latest news on Australia's 1000m Solar Tower
www.enviromission.com.au

SOLAR TOWER SITE DEVELOPMENT UNDERWAY
Meteorological testing to confirm Bureau of Met eorology weather data will commence at the site of EnviroMission’s proposed Solar Tower this month.
Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd will commence the installation of site facilities including project offices and operational equipment at the site over January in readiness for MEDCO Pty Ltd who will manage the meteorological testing from February 2005.
MEDCO’s meteorological testing will provide quantitative data for EnviroMission and Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd to use to support early project findings and confirm existing Bureau of Meteorology weather data in
the area and specifically at the site for the world’s first Solar Tower power station in the Wentworth Shire of south west NSW.
Testing will involve measurement of ambient temperatures, wind velocity, solar insolation and vertical
temperature profiles.
EnviroMission Executive Chairman, Roger Davey, advises “the commencement of testing by MEDCO with
project management by Leighton Contractors is a vital event in the journey to commercialise a Solar Tower in Australia.
“Several markets poised to develop Solar Towers, primarily China and the USA, closely follow the progress of the Australia project and whilst this meteorological testing is site specific, the information and methodology will be generic to the overall development template.
“Testing at the site is also intended to further prove and strengthen critical design assumptions within the engineering case where they relate to weather patterns and conditions.”
This investigation coincides with the assessment of two technologies , previously announced by EnviroMission, for inclusion with the Solar Tower design – it is expected confirmation of the meteorological data will also benefit the evaluation of the technologies’ commercial case.
If successfully adapted to the Solar Tower, the technically and commercially proven technologies will substantially increase the efficiency and energy output in the region of 40% compared with original concept design estimates and will vastly reduce the collector zone corresponding in an overall reduction in capital cost.
The success of the pre-feasibility stage of the project concluded in February 2004, advanced operations towards detailed financial modeling throughout 2004 that included investigation of enhancements to the Solar Tower design to further increase output and decrease capital cost in order to deliver the strongest commercial model for domestic and global commercialisation.

Ian Riley
Company Secretary
Chief Financial Officer
--------------------------------------------------

the idea is from spain!!

Is it the one that will be 1000 m? Yikes.

Cool :)

Wow, this thing is actually going to be built. I assume from the article that this will be a generic design that can basically be copied and built anywhere, with minor differences in foundation, correct?

Great news.

Thats scary, but cool.:)

I have a question.. it's kind of n00bish. :p For example the CN Tower right now is 553m, but it's not in any of the official WTB listings. So I am just wondering if the Solar Tower is going to be considered in the official lists:

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001338.html
http://www.emporis.com/en/bu/sk/st/tp/wo/

It, like the CN tower, is not an office or residential building, so it won't be considered the world's tallest building. Tallest structure, on the other hand, yes. What an amazingly gigantic structure it would be if built!

Even though the walls are "only" 1 m thick - I wonder if the solar tower will have a greater volume of material than the great pyramid in Giza - 5.2 million tonnes.

It, like the CN tower, is not an office or residential building, so it won't be considered the world's tallest building. Tallest structure, on the other hand, yes. What an amazingly gigantic structure it would be if built!

Thanks for clearing that up. :)

Even though the walls are "only" 1 m thick - I wonder if the solar tower will have a greater volume of material than the great pyramid in Giza - 5.2 million tonnes.

The Great Pyramid's mass is in the area of 1,300,000 tonnes. The figure of 5.2 million tonnes comes from the blatantly wrong idea that the Pyramid is made from 2 million plus stone blocks averaging 2.5 tonnes. This is flat out wrong, computer models have shown that the Pyramid has, at most, 550,000 stones. This figure excludes the fact that 30,000 blocks's worth of volume is taken up by the Pyramid's core. The core is made from an outcrop of limestone bedrock, and is believed to displace the equivelent of 30,000 blocks.

I don't know if i'm being picky. I know the solar thing will be in the desert conditions, and not really for attractions but can't it be a little prettier?

BTW - if this goes gold will they be mass producing them all over Australia?

the idea is from spain!!

Actually Germany. The whole concept and design is from a German designer, but the original test tower they built was in Spain and built with help from the Spanish Goverment. :)

I don't know if i'm being picky. I know the solar thing will be in the desert conditions, and not really for attractions but can't it be a little prettier?

BTW - if this goes gold will they be mass producing them all over Australia?
the stacks were going to be painted pretty colours/patterns ect but this would prove to coslty to maintain. so it was decided to leave the finish as exposed concrete or similiar to a chimney stack.There will be 5 built in middle of Australia. one in most states.The centre of Australia is a dry arid place and perfect for the constant extreme heat needed to run the turbines for energy generation.

Can we base jump off it when it is complete?

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.

Yeah it is great to see such an aggressive project, and as an added bonus, it is an environmental project!
I love this idea & cant support it more...

Surely will add to the tourism of the area... lol, no but seriously an observation deck 1km high would be cool, but wait, whats there to look at?
Woah.. these are the REAL questions facing mankind...

hope it happens this is one of the best move australia has made for as long as i can remeber

the idea is from spain!!

gotta give credit to the ones implementing it :)

whats this one's exact height? :?

Besides of using / producing solar energy it must be a great opportunaty for the outback to bring more tourists over. Basejumping from 1000m was mentioned before. What about climbing the chimney, for all those ignorant, respectless people instead of climbing Uluru to simply have that great view... Don't put it too close to it though. Heaps of space in W.A., don't u think?

1000m!??!?!!?!?! thats like... tall!

base jump ?
will all the bad events around this last year sure its a good idea

They should build a 1500 Meter in the middle how awsome that would be.

Landing on thin acrylic/glass panels might end poorly. After all they would be hard to avoid considering they cover a vast area at the base.

some computer renderings:

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

http://www.t-mation.com/images/print/enviro/enviro008.jpg

http://www.t-mation.com/images/print/enviro/enviro009.jpg

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

http://www.t-mation.com/images/print/enviro/enviro006.jpg

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

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

heard on the radio today that enery australia or who ever in sydney were looking at a study to see if they can buy power for the gird for places that produce power for their own site.
Is that not enough to worry peolple and make projects like this be pushed a long

Have not seen thos pics before, were they from?

On the movie witht the station and train going up the tower, thats awsome if that happens it will be a huge attraction.

just a 1;1000 scale model i did of tower compared to some talls.
really shows the size of tower.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/culwulla/MVC-004S.jpg

Great idea indeed.

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

Where are the solar cells??

just a 1;1000 scale model i did of tower compared to some talls.

WOW! :eek:

BTW, where did you get the other models? I wouldn't mind having some models of my favorite skyscrapers. :)

^ i made them. im a model maker by trade.
fahed- the chimney is just a large vent where hot rises up to run turbines for the power.,
the solar collectors is the plastic "tent" which spans 7km diametre around tower.
its basic design. hot air rises under tent and rushes towards tower . thats basically it.

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

Thanks for the explanation

I've found a website and it nearly said the same
http://www.floornature.com/worldaround/articolo.php/art269/1/en

This is a different type of Solar Towers
http://rhlx01.rz.fht-esslingen.de/projects/alt_energy/sol_thermal/powertower.html

I still got questions

Doesn't the air cool down after it reaches higher levels?

The article in the first link says
"reating an updraught which will drive 32 turbines located at the base of the tower"

Is that true that the turbines are at the base? If yes, then why do we need a very long tower ?

