Ciudad Sinergia: a production and research facility in the southwestern United States for electrical power and fresh water, and for processing burnable waste, without the use of nuclear fission, coal or oil

Abstract

This invention provides for a production and research facility, which can be known as Ciudad Sinergia, for solving three problems confronting the United States: the need for safe, clean sources of electrical power; the need for adequate supplies of fresh water in arid regions; and the need to dispose of combustible waste in a responsible manner. A synergistic solution to these problems is provided, without the use of nuclear fission, coal or oil. Electrical power is produced by a variety of methods concurrently, including steam turbine-generators, wind turbines, solar cells and collectors, biomass, geothermal and other sources. Burnable trash is provided by cities. Fresh water is produced from desalination plants on the coasts powered by the facility and piped to a man-made lake located at the facility and into the Colorado River. Ciudad Sinergia provides for an emergency source of electrical power and fresh water to California in the event of a major earthquake.

Description

REFERENCES CITED

• 1. “Wind Power Today” U.S. Department of Energy, DOE/GO 102007-2424, May 2007.
• 2. “Power Reactors by Nation”, Nuclear News, American Nuclear Society, March 2013, p. 69.
• 3. “Strategic Plan”, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Legacy Management, May 2007, DOE/LM-1458.
• 4. Covanta Energy Corporation, 40 Lane Road, Fairfield, N.J. 07004.
• 5. National Sustainable Design Expo, Apr. 24-25, 2010, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
• 6. Preliminary National Rail Plan, Federal Railroad Administration, October 2009, U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Washington, D.C. 20590.
• 7. “Water, Our Thirsty World”’ National Geographic Society, A Special Issue, April 2010, Washington, D.C.
• 8. The University of Oklahoma College of Agriculture Sustainable Building Program, Earth Day on the National Mall, April 2012, Washington, D.C.
• 9. “U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2009”, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, National Mall, Washington, D.C., October 2009.
• 10. Mark's Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers, 8th Ed. McGraw-Hill Book Co., Chap. 9.

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

• 2011/0095538 Tabe
• 2010/0244450 Tabe
• 2010/0251789 Baird
• 2007/0028769 Eplee, et al
• 2005/0029174 Collins
• 2005/0016906 Gettman
• U.S. Pat. No. 7,836,695 Lazzara, et al
• U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,714 Duesel, et al
• U.S. Pat. No. 7,825,327 Johnson, et al
• U.S. Pat. No. 7,735,323 Bennett
• U.S. Pat. No. 7,777,363 Wang, et al
• U.S. Pat. No. 7,744,671 Ouellette
• U.S. Pat. No. 7,744,760 Wilkins, et al
• U.S. Pat. No. 7,753,122 Curlett
• U.S. Pat. No. 7,735,325 Ruggieri, et al

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides for a production and research facility, which can be known as Ciudad Sinergia, for solving three problems confronting the United States: the need for safe, clean sources of electrical power; the need for adequate supplies of fresh water in arid regions; and the need to dispose of combustible waste in a responsible manner. A synergistic solution to these problems is provided, without the use of nuclear fission, coal or oil. Electrical power is produced by a variety of methods concurrently, including steam turbine-generators, wind turbines, solar cells and collectors, biomass, geothermal and other sources which may be developed. Burnable trash is provided by cities. Fresh water is produced from desalination plants on the coasts powered by the facility and piped to a man-made lake located at the facility used as a reservoir and for recreational purposes, and into the Colorado River to replenish its flow. Ciudad Sinergia provides for an emergency source of electrical power and fresh water to California in the event that a major earthquake, predicted to occur with almost certainty, disrupts that state's electrical power and fresh water resources.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Three on-going problems confronting the United States, as well as other nations, are (1) the need for safe, clean, renewable sources of electrical power; (2) the need for adequate supplies of fresh water in arid regions; and (3) the need to dispose of trash in a responsible manner. Furthermore, the state of California, predicted with almost certainty to experience a major earthquake, is likely to have its electrical power and water resources severely interrupted and will need emergency sources of these utilities. Each of these problems is formidable in its own right and, as presently being addressed, each is being solved in a less than optimum manner, and in some ways using approaches which place our nation at great risk now and for the foreseeable future.

