They better stress test that sucker
good. Hurricanes, tornadoes, Tsunamis.....
David
"I am so Libertarian that I
don't think lawyers and doctors should be licensed by the
government. I am
so Libertarian
that I make some Libertarians
cringe."--Neal
Boortz
Futuristic And Freaky: This Monstrous Coal
Plant Would Be Over 3,000 Feet Tall
This thing is totally nuts, but there are some
fascinating ideas behind it.
As important as our investments in green energy are,
there’s still a lot that can be done to improve our existing
reliance on dirty fossil fuels--the 50,000 coal-burning
plants around the world that release vast amounts of CO2
into the air.
Coal Power Plant Mutation is a conceptual project by Bogdan
Chipera. He maintains that our current energy
infrastructure “can be mutated into something more
eco-friendly.” And this is his vision of the more
eco-friendly coal-burning alternative. It’s imposing, alien,
and somewhat monstrous, to be entirely honest, like a
skyscraper mated with Godzilla. But the plan is also full of
some great ideas.
His gargantuan plant is basically a 1000m chimney--that’s
taller than the Burj Khalifa--full of synthetic carbon
filters. These filters are theorized but not quite existent,
and they would snag the CO2 from rising gas. The idea is to
capture the CO2 emissions before they make their way into
the atmosphere, bringing a half step of balance back to the
carbon cycle.
Despite its imposing height, the tower itself has a
surprisingly light footprint, as it’s constructed from very
little supportive material. A carbon fiber and steel mesh
frame keeps the tower flexible. Gases and vapors pass up
through channels in a flexible, waterproof skin. And almost
poetically, the whole thing is held up by its own wasted
energy. The unused thermal power excreted by coal plants
becomes hot air, trapped in sacks, that lift the entire
structure like a tethered hot air balloon.
Click to zoom.
In this regard, Coal Plant Mutation intentionally cuts
through the horizon. Like any world’s tallest skyscraper,
it’s meant to catch your eye. But you aren’t necessarily
supposed to like what you see.
“Most of the power facilities are located outside cities
and urban inhabitants are not aware of their impact,”
Chipera writes. “Seeing these tall silhouettes on the
horizon can make people more aware on their impact on the
environment.”
Well, that, or coal plants becomes the biggest, scariest
tourist trap this side of the Atlantic.
