[BC] Re: wind farms

[Ronald J. Dot'o Sr.]

ISTR an article in a magazine (Popular Science?) over 20 years ago about 
electrical production in Israel where they put thermo couples in ponds in 
the desert and produced electricity from the temperature differential 
between the surface and bottom of the pond.

Ron D


>
> I saw an interesting proposal from Australia awhile back.  Someone 
> proposed building what was in effect a giant 2000 foot high chimney in the 
> desert there. At the bottom would be acres of basically heat collectors. 
> The principle is that the temperature differential from bottom to top 
> creates a massive wind up the chimney which would drive turbines inside. 
> There was a formula to determine the amount of power possible based on 
> temperature differential and volume Apparently a working model of a much 
> smaller scale turns out 50 KW worth of power all day and night. I thought 
> this was very interesting. It also occurred to me that in our great 
> Southwest we have the same potential that could be built at much lower 
> cost. Take an input from the hot desert floor and hollow out the center of 
> a 10 or 12,000 foot mountain (even a 5000 foot one). There are many places 
> where the necessary geography exists. I am sure the National Parks service 
> would not be impressed, but I wonder how many steady megawatts you could 
> pull out of Death Valley? It would conveniently produce more power  in the 
> summer than in winter.
>
> R
>
> >