Quartzsite solar tower

Some additional more factual info.

http://quartzsite-solar.com/faqs.html

The height is considerably smaller than previously mentioned.

Mandalay Parr wrote:

SuzzeeeQ2012 wrote:
have been googling to find out the impacts to camping.


this says it all. PUBLIC lands are being taken away.
evidently, they can do anything they want with them.

where will I camp next year? Probably not Quartzsite.



“As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above strategy to expand domestic energy production and strengthen the economy, we are working to advance smart development of renewable energy on our public lands,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “These seven proposed solar and wind projects have great potential to grow our nation’s energy independence, drive job creation, and power economies across the west.”

Looks like it will be way north of Q. No camping impact.

We are camped at plomosa six miles north i bet it would impact my camping. at being the tallest man made structure in the united states. a lot of th
e camping is done north of quartzsite in the boondocking area

I believe there is something like it contrary to what they say. Its just a little northeast of Tonopah Nv.

SuzzeeeQ2012 wrote:
have been googling to find out the impacts to camping.


this says it all. PUBLIC lands are being taken away.
evidently, they can do anything they want with them.

where will I camp next year? Probably not Quartzsite.


“As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above strategy to expand domestic energy production and strengthen the economy, we are working to advance smart development of renewable energy on our public lands,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “These seven proposed solar and wind projects have great potential to grow our nation’s energy independence, drive job creation, and power economies across the west.”

Looks like it will be way north of Q. No camping impact.

There is a very large solar panel field south of Vegas on 95 plus a extra large solar panel field at Gila Bend az.
No idea where that money is coming from but I could guess.
chevman

just give that money to people to put the solar panels right on their roofs :)

a little bit better use of the money, I would say.

Each tower will be surrounded by a mile-wide greenhouse designed to heat air, which will then rise through the tower after passing through turbines. The rated peak capacity will be 200 megawatts for each tower.

According to SCPPA, “The Solar Tower facility is anticipated to generate more than 1,000,000 MWhs of renewable energy per year.” The towers were developed and will be built by an Australian company, EnviroMission. I could not find figures on the exact cost, but an October, 2010, estimate by Phoenix Business Journal puts the figure at somewhere between $700 million and $1 Billion. In December, 2010, the Arizona Republic put the cost at $750 million for one tower. That capital cost works out to about $3,750 per Kwh capacity. To put that in perspective, coal plants cost abut $3,167 per Kwh, natural gas plants cost about $1,003 per Kwh, and solar voltaic plants cost about $4,755 per Kwh according to the Energy Information Administration. So far there are no data on how much of the peak capacity will actually be available. Availability is generally near 90% for fossil fuel plants and less than 25% for solar voltaic plants.

If built, the towers will be the tallest structures in the U.S. and second only to the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai.

have been googling to find out the impacts to camping.


this says it all. PUBLIC lands are being taken away.
evidently, they can do anything they want with them.

where will I camp next year? Probably not Quartzsite.


“As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above strategy to expand domestic energy production and strengthen the economy, we are working to advance smart development of renewable energy on our public lands,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “These seven proposed solar and wind projects have great potential to grow our nation’s energy independence, drive job creation, and power economies across the west.”

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."