A Solar Updraft Tower Power Plant (SUTPP) generates electricity from low temperature solar heat.
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Solar radiation heats the air beneath a radial canopy structure (collector), which surrounds the base of a chimney tower. The resulting convection causes a hot air updraft in the tower by thermal buoyancy. This updraft drives wind turbines near the base of the tower, to produce electricity.
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Using high-resolution Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis, integrated with shape optimization algorithms, Novel Concepts, Inc. has developed a nine-percent (9%) net efficiency SUTPP design.
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The 9% net efficiency SUTPP design depicted above, has an 840 m diameter canopy, and a 200 m high tower. With a peak solar power input of 555 MW, and a 45% efficient wind turbine generator, this SUTPP design generates 50 MW of electricity.
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With the solar chimney depicted above, over 300 million cubic meters of air per day flows through the chimney. This enormous volume of air flow has many additional uses including, low level air pollution removal, and direct air capture (DAC), carbon (CO2) capture systems.
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