5032e0c6b3_o.jpghttp://www.abengoasolar.es/sites/solar/resources/images/tec37.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/149/425572003_13494ecf3b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1093/1448540890_b16cdf810a_b.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/182/425587049_787a48be64_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2405/1953941744_faf8e8e755.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2346/1953115985_dc8f836150.jpg

Namibia? really?

They probaly have to use 60% of their national economical money for this entire project.

WTF is national economical money?

When Oil prices keep that high and interest rates will stay low they just borrow the money.
I am sure china is willing to lend them some money, if they use chinese workers and technology to built this mega-penis.

I'm beginning to think the whole point of this thing is to go around the world getting seed money to build these things in different locations but never actually produce anything.

^^I was heared about tallest building in Dubai..it will had 1600m...but this building will had hotel,flats...

you mean mile high tower in Jeddah?

hey guys I'm just happy there is a project in Australia cause the last major project Australia did was q1 back in 2004 and Australia has never built above 350m so not many buildings for me but with this it be great. they announced last week in my local newspaper they have plans for an observation deck in the top the pics the showed were awesome. they say you will faintly be able to see Sydney on the horizon through the most powerful telescopes on observation deck. awesome.

This Tower is all about economics... so I belive it will never built.

5x200m towers are cheaper than 1x1000m and produce the same amount of power, plus the mentenance of a 1000m tower would be hell... :ohno:

Spain already had the first one! but only 200 metres tall or so and it fell down. And we have the heliostate towers in Sevilla (3 towers x 160 metres), anyone has seen this kind of tower outside Spain?



I seem there is in France a similar heliostate tower in the French Pyrenées but the design is diferent. About Spain I was refering about the 750 m project in Ciudad Real, I wrote yesterday to Campo 3 to have more information about the state of the project.

we have this one planned *in* london

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/5587TheSparkPlug_pic1.jpg

large amounts of public support for it. if it goes ahead, and i think it should, itll be revolutionary. in this case the turbine is in the centre of the tower, the dome around it houses offices under it and they will be topped by tropical gardens. lopping around the outside of the solar chimney as you can see will be apartments!

^^ wth? you should make new thread on that, but looks like those towers from Chicago.

There was a thread on it a while ago.

it's visionary, so no thread ^^

Is there a plan to built those huge structures, especially more 1.0 km high ?

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=1729

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/1729WorldsTallestStructurePlannedInNamibia_pic1.jpg


World's Tallest Structure Planned In Namibia

Published on 03-09-2008 by Skyscrapernews.com

What could be one of the defining landmarks in the evolution of solar technology that will see the world's tallest structure built looks like happening in the south African state of Namibia.

German firm Hanh & Hahn are planning to construct a 1,500 metre tall solar tower in the depths of the Namibian desert for the cost of $150 million dollars that can potentially generate 400 megawatts of power - equivalent to 308 average wind turbines.

The structure will be called Greentower and feature a massive greenhouse 200 metres in diameter with a central concrete chimney to channel the updrafts caused by the air currents created within by the natural heating of the structure from the sun that will run almost twice the height of the Burj Dubai.

The solar chimney will contain wind turbines that will be powered by the moving air currents and generate most of the schemes power.

As an additional source of income for the developer, the greenhouse will be used to grow crops too turning an otherwise arid desert into a resource that can be harnessed and used to feed Africa with, a concept so simple some might wonder why it has taken so long to even be proposed.

Solar power of this nature is gradually becoming more popular. Even London has seen a similar proposal in recent months by Rafael Vinoly to stand next to Battersea Power Station. Despite being 300 metres tall that proposal has secured over 70% public support from Londoners indicating there's a huge amount of enthusiasm for this technology.

If built Hanh & Hahn's scheme will take it to new heights but the Namibian government is claiming they have yet to receive a serious proposal making some fear this could all be a lot of hot air.

haha would be quite hard for dubai if this gets built :-D

I really, really hope it gets built, and hopefully many others like it. As the 21st century progresses we are going to need as many of these solar towers as possible, to reverse the effects of global warming. I love the inclusion of the greenhouse too, which could provide food to starving Africans. In fact these mega-projects could actually go a long way towards reducing poverty in the developing world... just imagine if we built hundreds of them.

How much energy is generated from one of those?

Read the article.