The sources currently being used to supply our nation's electrical needs are presented in Table 1 (Reference 1):

TABLE 1
Sources of Electrical Power in the United Sates (Ref. 1)
Coal                  48.5%
Natural Gas           20.5
Nuclear fission       19.2
Hydroelectric, solar, 11.2
petroleum, etc.
Wind                  0.7

The total electrical power requirement for the United States is estimated to be 16.25 terawatts (16,250,000 MW).

Fears that CO₂ emissions from coal-fired plants are making a significant contribution to global warming indicate that coal may no longer play the dominant role in meeting our electrical power needs. Our oil reserves are not adequate to supply all of our nation's needs and importing foreign oil is both costly and risky. Furthermore, both coal and petroleum are far too valuable for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, textiles and other products beneficial to our society to be converted to fuels and burned in boilers and engines polluting the atmosphere. When these legacies are gone, will we have anything to replace them?

The extraordinary dangers associated with nuclear power plants render this source unacceptable, even though President Barack Obama and Dr. Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy, have stated publically the intention of our government to build 50,000 megawatts of nuclear power plants, either as fifty one-thousand megawatt plants or perhaps as 150 plants one-third that size in order to reduce the initial capital costs and speed up approvals and construction using mass production techniques. We now have 103 one-thousand megawatt plants in operation with a total power output of 103,198.3 MWe, with ten units forthcoming (Ref. 2).

It is practically impossible to protect all nuclear power plants from terrorist attacks or from acts by individuals who may become deranged and commit acts of sabotage within these plants, or from manufacturing defects, or mismanagement. In time of war, our Nation would be extremely vulnerable because of the presence of these facilities and because of the vulnerability of the storage pools located adjacent to these plants in which the highly radioactive fuel elements are stored temporarily to cool down thermally and radioactively before being shipped to reprocessing centers. If the planes which hit the Twin Towers during the 9-11 event had instead struck the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant located near the West Point Military Academy, it is possible (likely?) that the radioactive debris would have contaminated the immediate area and, either through winds or the Hudson River, have made its way to New York City, rendering parts of it uninhabitable for hundreds of years and causing immediate and long-term deaths in the thousands. The genetic damage would have been inestimable. The events at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fuchishima may be forewarnings of many more such events to come, of even greater severity.

The consequences of such events are unacceptable to our nation: consequently, the risks for such events to occur should be reduced to zero, or nearly so, since we are already past our ability to eliminate the risk entirely. We should be taking steps to phase out nuclear power plants in a safe and orderly manner and not continue to add to the legacy of shame we are bestowing upon our future generations and our planet. It is hoped that this invention will help meet that responsibility.

Our cities and communities create enormous amounts of waste, much of which is disposed of in landfields and dumped at sea, both undesirable and self-destructive solutions to the problem because of their impact on our environment. Wood, rags, paper and other combustibles are sources of heat for thermal turbine-generator plants. Some communities are operating such facilities and at least one major industrial corporation is providing such service profitably (Ref. 4).

Estimates are that refuse fuel could provide as much as 80% of our electrical needs, if properly harnessed (Ref. 4). Such fuel, which can include biomass substances from which methane can be extracted (Ref. 5), can be processed in local communities for transportation via high-speed rail to Ciudad Sinergias to be used as fuel in large turbine-generator plants. Such a rail system is already under consideration by our government (Reg. 6).

Similar estimates for solar and geothermal sources have yielded equally optimistic projections. And it is difficult to imagine what future research might bring in this area, if a proper facility is provided to support the effort. It is a purpose of Ciudad Sinergia to make such effort feasible, but unlike our national laboratories, such as Los Alamos and Oak Ridge, Ciudad Sinergia should become an economically self-sustaining enterprise.

Providing adequate fresh water to our nation is becoming increasingly more difficult as population and technology expand and this problem is faced by other nations, as well. It is anticipated that the future may bring wars over water rights (Ref. 7). The technology of Ciudad Sinergia, once developed, can be exported.

The once mighty Colorado and Rio Grande Rivers are now only trickles at their mouths due to overuse and the aquifers beneath them are being rapidly depleted (Ref. 7). The Colorado River flows through the Grand Canyon, a national treasure. Replenishing these legacies would provide a major economic and sociological benefit to the communities served by them and to our nation. The Mexican government would likely welcome cooperation with our government in constructing a desalination plant on the Gulf of California knowing that the flow at the mouth of the Colorado River would be enhanced.

