Solar Chimney – a Way to Utilize the Solar Power

There are several alternative power sources being explored today. Whether you consider hydropower, solar power, or even the methane hydrate, they are all alternative energy sources. Each source has its pros and cons, but the purpose is to find better alternatives to what is used now: fossil fuels.

One such a source is solar chimney. Let us see what the solar chimney is and how it compares to the other types of alternative energy, so we could better consider if it is a good alternative energy source.

A solar chimney is often called a solar updraft tower. This is a type of power plant where the energy would be renewable. The air is warmed in a circular structure that is not totally unlike a greenhouse. As the air heats, it rises. Eventually it comes up through a long tower. This air turns turbines as it moves. Turbines turn generators and create electricity.

Basically the amount of energy can be produced by a solar updraft power plant is directly related to the size. The size of the area where the air is collected as well as the size of the updraft chimney is the major factor. Collection areas as big as 7 kilometers in diameter and chimneys as tall as 1000 meters have been considered as options in order to get the most from the plants.

Currently there are no solar chimneys in use for the sake of power. However in the 1980’s there was one built to research the process. It was in Manzanares, about 150 kilometers south from Madrid. The plant worked for 8 years with good results. This has made optimism about the solar chimneys as a renewable energy alternative source.

The best comparison can be made is a wind energy since it is moving air produces the current with a solar chimney. However, unlike to a wind farm or wind generated energy, there is no need to store the energy according to weather conditions. Practice has shown the thermal storage with salt water ponds and other heat absorbing materials together with a solar tower, allow much of the heat be stored back to make it even more efficient.

Traditional solar power system converts the sun energy into warm water or warm air, but with an updraft chimney, there is no need for the silicon treated solar panels get used with home solar platforms. Instead of it, the heat is used to warm air and basically create an upward wind to turn the turbines. It is much more efficient in many cases. Additionally, the energy is made to be stored in water and other thermal storage devices would make it functional even when the sun is down or there are clouds in the sky. Still obviously, locations would need as much sunlight as possible.

The solar chimney is one of the many alternative sources of power are considered feasible for commercial use. The models being developed by engineers can better determine the cost to capture energy for electricity in this way. However, because a functional commercial unit would have a kilometer height tower and storage unit around 7 kilometers in diameter, it would likely be a tourism factor. It would be a novelty both in its use and in its size.