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Massive Solar Updraft Towers Planned For Arizona
MikeChino writes "Australia-based EnviroMission Ltd recently announced plans to build two solar updraft towers that span hundreds of acres in La Paz County, Arizona. Solar updraft technology sounds promising enough: generate hot air with a giant greenhouse, channel the air into a chimney-like device, and let the warm wind turn a wind turbine to produce energy. The scale of the devices would be staggering — each plant would consist of a 2,400 foot chimney over a greenhouse measuring four square miles. The Southern California Public Power Authority has approved EnviroMission as a provider, although there’s still plenty of work to be done before the $750 million, 200 megawatt project can begin."
They should build it in Washington DC
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is facing a great battle." - Philo of Alexandria -
I've been watching Enviromission not build a solar tower in regional Victoria (Australia) for a decade now. Not building one in the United States is a real step up for these guys.
Czech language for absolute beginners
Hm.. My first thought was "Perfect for one big ass Pot farm..." ^__^
Laters Sol "Have you found the secrets of the universe? Asked Zebade "I'm sure I left them here somewhere"
That's one protest where throwing rocks might actually be a particularly effective strategy. "Those who live in glass houses..."
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
I call bullshit. If environmental activists are protesting in a desert location, are they not Browns?
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
Is there some efficiency to be gained by building a four square mile device over, say, 2560 one acre devices? Energy efficiency? Cost?
Yes. Yes.
Present day. Present time.
No, no, no, you have it all wrong!
Amerika will pay Australia to buy from an American corporation. The American corporation will in turn import all the raw materials from china and help the Australian firm find a bunch of minimum wage mexicans to build the thing.
The only question is... which south american country will supply the hookers and blow for this project?
profit! Half mile high tower? Pffft
A 4 square mile greenhouse in the middle of the dessert?
I, for one, will not stand up to these people interrupting dessert!
George W. Bush is already scheming how to dodge the updraft.
You keep using that word...
# cat
Damn, my RAM is full of llamas.
Thanks for clearing that up for me, sport.
-Peter
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I tried this and now my penis looks really blurry and pixelated.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
I'm guessing it will kill every rabbit and turtle up there.
Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K.
A giant sun tower or two in Arizona is an interesting idea. But it makes more sense to build a huge lightning capacitor.
There's this place in Arizona where lightning strikes are common and happen nearly every night. Something in the atmosphere, the heat, and humidity.
So why not dig a huge hole in the ground, fill it with aluminum foil and electrolytic, then quickly and carefully build a huge lightning rod. The lightning will constantly arc to the giant million farad capacitor in the ground. It gets recharged up every night and the 'supercap' powers a small city or suburb.
Electricity directly from the sky to your PC!
So we have given up and are going to proactively warm the earth's atmosphere directly now?
Seems like an interesting idea, replacing the tall tower with an air vortex. But I think the risks have to be researched beforehand. What you create here is a giantic tornado, so how is it guaranteed that this tornado won't suddenly rip off the base and start wandering around?!
Pack trailer parks around the base. That'll keep that tornado fixed firmly in place.
"Little does he know, but there is no 'I' in 'Idiot'!"
you spelled HOLE wrong...
Per hops asia result of depending on spill chick.
Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear
Personally I'd be in favour of any solution that didn't involve burning stuff you had to dig up out of the dirt.
Hmm, perhaps I should do more market research before finishing production of my dead hooker electrical generator...
If it decimates 2000 acres of desert, you still have 1800 acres left.
ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI
I hate to nitpick grammar, but I am pretty sure that "penis" is always masculine singular, i.e. "his penis."
24 beers in a case, 24 hours in a day. Coincidence? I think not!
Lorena Bobbit had a penis. but threw it away.
Someone failed physics, but applied for a patent anyway.
Apparently tornadoes and hurricanes have failed physics, too.
Present day. Present time.
Ass Pot: It's the good shit.
Brain surgery - it's not rocket science!