Sorry for asking a lot, but am interested to know more :)

Doesn't the air cool down after it reaches higher levels?

The article in the first link says
"reating an updraught which will drive 32 turbines located at the base of the tower"

Is that true that the turbines are at the base? If yes, then why do we need a very long tower ?


Yes, I would assume it would cool a bit before reaching the top, but it would be travelling pretty fast.

They need the tall tower, as they need the top of the tower to be cool. Cool air at the top and warm air at the bottom causes the hot air to rush up and out. They need to build it high enough to reach the colder parts of the atmosphere.

Yeah, the higher the temperature differences, the greater the upwards thrust. Therefore, the higher the tower, the more lapse rate the atmosphere has succumbed to, and hence the greater temp difference -> more power.

Thats friggen huge.....

Ok. What about the turbines? Where are they located ?

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

Looks like the turbines are at the base of the tower. But what happens if one breaks down? Who the hell is going to get in there and fix it. If the wind speed is so fast you are just going to get sucked up the vent.

Dam... how the hell do you quote an image!

Ive red about this about two years ago. I really believe in this project and hope it proves to be a success.

Looks like the turbines are at the base of the tower. But what happens if one breaks down? Who the hell is going to get in there and fix it. If the wind speed is so fast you are just going to get sucked up the vent.


It's simple, you close the chimney and/or role up the tent...and away is the airflow. :)

Looks like the turbines are at the base of the tower. But what happens if one breaks down? Who the hell is going to get in there and fix it. If the wind speed is so fast you are just going to get sucked up the vent.

Dam... how the hell do you quote an image!
Repair it overnight; solar plants don't function when it's dark.

when is it going to start

New challenge to Dubai. To build a 1001m structure.

New challenge to Dubai. To build a 1001m structure.


:hahaha: :lol:

Repair it overnight; solar plants don't function when it's dark.
actually this one is meant to. They store thermal energy under the tent during the day so it runs at night.

actually this one is meant to. They store thermal energy under the tent during the day so it runs at night.
All night? The airflow should die down to a whimper halfway through the night, no?

^no!

Not sure if it has been answered before, but how much power will this construction generate?

It generates power for 200,000 homes (at any 1 time)
200MW ?


"EnviroMission’s inspirational program to adapt innovative Solar Tower technology to Australian conditions and construct the world’s first large-scale solar thermal power station is set to deliver a renewable energy solution that will also be a destination and extreme engineering icon.

The scale of the first 200MW power station will capture worldwide attention and attract significant added value through tourism and agribusiness.

View Video Clip (7 MB)

A single 200MW Solar Tower power station will provide enough electricity to power around 200,000 households, similar to the number of homes in a city the size of Hobart (capital of Tasmania) or Geelong (major suburb of metropolitan Victoria, Australia).

The energy output will represent an annual saving of more than 900,000 tonnes of greenhouse CO2 gases from entering the environment, with an outstanding Life Cycle Analysis of 2.5 years."



"EnviroMission’s Solar Tower is proposed to generate electricity 24-hours a day. The power station will be at its most efficient on the hottest days when energy is most needed and peak prices are paid for electricity.

Re-radiation of heat present in the ground under the collector zone will provide the energy source during the night. This special feature enhances the commercial viability of the power station and gives EnviroMission a consistent competitive advantage over other forms of renewable energy generation."

wow, mega project!

its a bit of a shame that the future worlds tallest structure is so bland, its just a big chimney...

its a pity that our first 1000m object is not a building.

it is a good idea though and i think that it is likely to get built.

is it made from concrete? if so surely it defeats the purpose of being eco friendly. i cant imagine the amount of c02 that would be produced from making all the concrete for this tower!

Or imagine the CO2 required to produce 200 MW of power using coal!

Apparantly they have found a way to produce even more electricity out of the tower.

Raptor: The company acknowledges that it is not environmentally friendly to build, but what is?

Over the life of it however, it will cut down greenhouse emissions on the whole. That is the goal. Everyone realises that you have to do "work" to achieve the goal in the end.

is it made from concrete? if so surely it defeats the purpose of being eco friendly. i cant imagine the amount of c02 that would be produced from making all the concrete for this tower!

"...with an outstanding Life Cycle Analysis of 2.5 years"

I don't know anything about 'Life Cycle Analysis', but I suspect that the above quote means that after 2.5 years of operation, the project has prevented as much C02 entering the atmosphere as was produced in constructing it.

Ahh, ok i just heard that 54% of the worlds co2 comes from concrete, so i was wondering..

The exact height is 1010m with an observatory at exactly 1000m. This is an answer in response to an earlier question on page one.

Hey i know its "just a chimney" but atleast its not belching out harmful pollutants, its just gonna be hot air which replaces green gases annually!
i think many people think this wont happen, BUT its gonna happen. It just takes time to plan its infrastructure. Constuction firms-Leightons have employed hundreds of workers who are soon to relocate out near Buronga, 30km north of Mildura.

todays story in NEWS!

Outback's solar tower will reach for the sky

10.02.05


MELBOURNE - The firm behind a plan to build a power-generating solar tower - touted as the world's tallest structure - in Outback New South Wales is to sign an agreement to buy the site.

Melbourne-based Enviromission will buy a 10,000ha slice of Tapio station at Buronga, 25km northeast of Mildura, to build the 1km tower.

Enviromission chairman Roger Davey would not confirm the purchase price, but said it was "more than A$1 million" ($1.1 million).

The agreement will be signed in Mildura, 550km northwest of Melbourne, before an audience of community leaders.

"This formalises the commitment between Enviromission and the vendor subject to planning issues, so we can move ahead with confidence," Davey said.

"It confirms our commitment to the site and the Sunraysia region for the first solar tower."

The mammoth project, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, will be built by the end of 2009.

The reinforced concrete tower will cover an area the size of the Melbourne Cricket Ground's surface at its base and will be surrounded by a "greenhouse" of glass, polycarbonate and polymer.

Air at 30C at the edge of the glasshouse is heated up to 70C at the centre, where the tower draws it through 32 turbines to the cooler air above.

The power station will produce up to 200 megawatts of electricity - enough for a city the size of Hobart - and can generate 24 hours a day.

Enviromission floated on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2001.

Its major investor is the owner of the solar tower technology, US company SolarMission Technologies.

Enviromission has the exclusive Australian rights to the technology, first developed on a much smaller scale in Spain in the early 1980s, using a German design.

A group of Chinese investors has formed a joint venture to invest a further US$2 million ($2.88 million) in the project's development.

There are also plans to invest a further US$8 million for development of a solar tower in China.

Enviromission will be a part owner of a global intellectual property company that will benefit from solar towers built around the world, Davey said.

The pre-feasibility study was completed successfully in February last year.

construction of the Solar Tower
http://www.visionengineer.com/env/solarchimney.jpg

more stats>>
The 200MW Mildura solar chimney


The 1000m Solar Chimney in Buronga, Australia, will be the highest man-made structure on Earth, and can produce 200MW of electricity, providing power to 200,000 homes. The cost to build the tower is estimated at AUS$700 million (US$395 million), about 14 percent more than an equivalent coal-fired power station, and about 70 percent more per installed megawatt than a comparable wind farm. However, the investment will pay off in long term because it is more reliable than wind farm in sun-rich Australia and requires no fuel. By building the solar chimney power plant, the Australian government target of producing 2% of energy from renewable sources by 2010 (9500 GigaWatt hours) could be met easily.

