Dubai Skyscraper that acts as a Power Plant

The 10MW Tower is a dazzling residential skyscraper proposed for a neighborhood in Dubai. But the tower isn't just a place to live; it's a renewable energy machine that would essentially act as a power plant.

The skyscraper is the brainchild of Pittsburgh-based architecture firm Studied Impact. The "MW" in the tower's name stands for megawatt. Studied Impact's co-founder Robert Ferry explains three systems in the tower – a horizontal access wind turbine, a concentrated solar power armature and a solar updraft tower about two-thirds of the way up the structure – would combine to create 10 megawatts of power.

Heliostatic mirrors that move to absorb sunlight would be installed on the south side of the building. The solar energy that passes through the windows hits the building's surface, which in turn creates more heat. That heat then travels up to a chimney outlet on the tower's spire. At that point, the warmer air clashes with the cooler air at the top of the tower, creating enough wind speed to turn the turbine's blades.

Ferry says the skyscraper would produce "10 times the amount of energy than its own demand load" allowing it to "contribute significantly to the power demand of the surrounding neighborhood." The surrounding neighborhood is a mix of shops, car dealerships and light industrial factories, which means the 10MW Tower wouldn't have to compete with other skyscrapers for access to the sun.

Source: www.weather.com

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