Solving three critical problems (providing electrical power to our nation in an environmentally safe manner, providing fresh water to arid regions, and properly disposing of trash) in a synergistically way can turn each of these activities, each of which is presently very costly and not being addressed in a satisfactory way, into an enterprise which is both economically and sociologically profitable. Furthermore, providing an emergency source of electrical power and water to California, which produces fully one-half of our country's fruits, nuts and vegetables (Ref. 7), could prove to be vital to maintaining the position of leadership the United States now enjoys in world affairs in the event that a calamity strikes California, in addition to providing aid and comfort to the residents of that state.

Ciudad Sinergia can be a source of employment opportunities for workers of all levels of academic backgrounds, talents and skills. A prototype facility can be developed rather quickly from which problems can be identified and lessons learned as the planning and construction preliminaries are underway for a much larger facility. Such cities can become man-made oases in areas of our country presently largely uninhabitable and not productive, while enhancing the environment in which they are located.

The electrical output of the prototype is intended to be 1000 MWe, equal to that of a large nuclear power plant.

A major health problem developing in our electronically-based society, possibly due to the dramatic increase in the density of electromagnetic radiation, is an increase in the number of cases of Alzheimers disease and a decrease in the age at which this affliction occurs. Although these effects are not as yet fully defined, prudence dictates that exposure to e-m energy be minimized. For this reason, as well as esthetics, all electrical lines are to placed underground or shielded, or both. Ciudad Sinergia is to be a desirable and healthful place in which to raise a family, perform challenging, meaningful and productive work, and enjoy life to the fullest.

Although no patents were found encompassing the full scope of this invention, patents have been granted which encompass various aspects of it which might be incorporated into the operation of Ciudad Sinergia since the facility is intended, in part, to be a research facility in which new approaches to problems are to evaluated.

Baird (2010/9251789) presents a global warming mitigation method which requires cooperation among virtually all nations in a scheme to reduce climate change effects by sequestering carbon dioxide and water in desert environments. If it proves to be practicable, it would demonstrate that nations can cooperate globally in energy related matters, suggesting that a desalination plant on the Gulf of California, specified in the present invention, could be achievable. However, the invention by Baird does not replace Ciudad Sinergia.

Eplee, et al (2007/0028769) present an apparatus for producing potable water from air even in hot and arid climates, using a sorption-desorption-condensation cycle in a thermodynamic system powered by electricity. Such a system might prove useful in Ciudad Sinergia to produce fresh water for residents and as a back-up for the desalination plants, but does not replace the present invention.

Collins (2005/0029174) presents a self-contained sewage treatment plant which converts sewage/waste water into solid organic material and drinking water, while generating electricity. Her field sanitation generator might provide a valuable contribution in the initial phases of the present invention, but does not replace it.

Similarly, Gettman (2005/0016906) also presents a mobile field electrical supply system, with desalination and water purification components. Such a system could be valuable in the construction of Ciudad Sinergias and as an emergency back-up system when the facilities are operational, but does replace the current invention.

Lazzara, et al (U.S. Pat. No. 7,836,695/2010) present a solar energy system using a steam turbine with electrical power output, making use of heated air collectors. If this system proves to have advantages over existing solar energy systems, it may be incorporated into the present invention, but does not replace it.

Duesal, et al (U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,714/2010) present a submerged gas evaporator for desalination of water containing salts or other dissolved solids. The inventor claims this system is less expensive to operate and is easier to maintain than other systems. If proved to be so, it could be beneficial to Ciudad Sinergia, but does not replace the current invention.

Johnson and Leeds (U.S. Pat. No. 7,825,327/2010) present a new solar energy collector for use in photovoltaic systems. Ciudad Sinergia makes extensive use of solar cells for the direct production of electricity, consequently this invention might contribute to the present invention, but does not replace it.

Similarly, Bennett (U.S. Pat. No. 7,735,323/2010) also presents a solar thermal power system (see 022). However, his system features an inclined elongated boiler positioned in the focus of a solar concentrator for generating steam from water. The inventor claims that this system dampens out the effects of solar transients and flow instabilities in the boiler tube, and provides for thermal energy storage. These advantages could make a contribution to the present invention, but this invention does not replace it.

Wang and Lin (U.S. Pat. No. 7,777,373/2010) present a uniquely designed wind power system which operates continuously and stably to generate power even when wind speed changes. This results in improved power generation efficiency. Wind power is a significant contributor to the present invention and this invention might prove to be a valuable contributor to it, but does not replace it.

