tonybelding

I think the solar tower is ingeneous. It's not too efficient at turning solar power into electricity -- meaning, it takes a lot of land and sunlight for a given amount of power output. But what does it matter? If there's anything Australia is blessed with, it's sunshine falling upon otherwise empty land. This thing can be manufactured relatively cheaply, without requiring any exotic materials or technologies, and provide power for a very long time with little maintenance required. It's a great example of looking toward cost-effectiveness rather than being led astray by raw efficiency numbers.

There might be a shock when they start to add up how much land they'd have to cover with solar towers in order to fill the whole country's energy needs. . . . Even in Australia I have a hard time picturing that happening. Yet it still can fill a role.