Solar Updraft Tower
Solar Updraft Tower
A solar updraft tower combines three well-known applications to produce solar energy:
1. the greenhouse effect: heating air by solar radiation under a glass or polymer canopy (the collector).
2. the chimney effect: creating an updraft in a tower or chimney located at the center of the canopy.
3. wind turbines: converting a moving air mass into electrical energy.
A few experimental solar updraft towers have been in operation in Spain, Turkey, and other countries. Several new ones are planned in Australia and Arizona [5].