Ouelette (U.S. Pat. No. 7,744,671/2010) presents an improved method for using the renewable heat energy produced by microbial decomposition of organic biomass within a controlled environment. This heat might prove useful to Ciudad Sinergia by providing heat for residences, greenhouses, and other buildings, or as a preheater for fluids used in the turbine-generator systems, but does not replace the current invention.

Wilkins, Jha and Ganzi (U.S. Pat. No. 7,744,760/2010) present a method and apparatus for purifying sea water using a filter and an electro-deionization system. If this system proves to be more efficient and effective over existing systems using reverse osmosis or flash vaporization, it could be a contributor to the present invention, but does not replace it.

Curlett (U.S. Pat. No. 7,753,122/2010) presents a system for using thermal energy from rock formations in order to develop deep thermal reservoirs. If this system is more effective than the current method using closed liquid circulation systems with turbine generators, it could be a contributor to the present invention, but does not replace it.

Tabe (0095538/2011) presents an enclosed wind and hydro power plant which the inventor claims generates wind even when there is no environmental wind to operate his enclosed turbine assembly. This invention might be of benefit to enhance the electrical power produced by wind in Ciudad Sinergia, but does not replace the current invention.

An extensive network of pipelines traverses the United States carrying oil. Deep concerns exist about the integrity of these pipelines because of the possible contamination of rivers, streams and aquifers in the event of ruptures. However, pipes carrying desalinated water from the coasts to Ciudad Sinergias pose no such danger.

Although the prototype Ciudad Sinergia is to be a production facility, it is also a research facility in which its scientists, engineers and technicians will develop the most effective methods for producing electricity, providing fresh water to arid regions, and processing combustible waste for the benefit of future Ciudad Sinergias, our nation and others. It is a basic principle that Ciudad Sinergias will cause no harm to the environment. All effluents from its operations, solid, liquid, or gas, are to be recycled, in so far as it is possible to do so, or used for other useful purpose, or disposed of in an environmentally safe manner.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Location of the Prototype Ciudad Sinergia

FIG. 1 is a sketch of the United States featuring our major rivers. The prototype Ciudad Sinergia could be located at several sites in the southwest. However, the Colorado River is in dire need of replenishment and California needs an emergency supply of electrical power and water. The Colorado River is being drained, in part, by the Colorado River Aquaduct and the All-American Canal in the southern part of California at a rate which does not permit adequate make-up from snow, rain and springs (Ref. 7). In fact, its aquifer is being drained at such an alarming rate that it could lead to an economic disaster for the state and serious harm to the United States, as previously noted.

California ranks third in area among our fifty states, with 4% of the total area of the USA. However, it has about 12% of our population (about 37 million), and twenty million more residents are expected by 2050 (Ref. 7). It has had an ongoing problem with providing adequate fresh water for its people and its enterprises. In addition to the aquaduct and canal draining the Colorado River, it has a desalination plant at Carlsbad producing 50 million gallons of fresh water daily and is constructing nineteen more plants. It also has an extensive system or internal aquaducts and canals, which could be seriously damaged or destroyed in the event of a major earthquake, expected to occur with high probability.

California has four nuclear power plants providing electrical power. Two units at Diablo Canyon produce 2300 MWe; two units at San Onofre produce about 2100 MWe (Ref. 2). In the event of a major earthquake, it is possible that one or more of these units could be severely damaged and not be reparable because of high level radioactive contamination, as has occurred at Fukushima, Japan.

California must also dispose of its waste. This burden could be turned into an asset by transporting its combustible components to Ciudad Sinergia for use in its turbines to produce electrical power, available to California in the event of an emergency.

Overview of the Power Facility

FIG. 2 presents a summary of the major aspects of Ciudad Sinergia. Electrical power is produced by a variety of methods, including steam-generator turbines using combustible waste, solar-thermal collectors, geothermal sources, biomass, and possibly others developed from research activities. Electrical power is also produced from solar-voltaic cells and wind turbines. This variety of energy sources ensures that a continuous supply of power is maintained even at night or when the winds are low.

Fresh water is required for the population, for the power facilities and to add to the Colorado River and its aquifer as a step towards eliminating the need for California to drain the river. The lessons learned from the prototype facility can be used to design additional, even larger city facilities, necessary to stop drainage of the river and allow natural sources to replenish its flow and its aquifer. Until this condition is reached, most of the fresh water will have to be supplied from desalination plants constructed on the coast of California or the Gulf of California for this purpose. These desalination plants can be powered locally through solar cells or wind turbines, backed up by power from the city facility. Saline water from the desalination plants can be dispersed at sea over broad enough areas to minimize damage to sea life.

