World's tallest Solar Tower under construction in Israel

The project is called Ashalim and the solar tower will be 240m (787ft) tall

The project is called Ashalim and the solar tower will be 240m (787ft) tall

The project is located in the Negev desert (in a field of 3.15 km²) and apart from the tower, it also consists of 50,000 computer-controlled mirrors. It is worth mentioning that the mirrors are connected via a wifi network and the lack of cables reduces the cost. When construction is completed, 121 MW of power could be produced (corresponding to 1% of Israel’s electric needs), providing electricity to 120,000 homes.

The project could help Israel meet its 2020 renewables goals, as up to now the country’s needs in energy are covered primarily from petroleum and other liquids. Megalim Solar Power Ltd (the joint venture of Brightsource Energy and Alstom) is behind Ashalim, together with shareholders such as General Electric.

The technology

Concentrated solar power (CSP) is a technology not widely applied because of its high cost. These kinds of projects have to be built in a relatively large area and only make economic sense on a greater scale.

The technology uses mirrors to concentrate the sun's rays onto a boiler atop the tower which will produce high temperatures at high pressures to feed a steam turbine to generate electricity.

Photo Credits: Brightsource Limited

Source: Ecowatch.com