New Kind of Solar Power Station

Tao_Equus · 05-03-2007, 12:51 PM

Simple ideas make the best technologies!! Check this out!!

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Power station harnesses Sun's rays

Tao_Equus · 05-03-2007, 11:37 PM

OMG Nobody has even looked...... where are your GREEN creds now!!

wil · 05-04-2007, 04:26 AM

Wasn't there some movie with a tower like this being used as an incinerator?

I did one of these on the football field for science fair...stuck a 2x4 up in it and lit it...bunch of bathroom mirrors collected from the junkyard...no adjustment though...had to wait for the sun...

you shoulda seen my yo-yo of bicycle wheels that I dropped from the third floor roof....looking back on it I can't believe they let us up on the roof without supervision...the whole class watching from below while me and my partner violated a bunch of OSHA regs.

Virtual_Cliff · 05-04-2007, 12:49 PM

This is a very nice advertisement for solar power, but I can't help thinking that a couple of solar panels on every roof would be just as effective.

Tao_Equus · 05-04-2007, 03:23 PM

I think the good thing about this tho is it is just standard mirrors...not expensive to produce solar panels.

Quahom1 · 05-10-2007, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wil

Wasn't there some movie with a tower like this being used as an incinerator?

History Channel, and how Archimedes developed mirrors of brass or silver and mounted them on towers, to burn enemy ships...no proof though, only mythos.

flowperson · 05-10-2007, 03:03 AM

Nevada Power is starting up a solar plant operation near Boulder City later this year that will supply energy to about 40,000 homes. It's finally coming true folks.
It focuses tubular mirrors on pipes filled with liquid sodium which is heated to drive turbines. Very unique concepts.

flow....

Quahom1 · 05-10-2007, 03:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flowperson

Nevada Power is starting up a solar plant operation near Boulder City later this year that will supply energy to about 40,000 homes. It's finally coming true folks.
It focuses tubular mirrors on pipes filled with liquid sodium which is heated to drive turbines. Very unique concepts.

flow....

That's because technology finally exists to layer silcon chips in such away that the resultant photo voltaic cells can convert upwards of 50% of the sun's light into electricity, instead of the palsy 15% that used to be...

But the initial cost is still staggering...