NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA, January 5, 2003: History will be made in 2006, if everything goes as planned, with the completion of a 3300 foot tall solar tower in the Australian Outback. Conceived in Germany by structural engineers Schlaich Bergerman, the tower has the financial backing of the Australian and New South Wales governments to the tune of US $593 million dollars. Upon completion, the structure could provide enough electricity for 200,000 homes and reduce greenhouse gases by more than 700,000 tones. The proposed structure will have a width similar in size to a football field and will stand in the centre of a huge glass roof spanning 7km (4.3 miles). The sun will heat the air under the glass roof, and as it rises an updraft will be created in the tower, allowing air to be sucked through 32 turbines. The turbines will then spin, generating power 24 hours a day. Hopefully other countries that have intense sunlight, such as India, will follow in Australia’s footsteps by using solar energy as a power source.
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