a 1,600-foot tall "solar tower" that can power a small city
http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/01/technology/towerofpower0802.biz2/index.htm?cnn=yes
2006-08-03 05:27:47 · 6 answers · asked by bretto24 3 in Environment
I know that there is research going on for solar towers in the US. The reason it isn't occurring in Death Valley is the fact that the slightly higher temperatures really don't matter that much. The important thing is clear skies. Thus, pretty much anywhere in the desert will work. An additional, occasional 10 degrees in ambient temperature won't make much of a difference in a solar reflector. It would be much more efficient to find a place near a city to save on transmission losses.
2006-08-03 05:36:26 · answer #1 · answered by polloloco.rb67 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It HAS been done in the California desert near Barstow:
http://www.colby.edu/personal/t/thtieten/sol-cal.html
You can see it when you drive by on I-40. Not on as large a scale as the Aussie one, but the same concept.
Why not in Death Valley? Because it is a National Park, set aside for its scenic and historic value and the rules prohobit commercial development of that sort.
But why not many other places in the US southwest? Mostly, the large capital cost and it only works in the day time. It costs a lot less capital (but more in fuel costs) to install yet another aircraft-deriative natural-gas-fired turbine and those can run 24/7, in cloudy weather and never need to be windexed clean.
Societal, does it make sense? Yes. Domestic jobs are created, balance of trade is slightly improved by buying less imported oil, no CO2 is generated once built, the power enters the grid when most needed: long, sunny summer days when people run air conditioning.
2006-08-03 10:56:43 · answer #2 · answered by David in Kenai 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. It is not that death valley gets more sun. It gets the same as other areas around it. There are just no plants, etc to regulate heat. The place just gets hot, because the place is barren. It is hot in day, and cold at night. Heat does not effect the panels. There are places in Florida that get more sun.
2006-08-03 10:07:43 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We should do it in Orlando, it gets some 340 days of sun and look at all the power disney uses up. This could power a crap load of stuff there and stick it to the local power company blood suckers
2006-08-03 11:31:02 · answer #4 · answered by searing 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah, but how would they get the extension cord that far?
2006-08-03 05:31:26 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Who would pay for it?
2006-08-03 05:32:22 · answer #6 · answered by Archer Christifori 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