Solar Wind Energy Tower — Sorry, This Can’t Be Feasible

Frequent commenter Brian McGowan comments on my post on the Solar Wind Energy Tower (pictured top) , “I don’t know how feasible it is but I can tell you I have a Popular Science magazine from the early ’70s somewhere in my basement with this exact idea in it and maybe even on the cover.”

Thanks, Brian.  Maybe we should infer something from the fact that, here we are, 40 years later, and we still don’t have one built.  Again, if this turns out to be a cost-effective idea, I’ll ride my bicycle out to the desert to see it.

I’m reminded of a guy who called me a few years ago who thought he would provide power to his house by attaching a generator to his attic heat vent turbine (pictured below). “I hope you live a Spartan life,” I told him. “For that to work, you’ll have no heating, cooling, or appliances – and very little lighting.”