Combustible waste from cities is to be pre-processed at collection sites and put into a form suitable for transportation by truck or rail to be burned in the boilers at Ciudad Sinergia. The residue from the burning can be used to make construction materials for use in building the city facility and its successors (Ref. 8).

FIG. 3 is a schematic of a simple turbine-generator power plant. Such plants, with additional equipment to improve their efficiencies, can produce as much as 1000 MWe at an efficiency of about 33% by converting heat energy to mechanical energy using steam in a closed system. Heat is generated in the boiler (1) by burning combustible waste in this application, or from solar-thermal collectors, or geothermal sources, known to exist in California and other areas in the west. High energy steam flows from the boiler to the steam turbine (2), where it loses most of its energy driving turbine blades connected to the shaft of an electrical generator (3). To complete the cycle, it is necessary to condense the steam to water (4) for efficient pumping (5) to be returned to the boiler to complete the cycle. Heat is removed from the used steam in the condenser (4) by flowing water through tubes inside the condenser. This heated water transfers its heat to a large heat sink, which is either a river, cooling tower, or spray pond under usual circumstances. For this application, a lake is created which is being continuously fed from the desalination plants and bled into the Colorado River. (See FIGS. 4 and 5.) This lake is provided also for recreational use by the residents of Ciudad Sinergia.

FIG. 4 is a schematic of the power facility. Four boilers (B1-B4) are shown for burning waste, to represent thermal solar-collectors, for a geothermal source, and for a biomass source. Each boiler has a corresponding turbine-generator (T-G), pump (P), condenser (C), and valves (V). The piping system is designed to allow cross-connections for flexibility and maintenance. a-c power from the turbine generators is connected in parallel, shown at the top of the diagram.

Solar cells (10) cover the man-made lake and most of the city, on elevated supports (Ref. 9). These panels provide shade for the lake to reduce evaporation and improve its use as a recreational facility. A dc-to-ac converter (8) changes the output from the solar cells to a form suitable for standard electrical equipment and transmission elsewhere.

P1-P4 are condensate pumps for the turbines. P5 pumps fresh water from the desalination plant (9) located on the coast.

Part of the fresh water and electrical power is provided for the use of the estimated ten thousand residents of the facility. (14).

Layout of the Prototype Ciudad Sinergia

FIG. 5 is a schematic of one possible physical layout for the city facility. Solar cells, covering most of the area on elevated supports, are not depicted, for clarity. The city facility is 4.5 kM×4.5 kM (5000 acres), located adjacent to the Colorado River. Population density for the facility is 494 people per square kilometer. (For comparison, the city of Washington, D.C. has a population density of about 35 people per square kilometer.)

Surveys of the area are to be taken prior to construction to determine chemical, radiological and electromagnetic hazard levels for comparison before and after the facility is operational.

RAI, II, III (5) are residential areas, which may be individual houses, apartments or areas for motor homes. These units are to use all practicable means to be completely energy self-sufficient, including solar collectors for hot water, solar cells, heat pumps and insulation. Gardening is to be encouraged and space for parks and recreational areas is copiously provided. A water tank provides pressure for the facility's water supply (8).

A large man-made lake is located near the center of the city-facility (6), enclosed by trees and other foliage. It acts as a heat sink for the power plants and as an attractive recreational facility for the families. Shaped roughly as an ellipse about 100M×515M, it has an average depth of about 3.1 M. (Volume is about 132 million gallons; area is about 40 acres.) A desalination plant, such as constructed at Carlsbad, Calif., having an output of fifty million gallons per day could fill the lake in less than a month. Pipes to bring fresh water into and out of the lake are shown as dashed lines.

A building for municipal offices, school classrooms, security, and medical facilities is shown at (9). Railroad tracks are illustrated by (10). Roads are not shown to keep the schematic simple. Municipal sewage facilities are represented by (11).

Quantitative Estimates

The average discharge of the Colorado River is about 130,000 gallons per second (11,200 million gallons per day), at its desirable level. If ¾ of the flow is lost, then about 8,400 million gallons per day must be provided. A single desalination plant of 50 million gallons per day would not meet the need. However, 200 such plants could provide 10,000 million gallons per day, enough to meet the needs of the river and provide excess for replenishing the aquifer.

