At 5:25 PM 4/18/5, Robin van Spaandonk wrote: >...one could make the outside of transparent material, >and the mountainside black, so that the whole chimney collects >extra solar energy over its whole height (vertical greenhouse).
Yes. The main problem then is insulating the chimney at night. That problem might be addressed using insluated louvers. I do wonder how effective aerogel might be as greehouse enclosure insulation. It is translucent, so it should be a pretty good material for the application, and its light weight would be ideal for self-standing towers too. I know it is good for insulating skylights. It's then mainly a matter of making the stuff cheaply enough. For self standing tower use an air gap could separate the aerogel from black metal panels that would then heat exchange with the rising column of air. > >BTW there are some low mountains in central Australia, in the >middle of the desert, that run more or less east-west, and have >steep sides. Perhaps not as high as one might like, but it would >make a good start. Any of the mountains not in parks or otherwise protected? Regards, Horace Heffner
