August 6 2008

The Physics-Sun: A Solar Laser in Uzbekistan

A few machines are stunningly beautiful. Some because of their function. Some because of their scale. Some because of their materiality. Some because of their purity of design.

The physics-sun solar laser in Uzbekistan is one of those beautiful machines. The 40 meter tall machine uses 62 large individually controllable mirrors arrayed in a concave shape to collect radiant solar energy. Each mirror tracks the sun's path through the sky to create a predictable and sustained level of energy. Temperatures at the center of the eight story collection tower reach approximately 3000°C and surpass 1 million watts of radiant energy. The high temperatures make possible a wide variety of scientific experiments, especially those related to material science.

The physics-sun is located at a very high altitude in the Tian-Shan mountains some 45 km outside of the city of Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The air at that altitude is clear and clear of many particulates that are present at lower altitudes. Photons also pass through a thinner layer of atmosphere to get to this point so are more plentiful. Development of the device was a collaboration between the Uzbek Academy of Science Institute of Materials Science and the Institute of Nuclear Physics.

Interestingly, designers of the physics-sun project predict that its development will help solve problems related to building earth orbiting solar power collector stations. Cost prohibitive at this point, orbiting solar stations could one day supply a limitless amount of energy and it is hoped that building this machine here on earth will inform design of future solar collectors elsewhere. It should be noted that, in space, solar radiant energy is between 1.5-2 times stronger than anywhere on earth.

Designers have always looked to machines for inspiration or at least allowed technology and material development to affect the expression of architectural vision. I don't want to suggest that the Physics-Sun can be translated into an occupied space, but the clarity of purpose, the simple materiality, the dependence on and amplification of natural elements all describe philosophies I value in building design. Maybe there is something sustainable designers can learn from a high powered solar laser in a remote mountain village of Uzbekistan.

Via Ecotecnologia. For more information please visit the original article.

August 6th, 2008 at 2:13 AM. Posted in Industry + Practice. Share this post.