Details of the solar chimney are as follows:

Location: Buronga.NSW, Australia
Type: Solar Tower power plant with steel-reinforced concrete tower and steel/glass solar air collector (alternatively with polymer glazing)
Features: The base of the tower will be between 170 to 200 metres. The chimney is basically a very simple tube with wall thickness of 25cm, diameter of 150m and a height of 1000m. The collector roof will be 5000m in diameter.
Power: Up to 500 Gigawatt hours per year
Company: Enviromission Ltd
Construction time: About 18-36 months
Expected completion date: 2009

Ahh, ok i just heard that 54% of the worlds co2 comes from concrete, so i was wondering..


Wow, that is a hell of alot. I would doubt this figure though...
But i havent heard otherwise, so i cant prove you wrong.

Remember that coal and trees are pure carbon so when you burn them, all the carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. It also removes one molecule of oxygen out of the air for each atom of carbon burnt.

I don't think the production process for concrete would involve releasing that much CO2.

If this thing works, it could be great for parts of Africa and the Middle East; maybe even the desert Southwest of the U.S.

just a quick diagram showing how big S0lar tower really is compared to some world talls.

http://img126.exs.cx/img126/7052/solartower7zh.jpg

I love your little illustations like that Cul, really shows you how ridiculous the structure is, even when against Burj Dubai (i notice its not the 900m speculated height tho, either way it is still dwarfed).

It seems like a waste to build such a massive structure to serve as just a convection tower. Why not add offices on its surface or use it to boost rockets off the ground (i.e. railgun)?

It seems like a waste to build such a massive structure to serve as just a convection tower. Why not add offices on its surface or use it to boost rockets off the ground (i.e. railgun)?

Heh, interesting idea. The offices perhaps wouldn't really work, as this tower is literally in the middle of nowhere - not many people around to occupy the offices :)

As for the rocket-launching idea, of course the costs involved would be an issue. Also, the logistics of transportation of stuff out to the tower - over the many kilometres of greenhouse - would be quite a challenge.

It seems like a waste to build such a massive structure to serve as just a convection tower. Why not add offices on its surface or use it to boost rockets off the ground (i.e. railgun)?

The other use is for agriculture, you've got a huge greenhouse at the base of the tower.

Has anyone said how big the base is?

The other use is for agriculture, you've got a huge greenhouse at the base of the tower.
Considering the greenhouse is stuffed full of plants in the renders, they must already be planning for agricultural uses.

that is simply amazing, i cant believe the size of that thing! to bad its only a big chimmey thingy and not a building or skyscraper, then australia would REALLY have something to brag about!!

Heh, interesting idea. The offices perhaps wouldn't really work, as this tower is literally in the middle of nowhere - not many people around to occupy the offices
Definitely, but I was sort of thinking that this would be a self-contained vertical city. Homes, schools, shopping, etc, all on the sides of this tower. Brasilia, I recall, was plopped down in the middle of nowhere.


As for the rocket-launching idea, of course the costs involved would be an issue. Also, the logistics of transportation of stuff out to the tower - over the many kilometres of greenhouse - would be quite a challenge.
A railgun is supposed to be far cheaper than rocket power. A tunnel could easily be built to pass under the greenhouse portion. Think how big Fermilab and CERN are.

Anyway, it's just an idle thought. The cost to reinforce the tower in order to handle these additional uses might be prohibitive.

Heh, interesting idea. The offices perhaps wouldn't really work, as this tower is literally in the middle of nowhere - not many people around to occupy the offices :)

As for the rocket-launching idea, of course the costs involved would be an issue. Also, the logistics of transportation of stuff out to the tower - over the many kilometres of greenhouse - would be quite a challenge.

The best rocket launch sites in Australia are closer to the equator in our tropical north zone - they wanted to build a large space port up near cape york and christmas island... I'm not sure they would get the same effect from a launch site so far south.

The 1000m Solar Chimney in Buronga, Australia, will be the highest man-made structure on Earth, and can produce 200MW of electricity, providing power to 200,000 homes. The cost to build the tower is estimated at AUS$700 million (US$395 million), about 14 percent more than an equivalent coal-fired power station, and about 70 percent more per installed megawatt than a comparable wind farm. However, the investment will pay off in long term because it is more reliable than wind farm in sun-rich Australia and requires no fuel. By building the solar chimney power plant, the Australian government target of producing 2% of energy from renewable sources by 2010 (9500 GigaWatt hours) could be met easily.


I think this is a fantastic project, but some of the figures they are using are, unfortunately full of shit :-)

The new 1000 megawatt gas fired plant which is to be built in western Victoria (not that far from the Solar Tower) will only cost $1 billion dollars or $1 million dollars per megawatt. The solar tower will cost 3.5 million dollars per megawatt.

The new 900 megawatt Callide Clack Coal Power Plant in Queensland cost only $800 million.

That's why nobody has built a solar tower between the time the first successful tests were conducted in the 1980's and today because economically speaking, without massive government subsidies, it just doesn't stack up.

Austrlia's largest wind farm at Portland, also in Western Victoria will produce 195 megawatts and cost only $270 million.

Also the Victorian government has allowed hazelwood (the states largest coal fired plant) to continue operating until 2031) and is considereing three new proposals with a combined capacity of 2500 megawatts using brown coal turned into gas in addition to the natural gas fired plant.

With all this extra capacity coming on line in the next few years the Solar Tower will find it impossible to compete, even with huge subsidies.

By 2010 Victoria will produce more greenhouse gas emissions per person than any other region on earth.

I think this is a fantastic project, but some of the figures they are using are, unfortunately full of shit :-)

The new 1000 megawatt gas fired plant which is to be built in western Victoria (not that far from the Solar Tower) will only cost $1 billion dollars or $1 million dollars per megawatt. The solar tower will cost 3.5 million dollars per megawatt.

The new 900 megawatt Callide Clack Coal Power Plant in Queensland cost only $800 million.

That's why nobody has built a solar tower between the time the first successful tests were conducted in the 1980's and today because economically speaking, without massive government subsidies, it just doesn't stack up.
There certainly could be subsidies; such would be quite normal.

Yes but you have to remember Australia is one of only two countries NOT to ratify the Kyoto Protocal because we have the worlds largest reserves of cheap brown coal, which is the most polluting form of power known to man :-(

Grollo, just in reference to your statement about the 195MW wind farm -
In some aspects, while cheaper, the wind is not the best choice. Even the most productive areas of wind only produce about 50% of the time, and it is not always at maximum capacity.

The solar tower is so attractive because a) it is an engirneering marvel, but also b) because it mimicks society's patterns of electrical use so well. It is at the highest production mid afternoon, when the most airconditioners are on & demand is the highest. It is also reliable, the sun will keep shining. The company is always guaranteed electron movement.

Brasilia, I recall, was plopped down in the middle of nowhere.
So was our capital, Canberra.

guys, latest word is that the Solar Tower has been reduced i size. due to costs/engineering logistics ect ect.
so now maybe 500m tall?
heres a quick diagram i did over in oz section compared to some talls. it might be taller then 500m but ill show it at half height for now. hopefully we will here something more "concrete" soon.

http://img199.exs.cx/img199/8597/solartower500m0ua.jpg

disappointing.. :(

it's little more than just another chimney now

boooo !
but as long as it happens

Oh well, at least we still have Burj Dubai to look forward to, which will be almost as tall as the original planned solar tower.

