Enviromission are seeking to construct a Solar Tower, a world’s first in large-scale solar thermal power generation, which would deliver renewable energy and also be a tourist destination and engineering icon.

If completed the Solar Mission Project would realize a world’s first large-scale solar thermal producing clean green renewable energy. It's estimated the Solar Tower will generate 200 megawatts, enough electricity to power 200,000 homes, and will keep 830,000 tons of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere annually.



How it Works

The design is based on three well-known and robust thermal principles:

1. The use of the sun’s radiation to heat a large body of air (greenhouse effect lets light in, direct and diffuse, but does not let heat out);
2. Hot air rises (as through a chimney); and
3. Movement of air as energy source to drive large turbines to generate electricity (basic engine).

This technolgy is flawed and wont work.

Care to explain why?

A similar system to this was tested in Germany in the early 90's, and was found to put out much less power than initially predicted.

Was it approached the same way as that test? They also said the transistor wouldn't work, but hey, now you can get 1.4 billion on a single die.