this post was submitted on 07 Dec 2023
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[–] [email protected] 95 points 11 months ago (2 children)

researchers designed a model that could generate 753 MWh of energy annually. That's enough to power roughly 753 homes for about five weeks

Why can't the writers of these articles make useful comparisons? Can they just not do basic math? Each tower can generate enough electricity for about 72 homes... period. Just say that. No apples and oranges required.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 11 months ago (1 children)

because saying you'd need to build a power plant for every 72 homes would not make the technology very attractive

[–] [email protected] 20 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Power plants that are insufficient for powering a single home are quite popular right now

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

cries in ITER

[–] [email protected] 25 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Right. Like damn, get real. We gonna have 50-story towers decorating the landscape for every 73 homes?? It doesn't even make sense for extremely remote and impoverished locations due to the amount of materials it needs (cost).

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Exactly. If you're going to build an incredibly tall structure to generate power in the desert, wind makes much more sense.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago
[–] [email protected] 34 points 11 months ago (2 children)

The TTSS works out efficiently in a hot, dry climate. [...] researchers also note that reliance on a continuous supply of large quantities of water is an issue that needs to be addressed.

These two things don't really add up.

I suppose you could feed it with saltwater if you're on the coast, but there's a reason why you don't pump that stuff around unless you really have to.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

I missed the part where they pump water up to generate power from the downdraft (of cooled air). I don't want to shit on cool ideas. Maaaaybe there's are range of parameters where this works, but I'm holding my breath.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

All these pseudo innovations because challenging consumerism and capitalism is not even an afterthought. The size of this shit...