| A Solar Thermal Tower runs on the thermal law that | | | | night when the sun goes down, the ground releases its |
| hot air rises. Basically the way a thermal tower works | | | | heat which still produces the air current to make the |
| is very similar to what would happen if you combined | | | | turbines generate electricity. Because of the obvious |
| a convection oven with a chimney. | | | | absence of heat, the power output won't be quite as |
| A solar thermal tower has three main parts. The | | | | much as during daylight hours. However if water is |
| tower, the collector, and the turbine. The more | | | | piped through the collection area, it will hold and |
| prominent is the tower itself. The tower is almost like | | | | transfer more heat with greater efficiency when the |
| an exhaust. Around the tower is a huge collection | | | | sun goes down. |
| area. The collection area is usually a covering of very | | | | One of the main drawbacks to this type of power |
| thin film polymer sheeting, glass, plexiglass or lexan. | | | | generation is the need for size. The more area for |
| The sun hits the collection material, heating the area | | | | collection, the greater the amount of heated air, the |
| underneath. As this air gets warmed up to around 100 | | | | more power is generated. The same adjustments in |
| deg, the air looks for an escape route. The heated air | | | | output are made with the change in tower height and |
| can reach speeds of up to 35 mph when exiting out | | | | diameter. The more air you can heat and push through |
| of the thermal tower. If you put wind turbines inside the | | | | the chimney, the faster you can spin turbines and the |
| tower so that the heated, escaping air is making them | | | | more power the can generate. This means more land |
| spin, the heated air can be used to generate electricity. | | | | will be needed and taller stacks. The best types of |
| This type of power plant also works at night. With no | | | | land for these power centers seem to be desert or |
| modification, the sun not only heats up the air in the | | | | otherwise lower valued land. |
| collector area, but it also heats up the ground, so at | | | | |