By Paul Bentley
Last updated at 2:19 PM on 27th July 2011
- Huge tower will generate electricity using turbines, the sun's heat and a massive 2,600 foot chimney
- Enough power will be generated to run 150,000 homes
- Building will provide jobs for 1,500 people
- Massive structure, which will have a two mile diameter base, will cost $700million to build
A gargantuan solar power tower is to be built in the Arizona desert, which, at double the height of the Empire State Building, will be the second tallest building in the world.
The tower, which will be built 130 miles west of Phoenix in La Paz County, is planned as a revolutionary electricity source deep in the desert.
Massive: The structure will be the second tallest in the world - twice the height of the Empire State Building
Mammoth: The greenhouse base of the huge tower will be more than two miles in diameter
Turbines will be used to force air which is heated by the sun through a 2,600 foot chimney in order to generate huge amounts of natural power.
It is estimated that more than one million megawatt hours will be produced by the huge building, providing enough electricity to power 150,000 homes.
The project is being planned by a company called EnviroMission. Its president, Chris Davey, told azfamily.com: 'It doesn't use water; it does it reliably; it does it cost competitively. I don't think the industry could ask for more than that.'
Revolutionary: If it goes through, the $700million project will open up 1,500 new jobs, for engineers and workmen required to help build the facility
Power: The structure will create electricity using wind from turbines and solar heat
Bigger: Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building
The greenhouse base of the huge tower will be more than two miles in diameter and the diameter of the tower itself will be as big as a football field.
It will be double the height of the Empire State Building and just a bit shorter than the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which, standing at 2,717 feet, is the tallest building in the world.
EnviroMission is currently negotiating a land deal with the state and has already agreed a 30-year power purchase agreement with the Southern California Public Power Authority.
If it goes through, the project will open up 1,500 new jobs, for engineers and workmen required to help build the facility.
It is estimated the project will cost $700million.
The plans come more than a decade after a smaller prototype was built in Spain.
The area in Arizona chosen for the project was picked because it is hot, flat and close to transmission lines in both Arizona and California.
If all goes well, the company plans further facilities in Mexico, India and Australia, as well as more replicas in Arizona.
'Arizona is large enough for us to build multiple facilities,' Mr Davey said. 'Where the first project is located, there's enough land for half a dozen facilities out there.'
27 Jul, 2011--
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2019197/Arizona-solar-power-tower-worlds-2nd-tallest-building.html?ITO=1490
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