permaculture

[David Neeley <dbneeley@gmail.com>]

Unless things have changed, there is indeed a program that would use
solar energy for wind power in Australia:

See http://www.solarmissiontechnologies.com/EnviroMission.htm

http://www.enviromission.com.au

This project appears still to be a live and viable one. Aside from the
enormous use of concrete to build a tower 1,000 meters high, the
projected life of 50 years for the tower during which it should
generate 200 megawatts of electricity with no fuel other than the
natural sunlight and the differential in temperature from the surface
to the top of the tower means that the net environmental effect should
be incredibly positive.

As I understand it, successful completion of the first full-scale
tower will be followed by similar ones to be built in arid locations
in the U.S. and elsewhere (dry climates greatly extend the life of the
concrete tower structure).

As you will find from the sites above, a scale "model" was built in
Spain and run for extensive testing over a period of a number of
years--and the credentials of the firm which designed it are
impeccable.

While I fully agree that site-based technologies such as solar cells
and, where feasible, wind generators are a tremendous advantage--there
will still be a need for substantial amounts of electricity for the
foreseeable future for many uses. In areas where this method is
worthwhile, it seems to me it may well become a very worthwhile
addition to the mix of energy supplies.

David