[meteorite-list] Harper Lake could get world's tallest towers

From: Robert Verish <bolidechaser_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed Feb 23 20:00:58 2005
Message-ID: <20050224010055.65413.qmail_at_web51707.mail.yahoo.com>

Well, it’s still raining here, so I thought I’d pass
along another news-related item about Harper “Dry”
Lake.

Actually, there are a lot of interesting tidbits about
Harper Lake. History, too. There’s still these old
buildings out there from when Howard Hughes built and
flight tested his D2 fighter. Now, in its place,
there’s a bird sanctuary and a huge solar power plant.
 Still a lot of talk about turning Harper Valley into
a SPACEPORT!

Yup, think I’ll start a Harper Dry Lake Post of the
Day…

So, what’s the connection to meteorites? Well, it was
very early on that we prioritized dry lakes such as
this one, areas that were under pressure for being
developed, that had plans to be inundated with water
(Rosamond), that access would be lost due to
wilderness protection (Broadwell) or military base
expansion (Superior Valley & Silver Lake) – to be the
first areas to be searched for meteorites. Consider
it as a volunteer environmental impact study.

That’s why we called it “meteorite-recovery”!

--------------------------------------------------
Sunday, October 12, 2004

Hinkley could get world's tallest towers
Solar plants could result in construction of three
3,000-foot-tall chimneys
By KELLY DONOVAN

Staff Writer

A German professor's invention could lead to the
construction of two or more "towers of power" near
Hinkley that would be twice as tall as the Empire
State Building.

A Los Angeles-based company is considering the Harper
Dry Lake area as a possible site for a new type of
solar power plant that is not yet in operation
anywhere in the world.

SolarMission Technologies Inc. wants to build three
200-megawatt solar plants, each with a 3,000-foot
tower, at the chosen site, SolarMission Chief
Financial Officer Chris Davey said.
 
  Before construction of the first so-called "solar-
chimney" plant in the United States, a company linked
to SolarMission will likely have already built one of
them in Australia that would be identical to the
plants planned here.

Here's how the $350 million plants work: Sunshine
heats air in a greenhouse-like space under a clear
surface that is thousands of acres across. The hot air
then flows up a tower that is 3,000 feet high and 400
feet wide. As it passes through the base of the tower,
it turns turbines to generate electricity.

The plants need to have 3,000-foot towers to
efficiently generate 200 megawatt of electricity,
Davey said. About 200,000 households could be powered
with 200 megawatts.

The plants would emit no pollution and wouldn't
consume water for the production of electricity, Davey
said.

SolarMission would build two, three or four of the
plants (the exact number hasn't been determined yet).

After completion, each would have roughly 50
employees, some of them security personnel, Davey
said. Also, he said about 1,000 temporary construction
jobs would be needed to build each plant.

The plants would be built one after another, not all
at once. Davey said that with each taking 30 months to
build, construction jobs would probably be available
for several years.

SolarMission has been looking at sites in Nevada,
Texas, New Mexico and Arizona in addition to Harper
Dry Lake. Texas, Arizona and Harper Dry Lake "appear
to be the forerunners" in the site search, Davey said.

The Harper area is an attractive site largely because
it has the highest rating of anywhere in the world on
the solar radiation index, which measures the amount
of sunshine around the globe, Davey said. And the area
has other attributes.

"It's extremely flat, there's access to the (power)
grid, it's close to a labor force, and you're in an
environment where development seems to be encouraged,"
he said.

Davey said it's premature to discuss what land in the
Harper area is of interest to him, but said, "miles
around that area are suitable."

A 200-megawatt plant would supercede two solar
complexes at Kramer Junction and Harper Dry Lake as
the world's largest solar facilities.

A prototype of a solar-chimney plant was tested in
Spain from 1982 to 1989. It had a 600-foot high,
33-foot wide tower.

Although the technology behind the plants is not used
anywhere now, Davey said his company is confident in
its design based on the prototype testing and
extensive research.

"We've ... completed a huge amount of due diligence
with contractors, engineering firms who've confirmed
it can be done," he said. "We believe it's extremely
sound."

Time Magazine named the plant's design one of the
world's "best inventions" in a 2002 issue.

Because the project is in such an early stage,
SolarMission hasn't been in contact with government
agencies about it yet.

So, will they allow a 3,000-foot tower?

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman William
Shumann said his agency generally doesn't restrict the
height of towers if they're not too close to airports.
Harper Dry Lake isn't near an airport.

Jim Squire, a senior associate planner for San
Bernardino County, said the maximum height for any
tower in the county is 199 feet, but the county can
make exemptions for new projects.

As for state earthquake safety rules, height limits
don't apply to "non-buildings" like towers full of hot
air, said Fred Turner, an engineer at the California
Seismic Safety Commission.

Davey has been in contact with Henry Orlosky, a
Sacramento-area developer working on plans for a
separate energy complex near Harper Dry Lake. Orlosky
said he hopes to have a good, cooperative relationship
with SolarMission.

--
Staff Writer Kelly Donovan can be reached at
kelly_donovan_at_link.freedom.com or 256-4122.
This article is archived at www.vvdailypress.com and
www.desertdispatch.com
 

Received on Wed 23 Feb 2005 08:00:55 PM PST