But i dont really understand why it has to be of concrete, cant they just use any air-tight material? like some kind of industrial grade plastic? and if the rush of air gets stronger the greater the diffrence in temperature is. Why not connect that long plastic tube to a satellite in geostationary orbit? please excuse my ignorance, im not an engineer... :cry::runaway:

Johan, you sould leave hard drugs !!!! XD XD

i feel dissapointed that this has happened, but as id been saying all along thisll never get built to 1km also slightly smug. its a shame, but do we really want the biggest building in the world to be a chimney???

A 1000m solar tower will happen.

Expect one after the 500m if its sucsessfull.

so what's the latest with this?

The one thing I still can't undertand is how this thing will stand up.

Look at the foundations that are required for the Burj, now considering this thing is going to be 1000m high, yet there needs to be fans underneath the giant structure to let the air go through, how can this all work??

Oh Well!

I was looking forward to 1000m.

Burj Dubai will break 800m and that's not all that bad.

Why bother with a 500m tower? It's pointless IMO - the power output will be less than ideal and it will achieve nothing as far as iconic status goes - who cares about a 500m chimney, it's hardly and earth shattering development now. Sure it may be a stepping stone but really I don't see the value in it now. If i was local council or state government, I'd revoke the the application to build. No news could be more deflating than this, to people of the area, with their hopes of something fantastic.

Well for Australians this is a slap in the face IMO. If they can't build it to the original specs - i'd rather not have it at all, broken dreams and promises. It really sucks. How short-sighted and what a cop-out. It's nice to see we will end up with an 800m tower in Dubai but this does nothing to aid Australia in it's quest for some engineering marvel.

The 500m stack will still have an external lift and 500m high observation around its rim. As citystyle says, a 1000m version will definatley happen but maybe in China or elsewhere. money seems to be a problem with Australian projects.?
Anyway ground clearance has started in Buronga and leightons contractors are setting up housing and new road net works ect. Also a major concrete plant will have to be built to service the stack.
I know it wont be as high as Burj Dubai but it still will be just as impressive. remember BD will end up a pinnacle at 500M+ make upwards. the Solar Tower is 80m Diametre whole way up!!!!

Cool thanks for the clarification. So, maybe in another year to year n a half, this one should be u/c.

well so China might have the title after all !
Though it would remaind with Dubai for some time
year and half to wait till is starts
Still plenty of time for it to be canned by Australia

Have heard about this. It could be the first structure to pass the 1 kilometer border if they didn't scale it down!

I'm doing a presentation on the solar tower for a class tomorrow and this is the first I've heard about the reduction in scale. Does anyone have a link to an article that mentions this? The EnviroMission (http://www.enviromission.com.au/) website still shows it being 1000M, and I wasn't able to find a mention with Google News either. Any help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,
Dylan

Originally Posted by Tall Rog
Looks like the turbines are at the base of the tower. But what happens if one breaks down? Who the hell is going to get in there and fix it. If the wind speed is so fast you are just going to get sucked up the vent.
It's simple, you close the chimney and/or role up the tent...and away is the airflow. :)

I don't think you would even need to do that, the wind is only estimated to be 35mph, which really isn't that strong, at least not strong enough to suck up a human I think...but I'm no physicist, so what do I know. ;)

-Dylan

Dylan - Culwulla broke the news about it being reduced to 500m and he heard it on "the grapevine" so its not official yet - most people wouldn't know. I'd just say its 1000m but maybe mention that you've got a couple of contacts and there is a possibility it will be reduced to 500m because of financial viability concerns. ;) You might get some extra marks for having the inside info :)

Dylan - Culwulla broke the news about it being reduced to 500m and he heard it on "the grapevine" so its not official yet - most people wouldn't know. I'd just say its 1000m but maybe mention that you've got a couple of contacts and there is a possibility it will be reduced to 500m because of financial viability concerns. ;) You might get some extra marks for having the inside info :)

Thanks Oriolus. I wonder what reducing the size to 500m will do to the power production/cost ratio. I know solar towers are supposed to gain in efficiency as the heighth increases, so I'd guess the cost per kwh would increase greatly. My presentation is a "pre" cost-benefit analysis of the tower...cutting the thing in half might influence my results a bit. ;)

I do appreciate the info though, and I'll just have to keep an eye out for an official announcement when it comes. Thanks again. :)

-Dylan

Sorry. Posted twice

I don't mean to sound cynical, but I'm happy the 1000m tall solar tower isn't being built [yet].

My reason? Because I'm looking forward to having the tallest freestanding man-made structure on Earth being a habitable building, not some inhabitable tower, antennae or concrete cigar.

GO BURJ DUBAI!!!
:dance:

sounds really great
shall be a good platform for newer skyscrapers
can replace existing facades
can virtually replace exterior glass

Build it taller than Burj Al Dubai or whatever!!

Great idea! Every country with great land mass should consider the same. Canada? US? China?, etc. Hope it works and becomes a propagating reality. I love Auz.

shame that it doesnt have 1000meterS.
and look at the possibilities.. imagine 1000 of these towers in the sahara,arizona, gobi, kazakstan; the effects on pollution reduction would be amazing

superb!!

Culwulla where did you hear this? Is it certain? Also have you heard that the inner 300m or so of collector are to be double-glazed?

Solar power at best can only produce a small fraction (like 10%) of the world's present energy consumption. However it's a great "transition" renewable power source to get us between the end of oil and the rise of hydrogen. :) :)

Culwulla where did you hear this? Is it certain? Also have you heard that the inner 300m or so of collector are to be double-glazed?
no its not certian, just rumours. not sure about inner dynamics.

If that tower is gonna bee 500m then i say what a piece of shit its ugly a big round grey tube atleast at 1000m it has the height to back it up but otherwise :rofl:

If that tower is gonna bee 500m then i say what a piece of shit its ugly a big round grey tube atleast at 1000m it has the height to back it up but otherwise :rofl:

FFS the thing is being built to produce energy, I think aesthetics are the least of their worries

Build it in a city and see if anyone notices. If its tall and round, people wil think it's a skyscraper

Build it in a city and see if anyone notices. If its tall and round, people will think it's a skyscraper

Build it in a city and see if anyone notices. If its tall and round, people will think it's a skyscraper

sorta ugly

Really, solar if unbelievably aggresively pursued, could easily supply enough energy for the world. We would just need kilometer big arrays, and they would be expensive as hell.

^ True, there's something like 175,000 TeraWatts of energy that makes it to ground level Earth. The problem is, utilities are in the business of making money, and costly investments into solar arrays this big that only produce 200MW aren't attractive (yet). This one in Australia's going in a desert right? Most places on Earth don't receive as much sun as a solar tower would require to operate semi-consistantly. And then there's the cost of transmission from the desert to customers. The economics don't seem to add up just yet. :)

As for the aesthetics, I think it would look a million times better if they placed mirrors along the outside of the entire tower. Perhaps it'd even disappear from sight on clear days! :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

Not sure if this has been posted anywhere. It appeared on Enviromissions site about a month ago, but ive only noticed it now.

Anyway, the article seems old, but is OK.

http://enviromission.com.au/news/media-clippings/2005-02%20The%20Weekly%20Times.bmp

are they seriously gonna build it to just 500m????? That's so shit here we have the oppurtunity to build a mega-structure now just think people are gonna want to see a 1km tall tower and it would launch the Mildura area to world fame for sure! Just imagine the income we'd get from tourism etc.

