Floating Solar Chimney versus Concrete SolarChimney Power Plants



The air warms up inside the greenhouse by the solar irradiation and, due to its buoyancy, tends to escape through the Solar Chimney. This warm stream of air is leaving part of its thermodynamic energy to the air turbines placed in the path of the airflow. The solar chimney power stations were named Solar Aero-Electric Power Plants (SAEPPs) due to their similarity to Hydro Electric Power Plants. The efficiency of the SAEPPs is roughly proportional to the height of their solar chimneys. Solar Chimneys can be made as reinforced concrete structures (Concrete Solar Chimneys, CFCs), or as lighter than air inflated structures (Floating Solar Chimneys FSCs). These floating solar chimneys are made by successive balloon tubes, filled with a lighter than air gas. This permits to the FSCs to float in the air and thus to have heights 1.5รท3 Km giving to their SAEPPs higher efficiencies than Concrete Solar Chimney SAEPPs.

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