We already create urban "heat islands" that cause afternoon rainstorms in places like Atlanta, so I do no think these towers do anything that has not been done already. They seem to be a brilliant idea that should have been stumbled upon decades ago!
The thermal updrafts now feed into thunderstorm cells and all of that energy essentially goes to waste, but with this technology constructed in the right locations perhaps the benefit would be two fold: Energy from the uplifting air, and essentially being able to control (or at least influence) the local weather in the area around the tower. I'm not climatologist but it seems like a little multidisciplinary collaboration could really pay off in big ways (i.e. where droughts seems to never end and where excessive rain/flooding is a problem).
If it is possible to build a tower and funnel hot air upwards, couldn't we also build a giant cone to take advantage of cold air falling? -- I guess this must get into pressure gradients and all sorts of other science... so I'll stop typing now.
"How many other brilliant concepts are just waiting for an untrained eye to look at them differently?"
The convective solar power towers are a really cool idea to me, and it reminds me of the Condensers in the first Star Wars movie (Luke on Tattooine).
I do not remember where I first read of these towers, and as such like to think I was one of the first people to think of them! Therefore it is a shame that I do not have an engineering degree to go along with such a brilliant idea!
I wonder if the desert dwelling lizards and other critters would seek shelter under the canopy of the tower?
This post highlighting the 1, 2, 3, 4 process of market evolution is exactly what this thread needed!
Even before I read it, and honestly knowing very little about the "business side" of microchip production, I was thinking a 64 thread, 8 core chip with Open Source specs is the silicon equivalent of an aircraft carrier, improved oil rig, or hydro-electric dam!
The technology might not be as much about how "big" it is but the work it is capable of producing in a developed economy or up and coming (third-world) economy. What if the Russian Federation is able to revitalize the silicon portion of its economy by producing this chip?
Though it may take years for such a design to "filter down" to the desktop level, everyone better damn well believe it will be in use at the Department of Defense (DoD), universities and high performance computing centers worldwide. So, who stands to benefit? Everyone using the end products of part made on Sun UltraSPARC T2 processors, and everyone continuing to enjoy freedom (in whatever country) who does so because of the anti-terrorist and weapons of mass destruction (2 or more people) scenarios calculated on this platform.
To think this is anything less than the Open Sourcing of a V8 engine is unimaginative and short-sighted.
Before I even visited the website associated with this article I imagined a more simple system for allowing the sun to heat water and create hydroelectric "spill" to spin small turbines. In a way similar to existing hot water heaters for mobile homes and powerless locations, a "closed loop" system with large, nearly flat bladders heated by the sun could increase a volume of water enough to spill it into drains. Each drain has an integrated impeller turning a small shaft connected to a generator and producing electricity.
Yes, the fabrication of these stand-alone systems would cost quite a bit of money at first, but there must be enough "engineering intelligence" available at this time to allow workable, extremely low maintenance designs to be created.
All to often it seem simple designs are overlooked in favor of large scale "plants" for generating electricity because we only have to build one (whoopie) and they employ local citizens providing economic support to the planet's community. We have been creating a system of dependencies instead of independent (distributed) solutions. It is old school thinking at its worst that is past due for retirement!
Also, I offer that the widely distributed power generating model is "insulated" against natural disasters and terrorism because if 20 to 70 percent of a "grid" is knocked offline, only that 20 to 70 percent is effected. In our current configuration one power plant taken out of service may leave millions in the dark and without support for their electronic gadgetry.
Has all this been mentioned before? Probably. But I feel the technical community-at-large has to continually raise its collective voice in favor of systems of updated design. American stockholders may take a hit by the loss of assest invested in decades old technology, but think of this in comparison to so called third-world countries leaping over "land line" phones and going directly to wireless! All of the money they save by NOT investing in wired communications infrastructure is being (or should be being) directed into lower cost, lower maintenance innovative new technologies delivering the same services.
Current power and communications systems should be kept as backups only and we as a nation should be encouraging people to get off the grid rather than plug into it.
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We already create urban "heat islands" that cause afternoon rainstorms in places like Atlanta, so I do no think these towers do anything that has not been done already. They seem to be a brilliant idea that should have been stumbled upon decades ago!
The thermal updrafts now feed into thunderstorm cells and all of that energy essentially goes to waste, but with this technology constructed in the right locations perhaps the benefit would be two fold: Energy from the uplifting air, and essentially being able to control (or at least influence) the local weather in the area around the tower. I'm not climatologist but it seems like a little multidisciplinary collaboration could really pay off in big ways (i.e. where droughts seems to never end and where excessive rain/flooding is a problem).
If it is possible to build a tower and funnel hot air upwards, couldn't we also build a giant cone to take advantage of cold air falling? -- I guess this must get into pressure gradients and all sorts of other science... so I'll stop typing now.
"How many other brilliant concepts are just waiting for an untrained eye to look at them differently?"
I do not remember where I first read of these towers, and as such like to think I was one of the first people to think of them! Therefore it is a shame that I do not have an engineering degree to go along with such a brilliant idea!
I wonder if the desert dwelling lizards and other critters would seek shelter under the canopy of the tower?
~
Nah, that's why M$ (tm) the name "Pentium" - to lock down the infringments.
This post highlighting the 1, 2, 3, 4 process of market evolution is exactly what this thread needed!
Even before I read it, and honestly knowing very little about the "business side" of microchip production, I was thinking a 64 thread, 8 core chip with Open Source specs is the silicon equivalent of an aircraft carrier, improved oil rig, or hydro-electric dam!
The technology might not be as much about how "big" it is but the work it is capable of producing in a developed economy or up and coming (third-world) economy. What if the Russian Federation is able to revitalize the silicon portion of its economy by producing this chip?
Though it may take years for such a design to "filter down" to the desktop level, everyone better damn well believe it will be in use at the Department of Defense (DoD), universities and high performance computing centers worldwide. So, who stands to benefit? Everyone using the end products of part made on Sun UltraSPARC T2 processors, and everyone continuing to enjoy freedom (in whatever country) who does so because of the anti-terrorist and weapons of mass destruction (2 or more people) scenarios calculated on this platform.
To think this is anything less than the Open Sourcing of a V8 engine is unimaginative and short-sighted.
Yes, the fabrication of these stand-alone systems would cost quite a bit of money at first, but there must be enough "engineering intelligence" available at this time to allow workable, extremely low maintenance designs to be created.
All to often it seem simple designs are overlooked in favor of large scale "plants" for generating electricity because we only have to build one (whoopie) and they employ local citizens providing economic support to the planet's community. We have been creating a system of dependencies instead of independent (distributed) solutions. It is old school thinking at its worst that is past due for retirement!
Also, I offer that the widely distributed power generating model is "insulated" against natural disasters and terrorism because if 20 to 70 percent of a "grid" is knocked offline, only that 20 to 70 percent is effected. In our current configuration one power plant taken out of service may leave millions in the dark and without support for their electronic gadgetry.
Has all this been mentioned before? Probably. But I feel the technical community-at-large has to continually raise its collective voice in favor of systems of updated design. American stockholders may take a hit by the loss of assest invested in decades old technology, but think of this in comparison to so called third-world countries leaping over "land line" phones and going directly to wireless! All of the money they save by NOT investing in wired communications infrastructure is being (or should be being) directed into lower cost, lower maintenance innovative new technologies delivering the same services.
Current power and communications systems should be kept as backups only and we as a nation should be encouraging people to get off the grid rather than plug into it.