Solar tower of power shows benefits of vertical installations

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From pv magazine USA

A solar tower capable of withstanding Category 1 hurricane winds (120 kmh to 153 kmh) has been shown to be commercially viable. Three Sixty Solar, a Canadian commercial and utility-scale solar developer, published a white paper this week that provides background on the solar tower’s initial 16 months in operation.

The British Columbia-based company has indicated that each of its early-stage towers can produce up to 250 kW of clean energy, while future towers could be installed at multiple megawatts of power capacity in grid applications. The company installed the Solar Tower demonstration project in October 2021, and reported that installation took place in five working days using a bucket-lift crane to handle mounting systems.

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Following an early autumn storm that brought strong winds and several days of extreme rain and wind gusts in November 2021, the developer reported no damage to the Solar Tower. Many in the nearby community of Kelowna, British Columbia, were without power and closed schools for a matter of days. The PV panels were inspected and remained firmly intact and the tower structure remained in as-built condition.

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