"... can potentially generate 400 megawatts of power - equivalent to 308 average wind turbines."

haha would be quite hard for dubai if this gets built :-D
Let's wait and see how fast "Dubai" will come with it's own solar tower. It's not like they got the climate against them and they do use more and more electricity every day.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=1729

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/1729WorldsTallestStructurePlannedInNamibia_pic1.jpg


World's Tallest Structure Planned In Namibia

Published on 03-09-2008 by Skyscrapernews.com

What could be one of the defining landmarks in the evolution of solar technology that will see the world's tallest structure built looks like happening in the south African state of Namibia.

German firm Hanh & Hahn are planning to construct a 1,500 metre tall solar tower in the depths of the Namibian desert for the cost of $150 million dollars that can potentially generate 400 megawatts of power - equivalent to 308 average wind turbines.

The structure will be called Greentower and feature a massive greenhouse 200 metres in diameter with a central concrete chimney to channel the updrafts caused by the air currents created within by the natural heating of the structure from the sun that will run almost twice the height of the Burj Dubai.

The solar chimney will contain wind turbines that will be powered by the moving air currents and generate most of the schemes power.

As an additional source of income for the developer, the greenhouse will be used to grow crops too turning an otherwise arid desert into a resource that can be harnessed and used to feed Africa with, a concept so simple some might wonder why it has taken so long to even be proposed.

Solar power of this nature is gradually becoming more popular. Even London has seen a similar proposal in recent months by Rafael Vinoly to stand next to Battersea Power Station. Despite being 300 metres tall that proposal has secured over 70% public support from Londoners indicating there's a huge amount of enthusiasm for this technology.

If built Hanh & Hahn's scheme will take it to new heights but the Namibian government is claiming they have yet to receive a serious proposal making some fear this could all be a lot of hot air.
see my post 354.

Read the article.

"... can potentially generate 400 megawatts of power - equivalent to 308 average wind turbines."

They never say how much is consumed in building one, my guess from earlier estimations is that this will take over 200 years to pay back the energy used in construction. I know you like to think this is a great solution, but to me it seems far more of a problem!

Look to the oceans for real options!

EDIT: here goes:

4.8 * 10^9 Joules to produce 1 tonne of concrete, thats 4800 mega joules (from here http://www.edcmag.com/CDA/Articles/Concrete_Supplement/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000166118 - 1 BTU = 1 055.05585 joules )
weight of CN tower is 118,000 tonnes so let's use a conservative estimate for this 1.5km tower as 300,000 tonnes.
time to pay off 1 tonne of concrete at 400MW = 12 seconds (watt is a joule per second)
Time to pay off entire tower = 41 days

Clearly i made a mistake last time, apologies... carry on

^^ Huh?

If it takes 4800MJ to produce a tonne of concrete then running at 400MW it'll take 12 seconds to pay off one tonne not 12 hours :nuts:

^That's strange was sure i'd edited it before anyone had a chance to read that...


My last edit:
Last edited by nezzybaby; Today at 11:26 PM.

Malecs post:
Today, 11:33 PM

hmmmmmm

^^ :lol:
I think I kept the page open for a while while I was editing it.

$150 million compared to 308 'average' wind turbines? How much does an 'average' wind turbine cost?

It would be great to have a cost/output comparison of this with other green systems. I like tall towers, but I also like projects that make sense.

^Average cost of a 1MW wind turbine is $1.5million, but that price can vary considerably with location.... as can i'm sure a solar tower.

However you're missing the real advantages, a solar tower will generate constantly, and will take up less ground space than 300 turbines. So this makes more sense not less ;)

I think that $150m is massively underestimated. just considering development, technological, labour and material cost, just the consulting will cost a significant fraction of that!

it's visionary, so no thread ^^

It does have a thread here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=648730&highlight=Battersea). It's not just a visionary proposal.

300m (984ft) is quite small if compares with mega-structures 1.0km high :lol:

^Average cost of a 1MW wind turbine is $1.5million, but that price can vary considerably with location.... as can i'm sure a solar tower.

However you're missing the real advantages, a solar tower will generate constantly, and will take up less ground space than 300 turbines. So this makes more sense not less ;)

All right all right, I still have big doubts about their claims though. Looking at the Spanish solar tower experiment from a few decades ago, their huge tower produced less than 40 MW of power...so that this produced 400MW I don't think so. Then there's the cost, $150 million for a 1km tower of concrete in the middle of nowhere?

