Tower of Power

[huisjen]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6616651.stm

I've got to get to work on that solar death ray.

Dan

[Popeye]

nothing new under the sun

http://www.crescent.edu.sg/ipw/2000/sec2/24g2-solarenergy/solar%20cooking.jpg

solar cooking has been around for awhile

solar~steam turbine was original concept for space stn and satellite power

[moTthediesel]

"Tower of Power" ?

I thought this post would be about Merc straight 6 cyl outboards -- that's what we always call ours.
Except, of course, when we call it by it's other names, such as "The Black Stack from Fond du Lac", or (my fav) "Old Mr. Thirsty".
moT

[ahp]

I recall reading that the British built a solar powered generating plant in Egypt in the 1920's. I cannot find the reference. What we have now, and they did not, is a convenient way of keeping all of those mirrors tracking the sun.

[Popeye]

we have developed a technology which allows the sun to heat water thus vaporizing it into atmospheric particles capable of being transported and cooled in the upper atmosphere and later , due to a special gravity beam , collects as a liquid at a higher elevation and is slowly drained off , the shear mass of the water collected is enough to actually power a turbine

[Bruce Hooke]

I'm not sure what the heck Popeye is talking about, but the solar plant in Spain is pretty cool...

[essaunders]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Of_Power

[hokiefan]

The Tower of Power Horn Section that played with Little Feat. Being a trumpeter myself, I loved listening to them.

Essaunders, I didn't realize they were big in and of themselves, I only knew of them with Little Feat. Thanks for the additional info. Learn something new every day. Some of it is even usefull. :) :) :)

Bobby

[TimH]

Yea, but solar power isnt renewable. Once the sun burns out we will have to find another way and all that money will have been wasted. Better for now just to stick with fossil fuels.

[Popeye]

Once the sun burns out we will have to find another way and all that money will have been wasted. Better for now just to stick with fossil fuels.

same problem with nuclear power , it's eventually gonna run out and it produces far too much waste

[JimD]

nothing new under the sun

http://www.crescent.edu.sg/ipw/2000/sec2/24g2-solarenergy/solar%20cooking.jpg

solar cooking has been around for awhile

solar~steam turbine was original concept for space stn and satellite power

My brother built one of these out of cardboard and tin foil a few years ago. They really work. We brought a pot to boil no problem.

[JimM]

PG&E build a solar power station in Califonia in the late 70's or early 80's. The mirrors conconrated sun light on a tank on a tower. They found that insects were killed in midair near the tank and birds were injured. they abandoned the project an uneconomical. I wonder what they think now.

[TimH]

They had a contest on MythBusters where a bunch of groups built big ones and started stuff on fire. only took a minute or so to start a fire.

[Popeye]

sounds like i could run a turbine to charge my electric car battery pack for free

saw a coleman 'solar panel' the other day , it had 54 watt power rating , enough , according to the box, to run a 60W pump for ~ 10 hours

[Nicholas Carey]

The vision is of the sun-blessed lands of the Mediterranean - even the Sahara desert - being carpeted with systems like this with the power cabled to the drizzlier lands of northern Europe. A dazzling idea in a dazzling location.So we're going to unhook from the petroleum teat and give the same people the solar power so they can continue to fund RWWJs like bin Ladin and the like? :eek:

Brilliant! :p

[PeterSibley]

We'll send you some in a can !