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Interesting . . . . VERY interesting . . . . surprising that that amount of energy can be had from heat rising . . . through nothing more than a technologically refined "chimney" . . . .

Very little environmental impact . . . . and since it in reality runs on temperature differential; it is NOT limited to warm climes . . . . but seemingly those with good solar insolation . . .

The film clip actually points out that lots of plants are fluorishing underneath; not suffering or missing due to it's becoming a "desert" . . . . .

A good real life example of the KISS principle . .. Keep It Simple Stupid . . . elegant simplicity

It'll be interesting too to see how they construct a tower that is ~ 3 times the height of the Empire State building . . . .

Bob

Unfortunately I couldn't watch the film clips on my computer, it seems my browser doesn't support them. However, your mentioning that plants continue to grow under them makes me wonder about the potential uses for the space? It is after all a giant greenhouse, thus, depending on temperature a number of plants/crops could thrive in there. This space under the glass may prove a very interesting advantage to the design.

What caught my attention was also the simplicity, I can see it working in a number of locations. Power plants have allready become something of a mass produced item with various companies selling gas/coal and even nuclear plants that are simply assembled on site. I don't see why a solar chimney couldn't be made and sold in a similar way.

As for the chimney height, it's going to rival quite a few skyscrapers... To take a wild and uneducated guess, they may construct it with something lightweight like metal framing covered in sheet metal, as no doubt masonry will be too heavy and dense for that height. Cylinders are allready quite aerodynamic, so wind loads would be reduced, but it could be further supported with steel wires, like those used on bridges. Well, that's my best guess of how something of that height could be built.

Very interesting indeed! The question I have is how much it will cost per megawatt of dependable power. I didn't see anything about that in the website. Anybody notice it?

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I saw nothing of cost . . . but I'll guess it will be pretty low in the long run . . . . replacing the fabric every ~ 8 years appears to be the only "maintenance" . . . and I suppose the turbines may need something from time to time as well.

I will guess far less cost than a power plant of ANY type . . . . and since it should last a very long time I'd imagine this thing is gonna be a real winner . . . . Aside from visual "appeal", I can't think of an environmentaly consequence either . . . .

Just put lots of beacons on it to keep them damn planes out of it . . . . .

Bob