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Old November 18th 13, 01:49 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default GE proposes to use artificial sink to generate 500 MW of power inSouthern AZ

Why build an expensive rigid structure? A central mast like a radio tower could be built tall enough for a tiny cost fraction. Reinforced canvass sides to form an octagonal "cooling tower" could be supported from the mast, and even lowered in the event of strong winds. No, I have not worked out the dynamics of this system - not even sure if it could work, especially if the air pressure inside the tower is lower than the surrounding air pressure from Bernoulli effects.

This still leaves the several previously mentioned issues, plus a few more, like
1) Where to get water (assume that it is untreated and full of minerals)
2) Mineral deposits all over the generator equipment
3) Pumping energy losses - to get all that water 2200 feet up in the air
4) Power transmission lines to a remote area