There are thousands of miles of oil and gas pipelines crisscrossing the USA, with pumping stations. It is not unreasonable to expect the equivalent of 200 desalination plants of the size of the Carlsbad unit to be constructed for the purpose of providing emergency water and electrical power to California and restoring a national treasure.

Water load for Ciudad Sinergia is estimated to be about one million gallons per day, assuming each individual requires about 100 gallons per day. The electrical load for the residents is about 33 MWe, assuming that three people live in each residence and each residence uses about 10 kWe (Ref. 9). However, each of these residences is expected to produce more energy, electrical and thermal, than it consumes, with the excess being sold to the production facility. The electrical power would enter the grid; the thermal energy would preheat water going into the boilers or be used for civic purposes.

Electrical power expected from burning combustible waste is about 114 mWe, estimated as follows. There are 250 million tons of trash buried in the USA each year, which could produce 100 million megawatt-hours of electricity (Ref. 4). Assume that California produces 10% of this and that 10% of California's waste is burned in Ciudad Sinergia. Therefore,

$\frac{\left(\mathrm{.01}\right)\times 100\mathrm{mWeHr}}{365\times 24\mathrm{Hr}}=114\mathrm{mWe}$

Electrical power expected from solar cells is about 544 mWe, estimated as follows: power factor for solar cells is about 1 kW per square meter (Reference 10). The city facility has an area of 20.25 square kilometers. The maximum power, using panels covering the entire area, is 2177 mWe d.c.. Assume that only ½ of the city is covered and that a factor of 2 accounts for darkness. The power produced is about ½×½×2177.0=544 mWe.

Electrical power from solar collectors is estimated to be about 280 mWe, as follows. The solar constant is 1.4 kW per square meter (Ref. 10). Assume that 10% of the area of the facility is covered by collectors (2 million square meters). This yields a heat input of 2800 mW thermal. With an efficiency of only 10%, 280 mWe is realized.

Geothermal energy can be a significant source of heat in this region; however, an estimate for this source is not available. A value of 10 mWe is assumed.

The total electrical power from burning waste, solar cells, solar collectors and geothermal sources is estimated to be about 114+544+280+10=938 mWe. This does not include contributions from wind turbines, biomass generators, or other sources which may be developed. Nor does it include improved efficiencies in the methods discussed in the literature review. It seems plausible that a goal of 1000 mWe can be met.

Ciudad Sinergia can fulfill its objectives of providing electrical power and fresh water for replenishing the Colorado river, while acting as an emergency source for California in the event of a major disaster, without relying upon nuclear fission, coal or oil. This invention can also help relieve the burden of waste accumulation now facing our cities and create career opportunities for engineers, scientists and technicians in a stimulating and highly useful environment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1. Potential locations in the southwestern United States for Ciudad Sinergia, a production facility for providing fresh water and electrical power and for processing combustible waste.

FIG. 2. Characteristics of Ciudad Sinergia.

FIG. 3. Schematic of steam generator electrical power system.

FIG. 4. Schematic of power facilities for Coudad Sinergia.

FIG. 5. Schematic of Ciudad Sinergia: solar cells, not depicted, cover most of the 4.5 KM×4.5 KM area.

Claims

1. This invention provides for a production and research facility, which can be known as Ciudad Sinergia, to help solve three problems confronting the United States: the need for fresh water in arid regions to replenish rivers and aquifers now being rapidly depleted; the need for electrical power produced from environmentally safe sources; and the need to dispose of burnable trash from our cities in a productive and environmentally safe manner; without the use of nuclear fission, coal or oil.

2. This invention further provides that the facility of claim (1) is comprised of various means for producing electrical power, including solar cells and solar collectors, wind turbines, steam-generator turbines, biomass and geothermal sources, as well as other sources which may be developed from research programs, in order to provide power to desalination plants located on the coast of California or the Gulf of California to supply fresh water to Ciudad Sinergia for its civic functions, to maintain a proper level for a lake created in Ciudad Sinergia to act as a reservoir and for recreational purposes for the engineers, scientists, technicians and their families who will operate and maintain the facilities to have a healthy environment in which to live and work, and to provide flow into the Colorado River to replenish its flow.

3. This invention further provides that the facility of claims (1) and (2) also provide for an emergency source of electrical power and fresh water to the State of California in the event that a major earthquake, predicted to occur with almost certainty, disrupts that state's water and electrical power sources.