Canadian Arctic Waters Threatened
Author: Kenny Hawley
Date: 04/26/2005 10:11 PM
SOLAR POWER IDEA
My original ideas,going back some years, for harnessing the sun for
"alternative energy" focused originally on building a "solar
energy" project in the State of Nevada USA.
What I thought could be achieved there were a number of things - the first
being : (1) Using solar energy to bring more drinkable and irrigation
"water" to that desert region and (2) to create electrical energy
as a "by-product" of making more "drinkable" water! Of
course at this point in my letter this all sounds like some kind of fantasy
or half baked fiction. But as you'll see I didn't intend to "make
water" in the desert by any kind of "magic"!
Heres the crux of my idea: What I originally thought or imagined could be
done was to build a "pipe-line" from California - and pipe in
"sea water" from the Pacific Ocean (or waste (sewer) water from Los
Angeles etc.) to the deserts of California or Nevada (or Arizona).
The piped in sea water I imagined could be used in a "closed in" or
"covered" system - something like the massive
"green-house" of your Solar Tower Project or like a Big Glass
Bubble!
The sea water would be "heated" in this desert green-house by the
hot desert sun. This would have a number of "effects"!
One is that in the heating process "fresh desalinated water" would
"evaporate" up and out of the salty sea water.This
"de-salinated" water could be vaccumed off &
"collected" and used for drinking and irrigation purposes!
Secondly in this "closed" green-house system - the
"heated" sea water would produce a lot of "vapour" and
even "steam" (*with ground temperatures at 150 degrees farenheit in
Nevada in summer or even hotter in other world deserts,it could easily be
turned into steam) that could be collected and directed to turn an
"electricity producing" turbine!
(I envision building maybe a number of large shallow pools over areas of
hundreds or even thousands of acres. These pools would be covered over or
"sealed" in say a clear glass or plastic bubble or "cover"
that allows sunlight through to heat the water - also this plastic bubble or
cover would collect all the water "vapours" given off and direct or
channel them for use in (1) turning an electrical turbine and (2) would also
in the process - then direct some of the steam (or even the steam that
passes through the electrical turbines) to a cooling and
"precipitating" section which would turn these vapours back into a
source of fresh water! Part of the cold(er) sea water could aid in this
cooling process.
These desert sea water "pools" could be filled to any optimal
level, anywhere from inches to feet, where the sun's heat would have its
maximum effect. Also high, sun "reflectors" could be built around
these sea water pools to direct more of the sun's heat onto the sea
water,incr easing heat and speeding up evaporation.)*Theres a lot of little
details I've considered but that I'm not including at this time.
Thats my basic idea for making alternative "solar electrical power"
(and fresh water) by pumping sea-water and or waste water to the hot desert.
I've since imagined that this system could also work in the hot deserts of
California or Australia or the Sahara;Sudan etc.. The exact specifics of
building or engineering such a system is something that is beyond my
expertise - and I really don't know if it could work or if it would even be
feasible to do! (But I suspect it could!)
Also I have one further "alternative" use for this "solar sea
water" system and that is I considered that a large city - like say Los
Angeles California (or Las Vegas etc.) could build a pipe-line and pipe all
its waste or "sewer water" (which now goes into and pollutes the
Pacific Ocean) to the hot deserts of Nevada or California.There the waste or
sewer water could be put through this solar green-house and "fresh
water" could be evaporated off from the polluted sewage water and then
collected
and reused - if only for irrigation purposes!
Also the "vapours" or "steam" produced could be used to
turn a turbine to generate electricity and further the solid wastes that the
sun "dries out" from the sewage water could maybe be profitably
recycled?
Anyway thats it and thats all...so far!
I hope you will find some of this interesting
or intriguing and I would appreciate any critical comments you could offer
me!
Thanks Again
Ken Hawley
Vancouver B.C.
Canada V6A 1G