^I don't understand why everyone on this website seems to think that solar towers power output has to scale linearly with height, that would definatly not be my consideration, especially based on the designs released.


A more logical conclusion would be that the power would scale with the area of the catchment area, which would be a squared relationship.

They had been at it for the past few years, but nothing concrete?

This Tower is all about economics... so I belive it will never built.

5x200m towers are cheaper than 1x1000m and produce the same amount of power, plus the mentenance of a 1000m tower would be hell... :ohno:

This is incorrect. The power output increases exponentially with the height of the tower. A 1000m solar chimney produces almost 3000 times as much power as a 250m one. So reality is actually opposite of what you are saying: these are actually only economical at very large heights.

Namibia? really?

They probaly have to use 60% of their national economical money for this entire project.


True :lol: ... I wonder why they will spend so much money on this when there are more important things to spend it on given the country's weak economy.

I think the first one of these to be built will be far more expensive and problematic than subsequent ones built around a similar design. I believe one was considered in Australia for the region around Mildura.

The Chinese have been putting a lot of time and money into solar power research and I wouldn't be surprised if the first one built was a Chinese companies initiative and was funded by Chinese capital.

Wait is this still happening in Western Australia?

Anyone know?
or is everyone else having this project but us -.-

If this was somehow economical, it'd totally love it. Seeing these around the world, maybe even in regions of locally low population density. Plain white concrete rising 1km from the grass plains in Africa or the Sahara, that would be SciFi.

Here's (http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-01/2400-foot-tall-solar-turbines-power-arizona) an interesting article from popsci.

How much energy will this produce/ how many people will it provide for to give a prospective?

^ There's a possible project Arizona that will cost $750 million, and produce 200mw of power.

How much energy will this produce/ how many people will it provide for to give a prospective?

It said, wen there was the one for Western Australia, but I cant remember now, all I know is that back then it said, the energy has to be converted to electricity and sent towards the cities as soon as it was generated, because the technology doesnt yet exist to store solar energy, if they have developped one in the last 2 years, im not sure :}

where it would be builded?

True :lol: ... I wonder why they will spend so much money on this when there are more important things to spend it on given the country's weak economy.

Why do you think Australia has a weak economy? Per capita, it is in the top ten in the world...

^^ If you read my post and quote, I was referring to Namibia, not Australia.

^ There's a possible project Arizona that will cost $750 million, and produce 200mw of power.

That's quite cheap- some Israeli companies are building a few big solar power plants at the cost of 2 billion NIS (~540 million US$) for 100 mw- but these solar plants will be built with the proven technology.
Is there a single solar tower which is actually U/C and not just a vision?

It said, wen there was the one for Western Australia, but I cant remember now, all I know is that back then it said, the energy has to be converted to electricity and sent towards the cities as soon as it was generated, because the technology doesnt yet exist to store solar energy, if they have developped one in the last 2 years, im not sure :}

I'm pretty sure that some king of technology exists- but it is very expensive and requires large amounts of space.
Anyway- it won't be needed until countries start to produce more than 50% of their electricity from solar power- and this isn't expected till 2030 and even later, and by then some kind of technology will be probably developed.

^^ If you read my post and quote, I was referring to Namibia, not Australia.

Sorry. my bad. I was skim reading.

SOLAR TOWER TECHNOLOGY has somewhat slowed down?
any starting up anytime soon?

SOLAR TOWER TECHNOLOGY has somewhat slowed down?
any starting up anytime soon?

most projects were visionary, but im sure in the next years it will come up again with rising prizes is a technology like this needed more than ever

I dont think we will see any of these anytime soon. (if ever) The power output compared with high investment cost is just too low. Its better option to build solar or wind powerplants.

impressive!!

