The Spanish Power Tower No, it's not someone's Porn nickname, it's the future of solar energy, and it's happening now... Europe has gained a new source of renewable energy with the inauguration of the continent's first-ever "power tower" at the centre of a field of mirrors near the southern Spanish town of Sanlúcar la Mayor. The 115-metre-high tower (377ft) is the key element in what is being hailed as the world's first-ever commercial power tower plant. Rings of huge mirrors laid out around it reflect and focus the sun's power, beaming it back up to the top of the tower where the intense heat is absorbed and transmitted to a steam-driven generator. Read It: The power tower will produce enough energy to power an estimated 6,000 homes. When I was young, the conventional wisdom was that wind, solar, and geothermal energy could only meet the tiniest fraction of our energy needs. People who installed solar panels and windmills were considered crackpots and hippies. As the world moves toward intractable conflict over finite resources, the smart money will move toward renewables.