Hot air power does not solely depend on the sun or the wind. Instead, it runs on both. The air that is trapped under the tower is heated up by the suns heat, and then once it hits 194 degrees F, it flows up through the tower which in effect, spins the turbines. The air rises up this tower so the longer the tower, the larger the sum of electricity that can be collected. So, this new resource has a better advantage because unlike solar energy, it continues to generate after sundown, due to the heat from the earths core. And unlike wind, it will create a constant source of heated air because of its location and the way the tower is constructed. Hot air power is an example of active solar power because it runs by moving turbines which creates energy. Passive solar power is only power that is generated by south facing windows are deciduous trees. I think that this technology, though it would be good for Cleveland, cannot be located in Cleveland. Cleveland faces harsh winters every year, and the sun does not shine every day. The weather is not as hot as it would be in Arizona. We do not have the resources that is needed for a Hot air tower, and we could focus on a more efficient source of renewable resources for our location. We should focus on wind power, because we are right off Lake Erie and there is an abundance of wind. Heat from the sun does not have an abundance around Cleveland, therefore it probably isn't the best choice for us.
Hot air, as stated in the article, can produce energy at any time of day with any weather conditions. This is what makes it possibly a better resource than wind or solar power which have some restrictions (solar power is more difficult at night and wind power is hard to generate without a lot of wind). Another benefit, that is different from many other resources, even renewable, is that no water is necessary for solar updraft tower to make power. A solar updraft tower would be an example of active solar power because the sun's energy is utilized to move a turbine and create energy. I believe that Cleveland is not the right place to utilize this technology. This is for a couple of reasons. Cleveland right now is dealing with many economic issues and compared to the industrial powerhouse that Cleveland was earlier in this century, Cleveland has seen much decline. I do not believe that Cleveland has the money or the infrastructure to take on something like this right now. I believe that the investment will seem to daunting for people to weigh it relative to its long term benefits. Also, I believe that a place with plains or more extensive land is ideal for this type of technology. Lastly, as the article mentioned, the first prototype that they had of this technology was not selling. Therefore, they had to make adjustments to make it more worthwhile for investors. For this reason, they might continue to improve upon their product or find ways to make it a more reasonable investment, and that would be a better time for Cleveland to think about making the investment.
Hot air power has enormous advantages for dry, desert like areas. It's unique structure combines the best properties of solar power and wind power into an even better renewable resource. The EnviroMission tower combines the heat from the sun with its natural rising to spin wind turbines creating energy. It does not rely on heavy winds to spin the turbines, just the natural rising of heat. It also does not rely on direct contact of solar rays. Another major upside to this energy source is that it does not require water. Water is in higher demand than the earth can sustain, and energy production consumes its fair share of this desired resource. With all of these unique specifications, solar updraft towers are perfect for dry, desert-like regions that do not recieve much wind. These areas currently cannot produce any renewable energy. This is an example of active solar energy because the sun's heat is being used to indirectly create energy, by spinning a wind turbine. Solar updraft towers would be a wise investment in the south-western United States where both wind and water are scarce but heat is plentiful. I do not believe Cleveland is the right place to implement this technology because it does not have the right climate. The solar updraft tower would only be producing energy during the summer months. It would sit, inactive all throughout the rainy spring and fall, and the snowy winter. Instead, Cleveland should look into investing in other types of renewable energy, such as wind power.
Hot air doesn't have the same dependencies that solar and wind energy have to create energy. Solar needs direct contact from the sun to generate energy, which is difficult at night time or areas that do not get much direct light, and wind energy requires areas that have constant levels of wind to move turbines, whereas hot air feeds off of the two renewable energies. The suns heat and wind can control and alter the temperature until it reaches 194 degrees and flows into the tower to spin the turbines. The higher the tower is, the more energy is available to collect and store. Even after the heat from the sun isn't available, the Earth's heat can keep the temperature constant, making it a more constant source of energy. The hot air energy is active solar power because it relies upon moving turbines to create energy. Passive is the opposite, where heat can be generated without technologies and solely takes in the heat for use itself. Cleveland is most likely not a good area to use hot air energy. Even though Cleveland has hot summers, it also suffers from cold, frigid winters. This big change of temperature over time spans would make the normally constant source, sporadic and unreliable, most likely making it a bad choice for Cleveland.
The advantages that the hot air power has over other types of renewable energies is that this source of energy can continuously produce energy unlike that of wind and solar. Also that this hot air power would not take up that much space, and can be implemented in a variety of locations. The power produced from the hot air towers can also be used locally thus making a self sustaining energy location. This technology is an example of passive solar energy due to that it uses the heat radiated from the sun to turn turbines. This technology could be implemented in Cleveland, yet due to our very unpredictable weather there are hurdles such as the icing of the towers, and or a small amount of sunny days a year that these hot air towers would face.