Interesting

http://www.gizmag.com/enviromission-solar-tower-arizona-clean-energy-renewable/19287/


Twice the height of the Empire State - EnviroMission plans massive solar tower for Arizona

By Loz Blain
11:03 July 21, 2011

An ambitious solar energy project on a massive scale is about to get underway in the Arizona desert. EnviroMission is undergoing land acquisition and site-specific engineering to build its first full-scale solar tower - and when we say full-scale, we mean it! The mammoth 800-plus meter (2625 ft) tall tower will instantly become one of the world's tallest buildings. Its 200-megawatt power generation capacity will reliably feed the grid with enough power for 150,000 US homes, and once it's built, it can be expected to more or less sit there producing clean, renewable power with virtually no maintenance until it's more than 80 years old. In the video after the jump, EnviroMission CEO Roger Davey explains the solar tower technology, the Arizona project and why he couldn't get it built at home in Australia.


jKyDaWmiNiU


How Solar Towers Work

Enviromission's solar tower is a simple idea taken to gigantic proportions. The sun beats down on a large covered greenhouse area at the bottom, warming the air underneath it. Hot air wants to rise, so there's a central point for it to rush towards and escape; the tower in the middle. And there's a bunch of turbines at the base of the tower that generate electricity from that natural updraft.

It's hard to envisage that sort of system working effectively until you tweak the temperature variables and scale the whole thing up. Put this tower in a hot desert area, where the daytime surface temperature sits at around 40 degrees Celsius (104 F), and add in the greenhouse effect and you've got a temperature under your collector somewhere around 80-90 degrees (176-194 F). Scale your collector greenhouse out to a several hundred-meter radius around the tower, and you're generating a substantial volume of hot air.

Then, raise that tower up so that it's hundreds of meters in the air - because for every hundred metres you go up from the surface, the ambient temperature drops by about 1 degree. The greater the temperature differential, the harder the tower sucks up that hot air at the bottom - and the more energy you can generate through the turbines.


http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_lrg/enviromission-solar-tower-arizona-power-1.jpg


The advantages of this kind of power source are clear:

Because it works on temperature differential, not absolute temperature, it works in any weather;
Because the heat of the day warms the ground up so much, it continues working at night;
Because you want large tracts of hot, dry land for best results, you can build it on more or less useless land in the desert;
It requires virtually no maintenance - apart from a bit of turbine servicing now and then, the tower "just works" once it's going, and lasts as long as its structure stays standing;
It uses no 'feed stock' - no coal, no uranium, nothing but air and sunlight;
It emits absolutely no pollution - the only emission is warm air at the top of the tower. In fact, because you're creating a greenhouse underneath, it actually turns out to be remarkably good for growing vegetation under there.


The Arizona Project

While this is not the first solar tower that has been built (a small-scale test rig in Spain proved the technology more than a decade ago) EnviroMission has chosen to build its first full-scale power plant in the deserts of Arizona, USA.

The Arizona tower will be a staggering 800 metres or so tall - just 30 meters shorter than the colossal Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's tallest man-made structure. To put that in context - it will stand more than double the height of the Empire State building in New York City, and it'll be as much as 130 meters in diameter at the top. Truly a gigantic structure.

Currently undergoing site-specific engineering and land acquisition, EnviroMission estimates the tower will cost around US$750 million to build. It will generate a peak of 200 megawatts, and run at an efficiency of around 60% - vastly more efficient and reliable than other renewable energy sources.

The output has already been pre-sold - the Southern California Public Power Authority recently signed a 30-year power purchase agreement with EnviroMission that will effectively allow the tower to provide enough energy for an estimated 150,000 US homes. Financial modelling projects that the tower will pay off its purchase price in just 11 years - and the engineering team are shooting for a structure that will stand for 80 years or more.


http://images.gizmag.com/inline/enviromission-solar-tower-arizona-power-23.jpg


Considering that a large city like Los Angeles requires total power in the region of 7,200 megawatts, you'd have to build a few dozen solar towers up to the same size as the Arizona project if you wanted to completely replace the existing, primarily coal-based energy supply for that city's 3.7 million-odd residents. So it's not an instant solution - but then, its short projected payback period and virtually zero operating costs make it a very sound economic proposition that competes favorably against other renewable sources.

Under the terms of the pre-purchase agreement, the Arizona tower is due to begin delivering power at the start of 2015. Watch this space!


http://images.gizmag.com/gallery_lrg/enviromission-solar-tower-arizona-power-13.jpg

Wow! Talk about making lemonade out of lemons! Given the intense need for energy in that region of the country it makes sense to prop up a few of these things! Thanks for posting.

first the chicago post office vision and now this? yay for america!

Wow!!! This is amazing technology if it works out in practice! I'm looking forward to hearing more news about this. 200 megawatts is some serious energy.

wow there sure has been a lot of recent project announcements for the US. would be awesome to see this built and more like it. seems like a very good way to harvest clean energy.

