Ann: Appendix 3B, page-32

There are no high pressures but there are pressures. There is a slightly lower air pressure under the collector canopy compared to the air above the collector. This pressure difference would increase towards the tower. This is one reason the canopy should be reasonably air tight, to stop outside air from leaking into the collector.

Of greater concern may be the effect of wind on both the windward and lee side of the collector. The collector is about 6 stores high by the time it reaches the tower. Wind would put a drag force on the collector as it flows across it. I assume this would be tested using wind tunnels to determine what happens around the tower under strong winds.


I doubt there is an optimum size combination for the tower. It would depend on the relative cost of building the collector and the tower.

It would be nice if there was experimental results. Perhaps a 3 Megawatt 400m tower with just one turbine and a wedge shaped part of the 200MW collector.