Hot air power has the capabilites to produce a great amount of energy in desert like climates such as Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah, and other western states. The power can be generated at any time in different weather conditions. The combination of solar and wind energy creates a great source of energy, especially in desert like climates. The tower that is being planned to be put in place can power about 100,000 homes and be very effective. while the owner of the company states that he is not looking to put nuclear power companies out of business, he wants to create a change. This is a very effective change, by trying to use resources that are right in front of our eyes. When the air is hot enough to rise, it spins turbines at the top creating energy. This is an example of active solar energy because it is using machinary and turbines to create energy. Passive energy does not use machinary. I do not think that Cleveland could host such a building because wind turbines would be better. In addition, Cleveland faces harsh winters and different weather problems throughout the whole year. The wind turbine project on lake erie would be a lot more effective because it is windy near the lake. While this project is a very good start, wind turbines are better for cleveland and this is not the right place for Cleveland.
The greatest advantage of hot air power is that it is capable of producing energy in any condition. Unlike solar and wind energy, it is no dependent on another source as to how productive it is, hot air is always present and in consistent amounts. It is not entirely dependent on the amount of wind generated and therefore is still efficient when wind is not so strong, and it is still able to produce energy at night, because heat is released from the ground. Hot air is produced through both the wind and the sun, and therefore is not solely dependent on either energy source. It acts like a greenhouse and traps heat within the tower. This is an example of active solar power, because the energy trapped requires a turbine in order to be produce energy. I believe this technology in theory would be good for Cleveland, however when it comes down to it, would not be a wise investment for the city. First of all, the tower has not yet been tested in a climate like Cleveland, and until we know that it is just as effective and powerful in the harsh winter, I do not think it is worth installing. Also, I believe it would be wiser to use the money that would be used to build the tower, and instead invest in a wind farm that we KNOW would work in our climate and be very beneficial. While I do not think it is worth completely throwing the idea of this technology in Cleveland out the window, I do think that it should not be our first step towards renewable, clean, energy.
Unlike wind, heat energy is available everywhere at all times since everything has some heat even if it doesn’t seem hot. So, these towers could be placed everywhere rather than in specific places with wind with turbines. Heat is also available all day long so you would not have to worry about the sun going down and not collecting enough energy. It is not “spasmodic” like the other two as the article says. It seems to be an active solar energy source as the heat needs to be harnessed into a tower and directed through a process in order to make energy, but the heat is extracted directly from the atmosphere around the tower so it is almost as if this source of energy will acclimate to the collector rather than the collector acclimating to the source. The fact that it is available all day everyday benefits a place like Cleveland because, even though we won’t generate as much heat energy in the winter as most places, it will still provide us with some energy to use and in the summer it could generate just as much as anywhere. That being said it will most likely not be enough to sustain our entire lifestyle so it would need to be used in collaboration with other renewable energy sources like wind on the lake or solar when it is available. Another source of heat powered energy is mentioned in this article on Ohio.com http://www.ohio.com/news/top-stories/harnessing-heat-a-cool-idea-1.99020 that could also collaborate with the towers energy output. This source actually takes extra heat coming off computers and other devices you wouldn’t think about and channels it for usable energy so that it is not just wasted energy. These sources are clearly far from use as the technology is not completely developed so they will not solve any short term problems. There is also no guarantee they will be economical or efficient in the future anyway so other alternative energy sources should still be getting just as much attention at this point. However, they seem to have the right backing and if they continue to be worked on they could end up as a great energy sources for us to use in the future.
Wind and solar energy have been viewed as viable options for alternative energy resources. Wind and solar both come naturally and produce no pollutants. However, wind has the disadvantage of killing birds flying in the air, while solar energy is only useful when the sun is up. Hot air as an energy source has the advantage of being available at all times of the day and not costing for maintenance. As a result, hot air produces more energy. In addition it doesn’t take as much space as the photovoltaic cells of solar panels. Since hot air energy uses mechanical devices in order to power its tower and produce energy, it is considered a form of active solar power. Although I think that hot air energy is a great renewable resource, I do not feel that it can be usefully applied to Cleveland, Ohio. With Cleveland’s climate, attempting to utilize heat for energy would probably pose a greater challenge than if it were applied to other more areas of the country. I agree with Kate, saying that Cleveland should focus on wind energy considering that it is located right near Lake Erie and can more easily utilize this resource.
