Solar updraft tower

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The solar updraft tower is a renewable-energy power plant for generating electricity from solar power. Sunshine falling on a greenhouse-like collector structure around the base of a tall chimney heats the air within it. The resulting convection causes air to rise up the tower by the chimney effect. This airflow drives wind turbines to produce electricity.

Contents

Advantages

  • Life span = 80 years. [1]
  • Low maintenance costs.
    • Cost for 40 years around 1 million USD [2]
  • Produces greenhouse areas that can be used for agriculture.
  • Produces energy at night (at a reduced rate) [3]
  • Produces energy when overcast [4]
  • May be able to desalinate water via condensation [5]

Disadvantages

  • Takes up a relatively large amount of space.[6]

Economic analysis

  • Cost per Watt of capacity = 4 EUR [7]
  • Cost per watt of capacity (200 MW): 4 EUR, (50 MW): 6,04 [8]
  • 50 MW (Spain, 1800) cost per Watt: 20 EUR[9]
  • 200 MW (Spain, 1800) cost per Watt: 12 EUR[10]

Land use

The collector diameter is around 750 m = 400,000 m^2 = 100 acre (60 soccer pitches)[11]

Considering land prices as follows, the solar updraft tower will cost 100,000 - 1,000,000 USD for land only.

  • US = 1,000 - 10,000 USD per acre
  • Argentina < 8,000 USD per acre [12]

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