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

From: Gerald Flaherty <grf2_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Feb 24 21:47:13 2005
Message-ID: <00c301c51ae4$4aaf8650$6401a8c0_at_Dell>

Bob and list
WICKED! WOW!!!!!! WHAT KEEPS IT UP???????? THAT'S AN AWFUL LOT OF GUY WIRES.
THAT THING'd be I/2 MILE HIGH! Jerry
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Verish" <bolidechaser_at_yahoo.com>
To: "Meteorite-list Meteoritecentral" <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2005 8:00 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Harper Lake could get world's tallest towers


> 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
>
>
>
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Received on Thu 24 Feb 2005 09:47:04 PM PST