Now a crap 500m dildo isn't gonna impress anybody. 500m and it won't be recognised anywhere. 1km and everyone in the world will know about it. And we could be proud of our selves for achieving such a feat Australia would finally have a world mega-structure.

[QUOTE=Cheese Mmmmmmmmmmmm

As for the aesthetics, I think it would look a million times better if they placed mirrors along the outside of the entire tower. Perhaps it'd even disappear from sight on clear days! :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:[/QUOTE]
that would be a hazard for aircraft flying in the area

so there only gonna build it to 500m? man, why so short?

^Why does everybody think 500m all of a sudden.... an off hand comment by someone probably a wind up suggested it may be halfed in height, yet every press release, website and other official information says 1km. However im still very skeptical as to whether itll get built at all, seems ludicracly expensive for a 200mw power plant.

it matters not if it's 500m or 1000m because if it works expect 1000m+ in the long run. Mabey 500m is better for ecenomic wile they are developing and testing.

500m would produce a higher temperature at the top of the tower, and hence a lower temperature gradient. This would cause a lower power output, probably less than 100MW which would make this project even less economically viable.

well the latest from Enviromission is that a scaled down 50mw solar tower is now being designed and should be up and running within a few years. No word on new height but i reckon at 1/8th volume neede for 50mw would be 500m at 65m dia. (its only my guess)

new movie>
http://www.enviromission.com.au/project/video/video.htm


The site mentions 6 phases for Solar tower-

Project optimization (completed)
Pre-Feasibility Commercialisation (completed)
Final Feasibility (underway)
Final Design and Construction
Construction
Commercial Operation

EnviroMission is currently in the final feasibility phase of development which involves collaboration and project partnering to validate the economics of the project. The collaborative approach has also been central to harnessing critical technical expertise and resources to further progress the development of the technology in Australia

http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/1866/enviro50mw8lr.jpg




quick diagram comparison showing original 1000m/200mw tower. with MY version of 500m/50mw tower

http://img311.imageshack.us/img311/8008/solartowercomparisons6lu.jpg

cool

A tad disappointing that the height probably be reduced. But at least it's moving forward and will still be Huge!

super tall....... :eek:

latest news on Australia's 1000m Solar Tower
www.enviromission.com.au

SOLAR TOWER SITE DEVELOPMENT UNDERWAY
Meteorological testing to confirm Bureau of Met eorology weather data will commence at the site of EnviroMission’s proposed Solar Tower this month.
Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd will commence the installation of site facilities including project offices and operational equipment at the site over January in readiness for MEDCO Pty Ltd who will manage the meteorological testing from February 2005.
MEDCO’s meteorological testing will provide quantitative data for EnviroMission and Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd to use to support early project findings and confirm existing Bureau of Meteorology weather data in
the area and specifically at the site for the world’s first Solar Tower power station in the Wentworth Shire of south west NSW.
Testing will involve measurement of ambient temperatures, wind velocity, solar insolation and vertical
temperature profiles.
EnviroMission Executive Chairman, Roger Davey, advises “the commencement of testing by MEDCO with
project management by Leighton Contractors is a vital event in the journey to commercialise a Solar Tower in Australia.
“Several markets poised to develop Solar Towers, primarily China and the USA, closely follow the progress of the Australia project and whilst this meteorological testing is site specific, the information and methodology will be generic to the overall development template.
“Testing at the site is also intended to further prove and strengthen critical design assumptions within the engineering case where they relate to weather patterns and conditions.”
This investigation coincides with the assessment of two technologies , previously announced by EnviroMission, for inclusion with the Solar Tower design – it is expected confirmation of the meteorological data will also benefit the evaluation of the technologies’ commercial case.
If successfully adapted to the Solar Tower, the technically and commercially proven technologies will substantially increase the efficiency and energy output in the region of 40% compared with original concept design estimates and will vastly reduce the collector zone corresponding in an overall reduction in capital cost.
The success of the pre-feasibility stage of the project concluded in February 2004, advanced operations towards detailed financial modeling throughout 2004 that included investigation of enhancements to the Solar Tower design to further increase output and decrease capital cost in order to deliver the strongest commercial model for domestic and global commercialisation.

Ian Riley
Company Secretary
Chief Financial Officer
--------------------------------------------------


wow

DAMN, that is TALL! :drool:

Did they consider the effects this structure will have on the local climate conditions? I figure the way this thing works it will have a great effect on the winds and temperature variations in the surrounding area, and I thought australia was a stickler for such environmental things

Doesn't matter if it is 500 or 1000 metres, this thing is going to be sweet

500m, that's shit. Not an accomplishment, but more a standard project. why doesn't it surprise me that yet another proposed mega-project in this country is dumbed down? The original 1000m design would be a real accomplishment.

id like to see you build a 500 m solar tower.

height is not the main achievement here, the fact is that this is a very efficient way of harnessing solar energy, and it is completely renewable too. An entire network of these things dotting the outback can power the commonwealth's energy needs for the next 500 years.... Especially if coupled with hydrogen production, australia will be on the upswing if this goes through.

well looks like aussie gov are gutless and USA will get first solar tower.
damn!!

http://www.enviromission.com.au/fina...VM%20CA343.pdf
__________________

can't open the link

I hope they build this Solar Tower, I watched a video of it and it was wonderful, and is taller than Burj Dubai.

1000m + right?

^no. the latest with the Aussie tower was it was to be 50mw tower 500m tall. not sure how high the USA Tower will be? isnt there a 2000ft/610m height limit in USA?

letter>
http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/9515/envirousaawd5.jpg

^^ yes CULWULLA 610m is the limit, becasue of commercial airliners and
sept 11 2001

YES!!!!! ITS GOING THE EXACTLY THE SAME AS MY DREAM!!!! WE ARE FINALLY MOVING INTO A NEW AGE OF TECHNOLOGY AND CIVILAZATION!!!!!:nuts:

well i reckon they will build minimum 500m and max 610m. will be massive!
approx 65m diametre

http://www.enviromission.com.au/project/video/video.htm

cheers

hi Cul. I read an article in an investment magazine recently that mentioned this project. I wonder if they're trying to attract venture capitalist?? As far as I know there are Chinese investors who have already sunk a few millions into this project. So I reckon the full scale version could be built in China soon??

I wonder if it will have an observation deck :) :) That video shows it could.

In all seriousness even looking beyond the impressive height, it's renewable energy. Imagine a big city solely powered by a couple of these things... futuristic.

if they build it like this it will.. :)

some computer renderings:

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

http://www.t-mation.com/images/print/enviro/enviro008.jpg

http://www.t-mation.com/images/print/enviro/enviro009.jpg

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

http://www.t-mation.com/images/print/enviro/enviro006.jpg

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

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

pretty awesome

wow, impressive renders

I can't believe they cancelled such a unique and valuable project :(

They cancelled it Will?

Well, for Australia anyway. I hope it has more success in the US or elsewhere.

There is also a 750m tall solar tower planned in Spain. Correct me if i'm wrong, but i believe the construction is supposed to start this year.

that would be great :)

There's indeed a project in Spain for a 750m solar tower. Construction should start this year and should finish in 2010.

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torre_solar_de_Fuente_el_Fresno

http://urbanity.blogsome.com/2006/02/14/renders-de-la-torre-solar-de-fuente-el-fresno-ciudad-real

http://www.espacioblog.com/forestman/post/2006/12/19/la-torre-solar

http://www.hispalibertas.com/noticias/2006/02/28/la-torre-solar.html

http://www.franciscoperez.com/blog/2006/06/torre-solar-en-ciudad-real.html

http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b46210

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=317405&page=1&pp=20


I'm sorry most of them are in spanish.