Hot air power does not solely depend on the sun or the wind. Instead, it runs on both. The air that is trapped under the tower is heated up by the suns heat, and then once it hits 194 degrees F, it flows up through the tower which in effect, spins the turbines. The air rises up this tower so the longer the tower, the larger the sum of electricity that can be collected. So, this new resource has a better advantage because unlike solar energy, it continues to generate after sundown, due to the heat from the earths core. And unlike wind, it will create a constant source of heated air because of its location and the way the tower is constructed. Hot air power is an example of active solar power because it runs by moving turbines which creates energy. Passive solar power is only power that is generated by south facing windows are deciduous trees.
ReplyDeleteI think that this technology, though it would be good for Cleveland, cannot be located in Cleveland. Cleveland faces harsh winters every year, and the sun does not shine every day. The weather is not as hot as it would be in Arizona. We do not have the resources that is needed for a Hot air tower, and we could focus on a more efficient source of renewable resources for our location. We should focus on wind power, because we are right off Lake Erie and there is an abundance of wind. Heat from the sun does not have an abundance around Cleveland, therefore it probably isn't the best choice for us.
Hot air, as stated in the article, can produce energy at any time of day with any weather conditions. This is what makes it possibly a better resource than wind or solar power which have some restrictions (solar power is more difficult at night and wind power is hard to generate without a lot of wind). Another benefit, that is different from many other resources, even renewable, is that no water is necessary for solar updraft tower to make power. A solar updraft tower would be an example of active solar power because the sun's energy is utilized to move a turbine and create energy. I believe that Cleveland is not the right place to utilize this technology. This is for a couple of reasons. Cleveland right now is dealing with many economic issues and compared to the industrial powerhouse that Cleveland was earlier in this century, Cleveland has seen much decline. I do not believe that Cleveland has the money or the infrastructure to take on something like this right now. I believe that the investment will seem to daunting for people to weigh it relative to its long term benefits. Also, I believe that a place with plains or more extensive land is ideal for this type of technology. Lastly, as the article mentioned, the first prototype that they had of this technology was not selling. Therefore, they had to make adjustments to make it more worthwhile for investors. For this reason, they might continue to improve upon their product or find ways to make it a more reasonable investment, and that would be a better time for Cleveland to think about making the investment.
ReplyDeleteHot air power has enormous advantages for dry, desert like areas. It's unique structure combines the best properties of solar power and wind power into an even better renewable resource. The EnviroMission tower combines the heat from the sun with its natural rising to spin wind turbines creating energy. It does not rely on heavy winds to spin the turbines, just the natural rising of heat. It also does not rely on direct contact of solar rays. Another major upside to this energy source is that it does not require water. Water is in higher demand than the earth can sustain, and energy production consumes its fair share of this desired resource. With all of these unique specifications, solar updraft towers are perfect for dry, desert-like regions that do not recieve much wind. These areas currently cannot produce any renewable energy.
ReplyDeleteThis is an example of active solar energy because the sun's heat is being used to indirectly create energy, by spinning a wind turbine.
Solar updraft towers would be a wise investment in the south-western United States where both wind and water are scarce but heat is plentiful. I do not believe Cleveland is the right place to implement this technology because it does not have the right climate. The solar updraft tower would only be producing energy during the summer months. It would sit, inactive all throughout the rainy spring and fall, and the snowy winter. Instead, Cleveland should look into investing in other types of renewable energy, such as wind power.
Hot air doesn't have the same dependencies that solar and wind energy have to create energy. Solar needs direct contact from the sun to generate energy, which is difficult at night time or areas that do not get much direct light, and wind energy requires areas that have constant levels of wind to move turbines, whereas hot air feeds off of the two renewable energies. The suns heat and wind can control and alter the temperature until it reaches 194 degrees and flows into the tower to spin the turbines. The higher the tower is, the more energy is available to collect and store. Even after the heat from the sun isn't available, the Earth's heat can keep the temperature constant, making it a more constant source of energy.
ReplyDeleteThe hot air energy is active solar power because it relies upon moving turbines to create energy. Passive is the opposite, where heat can be generated without technologies and solely takes in the heat for use itself.
Cleveland is most likely not a good area to use hot air energy. Even though Cleveland has hot summers, it also suffers from cold, frigid winters. This big change of temperature over time spans would make the normally constant source, sporadic and unreliable, most likely making it a bad choice for Cleveland.
The advantages that the hot air power has over other types of renewable energies is that this source of energy can continuously produce energy unlike that of wind and solar. Also that this hot air power would not take up that much space, and can be implemented in a variety of locations. The power produced from the hot air towers can also be used locally thus making a self sustaining energy location. This technology is an example of passive solar energy due to that it uses the heat radiated from the sun to turn turbines. This technology could be implemented in Cleveland, yet due to our very unpredictable weather there are hurdles such as the icing of the towers, and or a small amount of sunny days a year that these hot air towers would face.
