I sent the following message to the editors of Kiplinger: In you March 27, 2009, newsletter under the topic of ENERGY:
**************************************************** Is it an oak, maple or birch? No, it's a "power tower"...a generating system designed to mimic a tree's form, using it to capture both solar and wind energy. Wafer thing "leaves" absorb sunlight, converting it to electricity to be stored or used. Ditto, the energy released when faux foliage rustles in the breeze. A single "tree" could power a house year-round. A grove of them...a fifth of a typical town's needs. The first towers will show up around 2011. In a decades...a bumper crop. **************************************************** So far, none of my on-line searches have directed me to any reference sites that describe these power tower "trees". The only references I have been able to uncover are in reference to traditional "power towers" where arrays of mirrors are used to collect sunlight into a concentrated spot, typically a broiler that ultimately generates electricity. Could you cite some references? ...or was this "prediction" a preemptive April Fools strike? > This from the latest issue of my Kiplinger Letter, March 27. > > Under the ENERGY section: > > ********************************** > Is it an oak, maple or birch? No, it's a "power tower"...a generating > system designed to mimic a tree's form, using it to capture both solar > and wind energy. Wafer thin "leaves" absorb sunlight, converting it to > electricity to be stored or used. Ditto, the energy released when faux > foliage rustles in the breeze. A single "tree" could power a house > year-round. A Grove of them…a fifth of a typical town's needs. > > The first towers will show up around 2011. In a decade...a bumper crop. > > ********************************** > > My initial Google searches on phrases like "Power Tower" or "Power > Tower Trees" retrieved no links pertaining to information on power > "trees". All that comes up are traditional power towers using arrays > of mirrors to concentrate light onto a single focal point to generate > steam. > > I've never heard of this "technology" before. Anybody heard of this ? > > Maybe it's a preemptive April Fool's entry from the Kiplinger staff. > Perhaps the Editor in Chief was on vacation this week. ;-) -- Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