Thanks Nadlor for sharing all those links ;)

this concept really pisses me off, do you understand how much CO2 will be generated during its construction? The power output is pathetic for such a massive structure, 50MW is a joke, a single 100m wind turbine can currently produce 6-7MW of power, and would take up considerably less space and resources. The term renewable is misused in this context, it will probably take about 30 years before the amount of co2 created by this product falls under that from a coal power station of similar power.

"imagine a big city poweed by a couple of these"

will never happen, you'd need litterally hundreds of them to power a small city let alone a large one. New York uses around 150 GW which would require 3000 of these solar towers.

Its a novel interesting concept, but not the solution to global warming or the world energy crisis.

Your just jealous because you could never build one of these in london/manchester NO SUN.
When there is no wind, wind turbines dont generate engery but the solar tower even works at night.
And the CO2 generated during the construction of one of these towers would be far less that a conventional power station or a building of the same size for that matter.
I dont know what your talking about man.

Your just jealous because you could never build one of these in london/manchester NO SUN.
When there is no wind, wind turbines dont generate engery but the solar tower even works at night.
And the CO2 generated during the construction of one of these towers would be far less that a conventional power station or a building of the same size for that matter.
I dont know what your talking about man.

He's right though, 50MW is hardly anything, especially when you consider the size needed. By comparison, a fusion power plant (currently under development in France) could potentially generate gigawatts of power.

If they're going to build one of these things, at least make it the 200MW+ version.

Incidently, why should he be "jealous"? London already has plenty of amazing projects thank you...

DOesnt sound very economical, imagine how much it would cost to build, and how long it would take to break even.

you need a very tall tower that this project will be economically.

WOW ITS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Salar energy is way to go, free and clean. Who cares about some CO2 being generated during the construction? Given the energy produced is not covering the entire NY city but benefiting the area substantially, this should be a good start, even a major milestone. Nevertheless, this will give way to a better and more efficient technology for that matter in the next projects to come.

Thanks for such a valuable thread.

feb7 update
http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/8537/solarusafeb7vl6.jpg

^^ is that good news or bad news

^largely insignificant news like everything else with solar towers, the news says that at some point they may try to work out if a place is capable of holding a solar tower does not mean one will be built or even one could be built, just that they may find out if one could be built one day..... this company annoys me intensly, build one or dont stop f***ing stalling all they want to do is maintain their company and this small piece of info will stave them from bankrupcy for another 2 years.

can't wait to see the first Solar Tower on the world :)

Hopefully this does become an economically viable source of renewable energy, it would be great to see these built all over the globe and make a dent in the struggle to mitigate the consequences of global warming.

May as well scrap the idea and put the money into nuclear plants, seeming we will now be building them (or should be anyway)

If it's not 1km, don't bother.

feb12 update
http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/927/solarfebnewsrd6.jpg

50MW is a joke


Not 50, but 150 MW (145 the tower plus 5,5 the biomass plant working with the biomass produced by the fields in the base of the tower, under the solar panels).

EDIT to clarify: I'm talking about the 750 m Solar Tower whose construction will start this year in Spain.

150MW out of a 750m eyesore isn't worth the cost to the environment that a 750m tall tower will provide. The area you have to clear for solar power alone cancels out it's efficiency. It's good on top of buildings, but as a sole source of energy? No way.

hopefully we'll see some updates from the 750m tower :), that tower will be the 2nd tallest structure on earth when completed!!

Geez, my guess was that in the next 10 years they would build a one kilometer-high tower. I had no clue they are already planning it so soon. That's awesome. I bet the people in Dubai will be pretty pissed of since they are building the highest one now. Then only few years later there will be even higher tower.

i hate to sound so pessimistic, but i'll believe the tower in Spain when there is an above ground structure slowly growing

agreed^^

posted by tayser

http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/enviromission-promises-power-from-hot-air/2007/02/18/1171733612641.html

EnviroMission promises power from hot air
Vanessa Burrow
February 19, 2007

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2007/02/18/19B_TOWER_narrowweb__300x375,0.jpg

Going up: design sketch of the giant thermal solar tower EnviroMission plans to build.

ENVIROMISSION is the sort of company that can enrich or burn investors in alternative energy sources — often within one day.

The South Melbourne company plans to build giant solar thermal towers to generate electricity in Australia and the US. News it had collected favourable pre-feasibility information in Texas, sent its shares soaring 79 per cent last Monday to 25¢.

The shares sank back to close the day at 20¢, the highest price in almost a year save for a short-lived 80 per cent spike in October. That blip was based on misguided speculation the company would benefit from a $75 million federal grant.

EnviroMission shares closed at 18¢ on Friday, less than half the peak of 40¢ reached soon after the company listed in 2001.

Analyst Peter Strachan, who publishes the StockAnalysis newsletter, said investors should be wary of such volatile "clean and green companies", labelling them "the new dotcom".

EnviroMission adapted German technology for a base-load station that would generate electricity using solar-heated air.

A canopy with a diameter of five to seven kilometres uses the the sun to heat the air trapped below. The heated air rises, rushing up a kilometre-high tower equipped with turbines.

Chief executive and executive chairman Roger Davey said although final plans had not been drawn up, construction should begin this year on the first power station near Mildura, NSW,Australia.

Solar radiation data has been collected at the Mildura site and EnviroMission will continue collecting data at two sites in Texas and two in Arizona. EnviroMission would go to the market again to fund construction if required, Mr Davey said.

http://www.enviromission.com.au

I should've read that text much more carefully. That's no skyscraper, it's only some weird "jimney". I guess that's something too, even tho it's nowhere near a skyscraper.

^^ u just realized that? but if it gets built at 1000m, it will get tallest man made structre at least.

so, Cul, i don't understand, is it still possible buruonga will get the 1km one? according to that diagram it will.

cheers

^old diagram. its since been scaled to 500m high. 50mw.
still higher then any chimney or skyscraper (except BurjD).

march16 from enviromission.looks like a merger. i think better chance for USA anyway.


http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/1337/solarmarch16mb4.jpg
http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/2059/solarmarch162zv6.jpg

i cant find original thread but latest is El paso in texas will get first 1km tower

http://www.josegarzarealtor.com/blog/index.php?blog=2&title=enviromission_confirms_to_build_3_000_ft&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

video>
http://www.kvia.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?clipid1=1304466&at1=News&vt1=v&h1=Enviromission+set+to+build+3,000+ft+solar+tower&d1=186200&redirUrl=www.KVIA.com&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage&playerVersion=1&hostPageUrl=http://www.kvia

http://img358.imageshack.us/img358/2323/elpasoiq2.jpg

When?

it says the project may commence in 2007 and take 3 years.

Huge structure

great news :)

Awesome! Keep us posted.

it looks like a MONSTROUS concrete rod in the ground?!

its fabulous nonetheless, a bit akward though

:okay:

Interesting project

the idea is from spain!!
yes this idea is from spain:tiasd:

One word-

Monolithic.

wow!

Nice huge tower and it is usefull too!!!
But i have some doubts about it... Isnt it what large?? What is the netto output off this thing?

If the output is huge then i understand it that it is so large. If not.... decide for your self...

