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."

Comments

Wet toilet seats a problem?

[Anonymous Coward]

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Why can't we address the human factor first?

[Anonymous Coward]

This sort of news upsets me... Why do we spend countless dollars on searching for more energy if the basic problem is not addressed first: There are too many humans and until we figure out how to control human population growth we are doomed sooner or later.

Human population will reach 9 billion this year. If every nation strives to become a developed country and offer things like air conditioning and cars to almost everybody, we will keep running out of energy regardless of what methods we use to find it. There will be a point in time when all our efforts to get new energy will be exhausted. Then there will be a war for basic stuff like water. At that point our weapons will be so advanced that we will probably be starting from scratch after the war is done.

The solution is simple -- before fucking with the planet and spending billions of dollars on green efforts, work to limit the population growth. Come up with a creative formula that encourages people to have fewer kids and who knows perhaps in a century or so we'll be able to reduce human population to something that Earth can sustain.

 

What crops are they growing?

[jameskojiro]

Like can they grow some marijuana or somethign, it could pay for itself.....

Greed weed for green energy, let the silly pot heads who want to save the earth subsidize the saving of th earth and get high at the same time, win-win.

Re:Plenty of consulting dollars to be spent

[Nimey]

I'm picturing the nuttier Republicans responding to Obama asking to set up a WPA-like program. Phrases like "internment camps" would no doubt be used, and believed by the useful idiots.

Re:Efficiency

[Hurricane78]

Wrong! See solar-thermic power plants. Which also make much more sense than fucking with the climate by creating a massive updraft and even more global warming.