I hope this new proposal for a solar updraft tower is a bit more serious than the previous proposals we had in this thread that never came to be.

are there estimates of how expensive building and getting it started will be and how many years it takes for it to be actually profiterable? i would really enjoy them going up. though i could believe that before they build it as the tallest structure they will build smaller ones in diameter and height for actual test purposes and stuff, say ~200m. i cant imagine that they build a one kilometer tower without any experience in these terms

edit: im just reading some more things and found out that there were prototypes and test towers, so nevermind what i just said

Also they have signed agreement with government to start deliver power in 2015, so that really looks serious now. Hope everything goes as planned and we will see this monstrous tower in four years :cheers:

World's Tallest Structure back in the US? I'm down ;)

Although I'm sure China/Dubai will build something taller soon after lol

how many years it takes for it to be actually profiterable?
The article says 11 years.

Also they have signed agreement with government to start deliver power in 2015, so that really looks serious now. Hope everything goes as planned and we will see this monstrous tower in four years :cheers:

building this monster in 4 years will be a hard task

Well, its layout is pretty simple and straight-forward, all you gotta do is keep pumping concrete.

Well this is pretty fast I agree, and they have to start soon to meet that deadline. But after all, yes it is huge structure but yet, very simple. The formwork would just go up with no reconfigurations, and with no works on windows, or door holes. Independently works can go on the ground panels simultaneously with the tower. So although it is fast I think it is possible.

Just for the reference remind yourself that in Mumbai they are going to build 720m tower in just three years which is not some simple structure, but extremely complicated building.

//edit droneriod bit me to it ;)

btw I don't know if you watched the video, but there is going to be an observation deck on top of it. If build that would be almost twice the height of the one in burj khalifa, surely with some awesome views :cheers:

Well, its layout is pretty simple and straight-forward, all you gotta do is keep pumping concrete.

yes i know that the structure is simple, but its dimensions are massive, i mean diameter of over 200m. i mean it's massive and all... (http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=51487619) i would love to see it, but wow damn in 4 years?

I could imagine entire concrete plants would have to work for this one full time :D

just try to imagine a concrete wall 200m wide and one kilometer high, i know i cant haha

since i first read about solar towers many years ago i wish that such a massive project will become reality. I hope the best for this one :)

Don't forget that they will work in desert, so concrete factories have to be built right there..Concrete will be mixed right in front the tower, so this will go fast as hell..

concrete factories have to be built right there..

I was wondering about that too. What's more I think in desert conditions concrete will cure faster so that may also increase the speed of construction.

I was wondering about that too. What's more I think in desert conditions concrete will cure faster so that may also increase the speed of construction.

Exactly..They will also have to use a lot of pumps and people to keep the speed and keep everything adjusted with curing speed..Forms will probably be self climbing so cranes won't be needed i hope..

^^ They still have to somehow transport steel to the forms. I think to make it fast the form-work will have to be divided into sections. Each section with its own crane, concrete pump maybe even elevator, because damn, its going to be freaking wide structure and there has to be provided enough capacity of materials to make it fast.

DOKA already has self climbing formworks for cooling towers which can rise 1 circle per day..

http://img.directindustry.com/images_di/photo-g/self-climbing-formwork-432481.jpg
Source (http://www.directindustry.com/prod/doka/self-climbing-formworks-56361-432481.html)

http://img.directindustry.com/images_di/photo-m2/self-climbing-formwork-432481.jpg
Source (http://www.directindustry.com/prod/doka/self-climbing-formworks-56361-432481.html)

^^ They still have to somehow transport steel to the forms. I think to make it fast the form-work will have to be divided into sections. Each section with its own crane, concrete pump maybe even elevator, because damn, its going to be freaking wide structure :)

Yes, looks like at least one crane is needed to lift steel..In this case, with such a dimensions, there will be more cranes needed..But I doubt those cranes will rise from the ground..Something like cranes on Shanghai Tower's core will be more useful..This will be interesting..

Been announced and re-announced many times over past few years

Yeah since the formwork doesn't have to be reconfigured at all cranes could be just attached to them (or climb on concrete like in shanghai tower).

Been announced and re-announced many times over past few years
Pretty much. I remain doubtful, too.