Solar power at best can only produce a small fraction (like 10%) of the world's present energy consumption. However it's a great "transition" renewable power source to get us between the end of oil and the rise of hydrogen. :) :)

The earth receives energy from the sun in 3 days equivalent to all the energy reserves of oil in the world. So many thousands of times what the earth uses each day. I dont' know where 10% comes from.... if they built enough solar towers Australia could export electricity around the World.

this concept really pisses me off, do you understand how much CO2 will be generated during its construction? The power output is pathetic for such a massive structure, 50MW is a joke, a single 100m wind turbine can currently produce 6-7MW of power, and would take up considerably less space and resources. The term renewable is misused in this context, it will probably take about 30 years before the amount of co2 created by this product falls under that from a coal power station of similar power.

"imagine a big city poweed by a couple of these"

will never happen, you'd need litterally hundreds of them to power a small city let alone a large one. New York uses around 150 GW which would require 3000 of these solar towers.

Its a novel interesting concept, but not the solution to global warming or the world energy crisis.


the company quoute a 2.5yr payback not 30 years.
a 6MW wind turbine has a 135m diamater blade sweep - and would only be expected to generate at 40% capacity due to wind conditions.
I haven't seen 50MW quoted anywhere - it might surpass the proposed any proposed MW exceeding expectations - so they should build the concept anyway.
I think there's room for wind and solar - but 20 or whatever MW equivalent wind turbines take up a lot of space too
I think the American's are silly to only now be talking about renewable energy generation and looking at wind and solar seriously because now they can use the term "energy security". Before those 2 words were added nobody wanted to look at renewables...

they should have kept the 1000m version:ohno:

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

the company quoute a 2.5yr payback not 30 years.
a 6MW wind turbine has a 135m diamater blade sweep - and would only be expected to generate at 40% capacity due to wind conditions.
I haven't seen 50MW quoted anywhere - it might surpass the proposed any proposed MW exceeding expectations - so they should build the concept anyway.
I think there's room for wind and solar - but 20 or whatever MW equivalent wind turbines take up a lot of space too
I think the American's are silly to only now be talking about renewable energy generation and looking at wind and solar seriously because now they can use the term "energy security". Before those 2 words were added nobody wanted to look at renewables...


The 2.5 yr quoted by the company is for cost not CO2 emission. 135m means that you could fit 23 in a line accross the 2 mile diameter of the solar collector for a solar tower. If each was a 6MW wind turbine then the total would be over 120MW, at 40% generation this is equivalent to the 50MW solar tower, it would require much less raw materials, generate considerably less CO2 during production, and be much less of an eyesore than a 600m concrete tube.

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

600m sounds great but the 1000m plan was besser :)

a similar tower has been already built in Seville, Spain (but it only has 165m)

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/7813/01jt9.jpg

http://www.elpais.com/recorte/20070527elpepisoc_3/XLCO/Ies/Vista_aerea_heliostatos_empresa_Abengoa.jpg

http://www.telingsoft.com/solucar/fotos/04.jpg

the sun rays effect on the first pictures are true. when you drive through a motorway near by the plant you can see that amazing effect :)

wow, never seen that project!!

^^
http://www.solucar.es/

^that project is completely different to this one. The solar tower works by drawing air through a tube, creating power by turning wind turbines. The project in Seville focusses many beams of light on a single point generating a massive ammount of heat which is used to boil water and turn a generator with the steam produced. Dont get them confused.

a similar tower has been already built in Seville


not trying to confuse anyone :ohno:

thanks for that jaaar. nice project.
yes we all wanted it to stay at 1000m but it was too large an undertaking being 130m diametre. so its scaled back to 600m @ 65m diam. it will have a observation circle at top. not bad being up 600m with sheep paddocks below.lol
it supposed to start this year. the site has been cleared,.

heres an old diagram i did to show how hUge the tower will be

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/1243/solartowercomparisonsoz4.jpg

Damn that's so tall..

has it been decided yet

Thanks for pointing that out nezzybaby

has it been decided yet

its been given council and state gov approval. the site has been cleared. All it needs is funding $$$$$. The glass canopy covers a few hectares but only needs to be 3metres high. Then the concrete tower is 1m thick x 65m diametre. with enormous steel spokes inside at 100m intervals and large turbines creating the power. There will be an elevator attached to side rising up the the rim which will have an observation ring some 600m above grd. maybe even worlds highest public viewing? but not much to see out there.
The Australia version will be approx 600m while Spain has mooted a tower 750m high while China and USA may end up with 1000m version?
I think 1 of these towers will be built within 10 years.

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

^^ Nice pics Cullwulla. Realy good looking tower.

Cull, If this thing is under construction. Could you take weekly pictures (going out on Saturdays) so we are seeing this nice piece off technology getting built? If so thanks. If not. I dont mind.

Cheers cullwulla @ downunder :D :cheers2:

^i would love to take weekly pix but its a fair run out to it. yes its in same state as Sydney but its 1000km westwards.lol it would take a week to drive there. But i will endeavour to visit the construction site when it gets underway.
cheers

wat official classification will this tower be classified as. will it just be a tower?

what are the definitions of a skyscraper..does it have to have continuing floors from base to top? or wat.
cheers

I think it will be classified as a chimney actually. It doesnt let out pollutants like power station chimneys but its sole purpose is for hot air to pass up it to run turbines.Chimneys dont have observation due to obvious reasons but Solar Tower has clean air and observation ring will be encased in glass with air cond anyway.

great news Culwulla, i'm really excited :)

The original plan was to build a 1,000 meter tower.

EDIT: Oops nevermind. Didn't read the thread.

hey culwulla you said the U.S.A. might get a 1000m version. where did u hear this? i hope we do i just havent heard any plans.

hey culwulla you said the U.S.A. might get a 1000m version. where did u hear this? i hope we do get one i just havent heard any plans.


That would be awesome. We could build thousands of those over all the useless states (you know, Idaho, Montana, etc), and be completely independent from oil. :)

I dont think we could build any of those tower, FAA wont let us...

That would be awesome. We could build thousands of those over all the useless states (you know, Idaho, Montana, etc), and be completely independent from oil. :)

can u imagine how expensive 1000 + such towers would be :lol:

That would be awesome. We could build thousands of those over all the useless states (you know, Idaho, Montana, etc), and be completely independent from oil. :)

Those states don't get anywhere near enough sunlight to make them cost effective. These would only work in the US in Arizona, Southern Nevada, etc.

idaho and montana routinely have temps. over 100 in the summer so i think it would be very plosible to build some of these in that area. there is so much open space there we could build dozens of these and that would be enough to power some nearby states. we could also build some in the desert areas in California, Arizona, and Texas to power (or at least help to power) those states as well. as to the FAA not letting us build these, i think that they dont really have a choice. we need clean almost unlimited energy and they are starting to realize this.

i posted the american info a while back. looks like a couple of sites in Ward County Texas are earmarked for towers.
If USA has 610m/2000ft height limit, then maybe the solar towers will be limited to that height.?\ This is the height the Australian towers will be. Maybe they have worked out it will be "good enough" at that height instead of 1km.? Obviously it will be a cheaper more do-able option and more realistic.

here is some recent letters about USA Towers>
http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/9515/envirousaawd5.jpg

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/927/solarfebnewsrd6.jpg

^^ thanks man

so i was wondering.................could you cover the surface of one of these things with solar panals? the surface area of one of these chimneys would be huge so instead of just concrete you could use solar panals to increase the energy output even more.

