Solar Fun - Power from the Tower

Eric Lu

Atholton High School

Many species of animals may become extinct on Earth by 2050 because of global warming. Sure, “conservation” could help save energy and hence emissions on an individual basis, but perhaps solar energy - specifically CSP where sunlight is concentrated to produce electricity - would better suit the momentous task at hand to save the Earth. How can CSP costs compete with fossil fuels for use though? Surely, few would want to pay a $10 premium each month for solar energy. This presentation offers insight not only to CSP methods such as the soaring solar tower, but also a glance into the scale of engineering behind the construction and the technological aspects of developing an efficient method of optimizing sun-tracking algorithm code (software) to reduce energy costs.