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Sunday, October 12, 2004
Hinkley could get
world's tallest towers
Solar plants could
result in construction of three 3,000-foot-tall chimneys
By KELLY DONOVAN
Staff Writer
A German professor's invention could lead to the construction of two
or more "towers of power" near Hinkley that would be twice as tall
as the Empire State Building.
A Los Angeles-based company is considering the Harper Dry Lake area
as a possible site for a new type of solar power plant that is not
yet in operation anywhere in the world.
SolarMission Technologies Inc. wants to build three 200-megawatt
solar plants, each with a 3,000-foot tower, at the chosen site,
SolarMission Chief Financial Officer Chris Davey said. |
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Before construction of
the first so-called "solar- chimney" plant in the United States, a
company linked to SolarMission will likely have already built one of
them in Australia that would be identical to the plants planned
here.
Here's how the $350 million plants work: Sunshine heats air in a
greenhouse-like space under a clear surface that is thousands of
acres across. The hot air then flows up a tower that is 3,000 feet
high and 400 feet wide. As it passes through the base of the tower,
it turns turbines to generate electricity.
The plants need to have 3,000-foot towers to efficiently generate
200 megawatt of electricity, Davey said. About 200,000 households
could be powered with 200 megawatts.
The plants would emit no pollution and wouldn't consume water for
the production of electricity, Davey said.
SolarMission would build two, three or four of the plants (the exact
number hasn't been determined yet).
After completion, each would have roughly 50 employees, some of them
security personnel, Davey said. Also, he said about 1,000 temporary
construction jobs would be needed to build each plant.
The plants would be built one after another, not all at once. Davey
said that with each taking 30 months to build, construction jobs
would probably be available for several years.
SolarMission has been looking at sites in Nevada, Texas, New Mexico
and Arizona in addition to Harper Dry Lake. Texas, Arizona and
Harper Dry Lake "appear to be the forerunners" in the site search,
Davey said.
The Harper area is an attractive site largely because it has the
highest rating of anywhere in the world on the solar radiation
index, which measures the amount of sunshine around the globe, Davey
said. And the area has other attributes.
"It's extremely flat, there's access to the (power) grid, it's close
to a labor force, and you're in an environment where development
seems to be encouraged," he said.
Davey said it's premature to discuss what land in the Harper area is
of interest to him, but said, "miles around that area are suitable."
A 200-megawatt plant would supercede two solar complexes at Kramer
Junction and Harper Dry Lake as the world's largest solar
facilities.
A prototype of a solar-chimney plant was tested in Spain from 1982
to 1989. It had a 600-foot high, 33-foot wide tower.
Although the technology behind the plants is not used anywhere now,
Davey said his company is confident in its design based on the
prototype testing and extensive research.
"We've ... completed a huge amount of due diligence with
contractors, engineering firms who've confirmed it can be done," he
said. "We believe it's extremely sound."
Time Magazine named the plant's design one of the world's "best
inventions" in a 2002 issue.
Because the project is in such an early stage, SolarMission hasn't
been in contact with government agencies about it yet.
So, will they allow a 3,000-foot tower?
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman William Shumann said his
agency generally doesn't restrict the height of towers if they're
not too close to airports. Harper Dry Lake isn't near an airport.
Jim Squire, a senior associate planner for San Bernardino County,
said the maximum height for any tower in the county is 199 feet, but
the county can make exemptions for new projects.
As for state earthquake safety rules, height limits don't apply to
"non-buildings" like towers full of hot air, said Fred Turner, an
engineer at the California Seismic Safety Commission.
Davey has been in contact with Henry Orlosky, a Sacramento-area
developer working on plans for a separate energy complex near Harper
Dry Lake. Orlosky said he hopes to have a good, cooperative
relationship with SolarMission.
Staff Writer Kelly Donovan can be reached at kelly_donovan@link.freedom.com
or 256-4122.
This article is archived at
www.vvdailypress.com and
www.desertdispatch.com |
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NEWS
WORTHY: |
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"Until now. The prospect
of climate change and the demand for carbon emissions control has
given new impetus and financial feasibility to the tower." Wired.com September 6, 2002 |
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