All we can do is draw some conclusions based on the informations we got. The agreement with certain date looks quite ensuring to me, but of course nobody can be 100% sure if it will become real or not. Time will tell. I only wonder if that agreement involves some kind of fines if they won't fulfill the agreement. That would be even more ensuring.

Anyways I think such tower will eventually be build somewhere because of its great advantages. This is extremely simple and clean technology, cheep to maintain, quite effective compared to any other clean technology, independent from weather conditions. Thats just to name few. I think the matter is when not if.

With today's pressure for ecological change, this HAS to be built sometime in the near future.

yes i know that the structure is simple, but its dimensions are massive, i mean diameter of over 200m. i mean it's massive and all... (http://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=51487619) i would love to see it, but wow damn in 4 years?

It's not only bigger than the Burj Khalifa, the BK could literally fit inside it!!!
if this is built, it sure will be epic!:nuts:

It's not only bigger than the Burj Khalifa, the BK could literally fit inside it!!!
if this is built, it sure will be epic!:nuts:

keep in mind that the diagram features the australian proposal, the american has a much wider tower as far as i understood

More pics here -

http://www.t-mation.com/tcctaylor/tmation/enviromission07.htm

i can totally imagine james bond climbing up that thing. at least i would watch that movie :D

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/02/tech/innovation/solar-tower-arizona/index.html

So it's gonna be a bit shorter than Burj Dubai. That's a minor disappointment, though it's still massive. 2,600 feet is 792 meters, pretty huge.

that could be a wrong figure. dont always believe what they say its just an estimate

also even if its "only" 800m, building this is a huge step and when this works out as planned and spills out money as planned, investors will have an eye on these things and then other projects may start too. i would even be happy for a 400m tower. anything that gives this kind of towers a go :cheers:

I wish there was a way for us mere mortals to speed up the process. If I had a few million I'd invest it in an instant, I'm a huge fan of the solar updraft tower concept.

I wish there was a way for us mere mortals to speed up the process. If I had a few million I'd invest it in an instant, I'm a huge fan of the solar updraft tower concept.

yeah the only problem is the fear of the new of investors. it's a lot safer for them to invest in something less innovative, but when some brave investors take the first step and this tower will bring what it promisses, i'm sure other investors may join for similar projects. the problem is that this smaller concept towers around the world dont bring effective results, because only a project of this huge dimensions makes the concept work out. on the good site building takes only about two years though. not like other big power plants that take often take 4 years of building. and i think the tower may have output while being built.

Maybe they should build one in Germany, it seems to be popular with Germans.

Maybe they should build one in Germany, it seems to be popular with Germans.

and we finally would have something epic to visit :D but i think germany doesnt have the climatical standarts needed haha

^^Germany is a good idea since they are supposedly going to shut down all of their nuclear reactors. why not invest in this? clean, safe, dependable, and no nuclear waste:)

Germany has no deserts. Thats why Arizona would be a prime location.

i hate to bump quite old threads, but an article i have read that is from earlier this month:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/09/hyperion-energy-solar-tower_n_1265393.html

the most interesting part and quite new news


(...)

Having failed to get the support it needed in Australia, EnviroMission set its sights on the U.S. In October 2010 it secured a power purchase agreement with the Southern California Public Power Authority. Last month, the company announced it had "received a formal commitment to provide the entire development and construction capital" from an unnamed financier, and was hopeful of moving ahead soon, subject to due diligence.

Back in Australia, Hyperion says it has purchased a 490-square-mile site about 430 miles up the Great Northern Highway from Perth. The site has all the attributes for a successful solar updraft tower, according to Hyperion: a great swath of flat land; copious amounts of solar radiation; low risk of earthquakes or cyclones; and proximity to major mines and transportation routes.

(...)


nothing too serious, but maybe its worth to still keep an eye on these things :cheers:

stating the project could be realized for $750 million

http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/01/now-thats-one-hell-of-a-solar-power-tower/

and another interesting article

http://www.renewableenergymagazine.com/energias/renovables/index/pag/solar_thermal_electric/colleft/colright/solar_thermal_electric/tip/articulo/pagid/19243/botid/73/

So wait, is this being built in Arizona or Australia? Or both?

So wait, is this being built in Arizona or Australia? Or both?

this is a concept, there have been several location that were attractive for the company, yet because of political reasons it is easier to build a tower like this in Arizona. The climate in both reasons is similar so the output doesn't really change in either location :cheers: