This paper presents the concept for a composting waste-to-heat recovery facility using a solar chimney. The project illustrates the concept of using compost waste heat to power generators (turbines) housed in the chimney of a solar tower. The proposed facility is 24 +/acre (where +/can be adjusted to accommodate the community waste disposal needs) sized commercial composting facility which can potentially be used to power a small community. This paper presents the design and fabrication of a solar chimney power plant (SCPP) compost waste heat to energy facility, and an economic analysis of the full scale working SCPP, factoring in the renewable energy, composting, recycling (waste management) and infra-structure sustainability aspects of the project. This paper also presents a cost estimate for construction of the proposed facility. Particular topic areas addressed by this research include the following: municipal waste management, sustainable designs of civil engineering projects, use of recycled materials, planning and implementation of mega projects, compost engineering, and renewable energy. The SCPP has the potential of generating in excess of 100 MW annually. The cost estimate for building the hybrid SCPP is $156.4M and the SCPP facility has the potential of providing $90M+/annually in revenue.

This paper presents the design of a Compost Waste Heat to Energy Recovery Hybrid Solar Chimney Power Plant (SCPP). The project illustrates the concept of using compost waste heat to power generators housed in the SCPP. The design of the Hybrid Compost Waste Heat to Energy Recovery Hybrid Solar Chimney Power Plant is based on a full-scale 24 acre facility which can accommodate a community waste disposal needs. This paper presents the design and fabrication of the SCPP, followed by a building construction estimate for the project, and concludes with an economic analysis of the SCPP, factoring in the renewable energy, composting, recycling (waste management) and infra-structure sustainability aspects of the project. The proposed 24 acre hybrid SCPP facility has the potential of generating 100 MW with 83 M$ in revenue annually. The engineering construction cost estimate for fabrication of the SCPP is found to be 156 M$. The total cost per unit of energy produced for the SCPP is 0.62 US $ / kWh (0.56 € / kWh).