What is a solar power tower?

A solar power tower is a concrete tower used to concentrate heat in solar thermal power plants. These towers are also essential for solar power plants that generate power using reflectors that concentrate sunlight. In such plants, a large number of sun-tracking mirrors called heliostats are used to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto a receiver on the tower.

Are solar power towers a promising technology?

All the issues commented above make solar power towers, among other concentrated solar power technologies, a promising technology with commercial possibilities in the mid term. Better performance and cheaper electricity compared with other options seems within reach.

Are hybrid solar tower gas turbines a viable technology?

Some already mentioned interesting projects include SOLGATE , SOLHYCO , SOLUGAS and HYGATE , which proved that hybrid solar tower gas turbine systems are a feasible technology that requires more R&D for decreasing electricity prices .

What are the benefits of a solar tower demonstration?

Other key benefits of the Solar Tower demonstration are the space-saving impacts of the vertically-mounted array compared to ground-mounted systems, which require up to 6 acres of land to produce 1 MW of electricity.

Where can a solar tower be installed?

Three Sixty Solar says future Solar Tower projects could be installed in urban environments with limited space for renewable energy developments, as well as farmland where land use is critical for the customer’s business. Mountainous terrain and island countries provide additional opportunities for the Solar Tower, the company said.

What happened to the solar tower in Kelowna?

Following an early autumn storm which brought 75 mph winds and several days of extreme rain and wind gusts, on November 17, 2021 the developer reported no damage to the Solar Tower, as many in the nearby Kelowna community were without power and closed schools for a matter of days.