ReplyDeleteHot air power has the capabilites to produce a great amount of energy in desert like climates such as Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah, and other western states. The power can be generated at any time in different weather conditions. The combination of solar and wind energy creates a great source of energy, especially in desert like climates. The tower that is being planned to be put in place can power about 100,000 homes and be very effective. while the owner of the company states that he is not looking to put nuclear power companies out of business, he wants to create a change. This is a very effective change, by trying to use resources that are right in front of our eyes. When the air is hot enough to rise, it spins turbines at the top creating energy. This is an example of active solar energy because it is using machinary and turbines to create energy. Passive energy does not use machinary. I do not think that Cleveland could host such a building because wind turbines would be better. In addition, Cleveland faces harsh winters and different weather problems throughout the whole year. The wind turbine project on lake erie would be a lot more effective because it is windy near the lake. While this project is a very good start, wind turbines are better for cleveland and this is not the right place for Cleveland.
ReplyDeleteThe greatest advantage of hot air power is that it is capable of producing energy in any condition. Unlike solar and wind energy, it is no dependent on another source as to how productive it is, hot air is always present and in consistent amounts. It is not entirely dependent on the amount of wind generated and therefore is still efficient when wind is not so strong, and it is still able to produce energy at night, because heat is released from the ground. Hot air is produced through both the wind and the sun, and therefore is not solely dependent on either energy source. It acts like a greenhouse and traps heat within the tower. This is an example of active solar power, because the energy trapped requires a turbine in order to be produce energy. I believe this technology in theory would be good for Cleveland, however when it comes down to it, would not be a wise investment for the city. First of all, the tower has not yet been tested in a climate like Cleveland, and until we know that it is just as effective and powerful in the harsh winter, I do not think it is worth installing. Also, I believe it would be wiser to use the money that would be used to build the tower, and instead invest in a wind farm that we KNOW would work in our climate and be very beneficial. While I do not think it is worth completely throwing the idea of this technology in Cleveland out the window, I do think that it should not be our first step towards renewable, clean, energy.
ReplyDeleteUnlike wind, heat energy is available everywhere at all times since everything has some heat even if it doesn’t seem hot. So, these towers could be placed everywhere rather than in specific places with wind with turbines. Heat is also available all day long so you would not have to worry about the sun going down and not collecting enough energy. It is not “spasmodic” like the other two as the article says. It seems to be an active solar energy source as the heat needs to be harnessed into a tower and directed through a process in order to make energy, but the heat is extracted directly from the atmosphere around the tower so it is almost as if this source of energy will acclimate to the collector rather than the collector acclimating to the source.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that it is available all day everyday benefits a place like Cleveland because, even though we won’t generate as much heat energy in the winter as most places, it will still provide us with some energy to use and in the summer it could generate just as much as anywhere. That being said it will most likely not be enough to sustain our entire lifestyle so it would need to be used in collaboration with other renewable energy sources like wind on the lake or solar when it is available. Another source of heat powered energy is mentioned in this article on Ohio.com http://www.ohio.com/news/top-stories/harnessing-heat-a-cool-idea-1.99020 that could also collaborate with the towers energy output. This source actually takes extra heat coming off computers and other devices you wouldn’t think about and channels it for usable energy so that it is not just wasted energy. These sources are clearly far from use as the technology is not completely developed so they will not solve any short term problems. There is also no guarantee they will be economical or efficient in the future anyway so other alternative energy sources should still be getting just as much attention at this point. However, they seem to have the right backing and if they continue to be worked on they could end up as a great energy sources for us to use in the future.
Wind and solar energy have been viewed as viable options for alternative energy resources. Wind and solar both come naturally and produce no pollutants. However, wind has the disadvantage of killing birds flying in the air, while solar energy is only useful when the sun is up. Hot air as an energy source has the advantage of being available at all times of the day and not costing for maintenance. As a result, hot air produces more energy. In addition it doesn’t take as much space as the photovoltaic cells of solar panels.
ReplyDeleteSince hot air energy uses mechanical devices in order to power its tower and produce energy, it is considered a form of active solar power.
Although I think that hot air energy is a great renewable resource, I do not feel that it can be usefully applied to Cleveland, Ohio. With Cleveland’s climate, attempting to utilize heat for energy would probably pose a greater challenge than if it were applied to other more areas of the country. I agree with Kate, saying that Cleveland should focus on wind energy considering that it is located right near Lake Erie and can more easily utilize this resource.