Quartzsite solar tower
wow. Just now reading about this. a 4 square mile area north of Quartzsite about 10 miles. Sounds pretty close to Plomosa road. I can't find much about the impacts to camping, but constructio...
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By NED POTTER (@NedPotterABC)
July 27, 2011
In the desert of western Arizona, a power company proposes to build the world's tallest chimney -- a tower, 2,600 feet tall, that would be the centerpiece of a giant non-polluting power plant, making electricity from the heat of the sun.
The project has been started by an Australian company called EnviroMission, which says it hopes, by the time it is finished construction in early 2015, to provide enough electricity to power the equivalent of 200,000 homes. It would burn no fuel. Nothing quite like it has ever been tried in America before.
It would also draw attention to this isolated place, off state route 95 north of Quartzsite, Ariz. Supporters say the view from the top on a clear day would be stupendous
The project will be massive.
Once completed, the greenhouse base will be more than 2 miles in diameter, the diameter of the tower will be the size of a football field.
It will be twice as high as the Empire State Building, and almost as big as the world's tallest building in Dubai, the Burj Khalifa.
EnviroMission is currently working on a land deal with the state, but says the Southern California Public Power Authority has already agreed on a 30-year power purchase agreement.
Company officials are from Australia but chose to build in the Valley because the environment back home wasn't as friendly. The country still relies heavily on coal and the Australian government didn't offer the same kind of incentives.
Conversely, Davey says the U.S. has been accommodating. The area between Quartzsite and Parker near the California border was chosen for three reasons: it's hot; it's flat; and it's close to transmission lines in both states.
More solar towers are planned for other states in the desert Southwest as well as Mexico, India and perhaps even Australia.
Arizona will likely get more, too.
Arizona is large enough for us to build multiple facilities, where the first project is located, there's enough land for half a dozen facilities out there."
July 27, 2011
In the desert of western Arizona, a power company proposes to build the world's tallest chimney -- a tower, 2,600 feet tall, that would be the centerpiece of a giant non-polluting power plant, making electricity from the heat of the sun.
The project has been started by an Australian company called EnviroMission, which says it hopes, by the time it is finished construction in early 2015, to provide enough electricity to power the equivalent of 200,000 homes. It would burn no fuel. Nothing quite like it has ever been tried in America before.
It would also draw attention to this isolated place, off state route 95 north of Quartzsite, Ariz. Supporters say the view from the top on a clear day would be stupendous
The project will be massive.
Once completed, the greenhouse base will be more than 2 miles in diameter, the diameter of the tower will be the size of a football field.
It will be twice as high as the Empire State Building, and almost as big as the world's tallest building in Dubai, the Burj Khalifa.
EnviroMission is currently working on a land deal with the state, but says the Southern California Public Power Authority has already agreed on a 30-year power purchase agreement.
Company officials are from Australia but chose to build in the Valley because the environment back home wasn't as friendly. The country still relies heavily on coal and the Australian government didn't offer the same kind of incentives.
Conversely, Davey says the U.S. has been accommodating. The area between Quartzsite and Parker near the California border was chosen for three reasons: it's hot; it's flat; and it's close to transmission lines in both states.
More solar towers are planned for other states in the desert Southwest as well as Mexico, India and perhaps even Australia.
Arizona will likely get more, too.
Arizona is large enough for us to build multiple facilities, where the first project is located, there's enough land for half a dozen facilities out there."