That would be awesome. We could build thousands of those over all the useless states (you know, Idaho, Montana, etc), and be completely independent from oil. :)

1st, idaho and montana are not useless states but that's pretty typical of someone from the northeast and 2nd we wouldn't want our country full of these, I hope a few large ones are built (one in texas) for the sake of being able to compare them later to other sources of power and for the sake of progress but wind mills are much less of an eye soar. Texas is the leading state in the USA in wind power and they are installing a whole lot more this year. I drove to lubbock 3 months ago and just a few days ago and between that time and now they managed to build an entire large wind farm within a few miles of the road and I saw new wind mills being constructed on all of the already existing wind farm sites that I went by and texas also boasts the largest wind power plant on earth. In lubbock they actually have one large electric wind mill within the city!

My solution to the energy problem is to use wind power in large wind farms and use solar only on roof tops of homes and buildings. Also if you take the graph of the power production during the day for the wind mills that put power into the texas grid for example it won't be a perfectly straight line, which is a problem-- you need to maintain the capacity of peak power usage in reliable sources but there is a solution to that problem as well. You look at the graph of the power produced over a long period of time and find a horizontal line where you have at least that much power 90 percent of the time (That is 90 percent of the time the wind mills combined are producing at least this much power, let's say that reaches 50,000MW some day although total capacity could be 150,000MW), then anything below that goes into the grid and anything above that or anything that isn't otherwise used goes into hydrogen production through electrolysis. Then build enough hydrogen burning or hydrogen cell power generators that can produce 50,000 MW in case you have a windless day all across the state. Now to make up for the fact that there is more power demand during the middle of the day and wind power is slightly less in the middle of the day then at night, solar panals come in very handy and if they are distributed on roof tops (including industrial buildings) they can help reduce power demands during the day (esp middle of the day) significantly.

So I think that building huge numbers of large scale solar power plants isn't the best way to go but it would be nice if a few are built.

so i was wondering.................could you cover the surface of one of these things with solar panals? the surface area of one of these chimneys would be huge so instead of just concrete you could use solar panals to increase the energy output even more.

wouldn't be worth it, the tower is vertical and the point of the day where sunlight is most intense is when the light would be moving almost parallel to the surface of the side of the chimney, thus producing no power.

^^ thanks. i kinda agree. i think that instead of just having large solar towers we should have a combination of large towers and houses with solar panals on top. if every house was built with solar panals the houses would be completely self-sufficant (energy wise) and we could build the large towers for factories and office buildings.

It's also based on the fact that heat rises (captured under the huge solar-paneled disc, thus spinning the huge turbines @ the base passing thru the generators within the stack producing the power) so the further up you go, the lesser gained anyway - wouldn't be quite as practical or $$$s viable. Would make it look reeeeally classy though ;)

Watch the 3 min vid CULWULLA posted...about 2 1/2 mins into the vid it explains:

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

...

^^ thanks. i kinda agree. i think that instead of just having large solar towers we should have a combination of large towers and houses with solar panals on top. if every house was built with solar panals the houses would be completely self-sufficant (energy wise) and we could build the large towers for factories and office buildings.

Plenty of industrial sites, schools and office buildings in California already have solar power systems in use on the roof. They normally can't produce all the power they need but at least they reduce the amount of power they take from the grid.

if you want to see the site for Buronga tower heres a reference>
http://www.satellite-sightseer.com/id/10459/Australia/New_South_Wales/Mildura/Worlds_Tallest_Structure__Proposed_

This Solar Tower reminds me of the one in the game for the X-Box 360 Armored Core 4. I think this solar tower has great potential. If building this Solar Tower leads us one step closer in cleaning up the environment then I'm all for it!

idaho and montana routinely have temps. over 100 in the summer so i think it would be very plosible to build some of these in that area. there is so much open space there we could build dozens of these and that would be enough to power some nearby states. we could also build some in the desert areas in California, Arizona, and Texas to power (or at least help to power) those states as well. as to the FAA not letting us build these, i think that they dont really have a choice. we need clean almost unlimited energy and they are starting to realize this.

It has little to do with how hot the summer gets. It's more about the entire year. The location in Australia where this is planned has over 300 days of sunshine a year. Even though they would work very well in the Idaho and Montana summers, they would be almost useless for half of the year. Also, I would imagine the closer to the equator, the better.

this is rely intresting ! i rely hope mour contreys is going to buld this kinde of strukture

correct me if Im wrong, but I always thought that the biggest collection in the country of windmills is in Palm Springs, CA... well for sure it was at least at one point....

whats this one's exact height?

^^ the one in Australia is 600m but the U.S. could get a 1000m verion

don't forget the height-limit of 610m in the USA ;)

^^ i didnt think it was an absolut limit just much more paperwork to build higher.

correct me if Im wrong, but I always thought that the biggest collection in the country of windmills is in Palm Springs, CA... well for sure it was at least at one point....

Although Germany has a lot more wind power overall then texas does, the Horse hollow wind farm near abilene with 735 MW of capacity is the single largest wind farm on earth today, but there's an oil tycoon here that's planning a wind farm that will produce about 4000MW

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19231397/

wow 4000MW thats crazy. you wouldnt think an oil tycoon you want a wind farm.

Wind power is such a blight on the landscape. TIMO they shold be outlawed for their visual pollution. Not everyone may agree but I think wind turbines look worse than a nuclear plant.

i think that they should put wind turbines out in the oceans. they could make thousands of them and most people would ever see them.

wow 4000MW thats crazy. you wouldnt think an oil tycoon you want a wind farm.

Actually a lot of them are smart enough to be investing into it in texas. The land is leased by the rancher (who often is an oil tycoon as well) at about 3,000 to 5,000 bucks per wind mill per year. Imagine putting 2000 wind mills on your land.

$3,000 * 2,000 = 6 million bucks per year.

A lot of people don't realize that the oil here in texas isn't going to last very long but a lot of oil tycoons do realize this.

Wind power is such a blight on the landscape. TIMO they shold be outlawed for their visual pollution. Not everyone may agree but I think wind turbines look worse than a nuclear plant.

I love seeing them:cheers:

Actually a lot of them are smart enough to be investing into it in texas. The land is leased by the rancher (who often is an oil tycoon as well) at about 3,000 to 5,000 bucks per wind mill per year. Imagine putting 2000 wind mills on your land.

$3,000 * 2,000 = 6 million bucks per year.

A lot of people don't realize that the oil here in texas isn't going to last very long but a lot of oil tycoons do realize this.

that makes sense.

that makes sense.

Actually he'd make more then 6 million dollars per year because he won't be the land owner, he'd own the company that delivers the power. The 3,000 to 5,000 dollars per wind mill per year goes to the land owner that doesn't invest a single penny into it, which is only a small percentage of the money generated by the electricity of each wind mill per year.

Texas is trying to position itself as one of the leading Research and Development centers for wind power in the world as well as a goal of reaching 20,000MW in 5 years.

http://www.egr.uh.edu/wind/?e=economic

Interesting project, but it'll take a lot of time

i wonder when this project will start.(the one in texas)

ir sems like it is going to be a ob deck on top of this one ! is it going to be one ?

Texas is trying to position itself as one of the leading Research and Development centers for wind power in the world as well as a goal of reaching 20,000MW in 5 years.

http://www.egr.uh.edu/wind/?e=economic

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.

ir sems like it is going to be a ob deck on top of this one ! is it going to be one ?
yes there will be one.

I would really like to see this become one of the main sources of power for the world. Such a great idea, and so simple. No pollution as well :)