Mildura Rural City Council has welcomed enthusiastically EnviroMission's announcement that scientific testing has started at Ned's Corner Station - it’s preferred site for the world's first Solar Thermal power station.
The company has commissioned geo-technical testing at the site, 70 kilometres west of Mildura to confirm its suitability. The site has been identified for its suitable solar energy gain, ideal humidity levels, proximity to regional population (which provides a substantial local market for the renewable energy produced) and commercially viable access to an electricity grid. The power station will be based on German designed Solar Tower technology. It will look like an enormous greenhouse canopy with a very tall hollow ventilation Tower located at its centre. The 1,000-metre tall Solar Tower proposed for the power station will make it the tallest built structure in the world when constructed.
The sun’s radiation will be collected and trapped under the 5 km diameter, transparent canopy, creating a massive amount of air heated to around 35�C greater than the ambient temperature. The laws of physics will make this air move at 15 metres per second towards the cold air at the top of the Tower located in centre of the canopy. The updraft will force the rising air to pass through large turbines positioned at the base of the Tower. The movement of the hot wind through the turbines will generate up to 200MW of clean, emission free electricity – enough electricity for 200,000 typical Australian homes.
We can only hope that they sell miniature versions for gliding clubs. Hopefully they will be cheap enough to provide gold or maybe even diamond height gains for around 200,000 typical Australian glider pilots.
Check out: www.enviromission.com.au
Regards
Anthony
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Monday, 18 February 2002 12:58 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [aus-soaring] Manmade Thermal?
I've just been reading the latest Electrical World and have come across an article (the third I have seen in various publications over the past year) which describes an electrical generation plant using hot air as the motive force. The power plant consists of a 5km diameter area of glass supported above the ground by some small distance, with 1km high chimney tower at the centre. The glass area heats the air underneath, and the hot air exits through the chimney. The article says that the turbines will generate 200MW. How much residual power will be left after the electricity has been extracted?
I wonder if the glider pilots near the proposed site (Mildura) have heard of it? I wonder how effective it would be as a manmade thermal? I wonder if the authorities will ban soaring over it?
Phill Glasson
