By 2015, an Australian company named EnviroMission plans to erect a massive solar tower in Arizona – at roughly 2625 feet tall, more than twice as high as the Empire State Building.

Its 200-megawatt power generation capacity will reliably feed the grid with enough electricity for 150,000 U.S. homes for about 80 years, with no maintenance. No kidding.

This will be EnviroMission’s first full-scale tower. A “solar tower“ – sometimes referred to as a “solar chimney“ or ”solar updraft tower“ – is a solar thermal power plant that comprises three components:

• A translucent greenhouse collector at the base of the tower, through which air is collected and then heated by the sun;
• A lofty tower, which creates a strong updraft for the heated air;
• Turbines, which transform the energy from the heat and pressure of the rising air into mechanical power that drives the generator and produces electricity.

The company is in the process of land acquisition and site-specific engineering, according to Gizmag. Construction will begin in 2012.The desert land on which EnviroMission will build is in Arizona’s La Paz County. The company originally planned to build in its home country of Australia, but eventually decided to go with the United States because of the number of available renewable-energy incentives in place.

The project cost will be $750 million, but the company projects that the purchase price will be repaid in 11 years. The Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) has already signed a 30-year agreement with the Australian company to purchase power.

Faithful+Gould – a North America-based construction, consulting, and program management company with such worldwide credits as the New York World Trade Center Redevelopment and Burj Al Arab in Dubai – was selected by EnviroMission to provide local project management for the solar tower.

EnviroMission CEO Roger Davey said, “Faithful+Gould will provide vital local expertise and services for solar tower development that will meet the terms of delivery of EnviroMission’s power purchase agreement with the Southern California Public Power Authority.”

Faithful+Gould Technical Director Adrian Smith stated, “The Solar Tower is a fabulous example of innovation driving sustainable solutions in the energy marketplace, and is a perfect match with Faithful+Gould’s deeply rooted passion for sustainability in design.”

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.