The Pearl River Tower: The Skyscraper That Generates Its Own Electricity | Megastructures | Spark

The Pearl River Tower at the southern tip of China is an incredible feat of engineering. Not only does this behemoth stand at 309.6 meters but it also generates all of its own electricity. This documentary looks at how this amazing building was made.
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[@mikemotorbike4283]

I rooted around looking for some case studies of the Pearl River Tower, which show the renewables actually make only about 10% of the building electricity: Biomass energy recovery @ 1.2 MW offsets 5% of monthly building energy- almost same as the Solar, which is also 5%. The Wind contributes further 3-5%, up to max 10%. The numbers differ but generally agreed wind NOT cost effective. The biggest contributor to saving energy is the novel fresh air delivery system. I don't know if they achieved their 40% energy reduction target. It was determined that the best way to save energy when designing is by employing more efficient systems.

[@jataro1]

As a solar power enthusiast, what brought me to this thread is the title which I think is misleading and untrue. Just looking at the building make me wonder how on earth can you generate its own electricity. Yes you have hit the button but more efficient system is about cutting down usage too.

[@dannydaw59]

They couldn't do net metering.

[@jataro1]

With their resources, no net metering means battery storage like off grid system. It wasn't mentioned because it will never be zero consumption.

[@pryder5943]

either way, they have done very well, by the way, what is your expertise apart from personal comment to make this statement. Sure you might have searched you tube, but in reality most arcticals are personal opinion only, just making clips to make money. No matter what these guys have achieved great results, even if not up to expected expeditions. I would say you are Arerican, brainwashed by your government to think China is bad

[@jataro1]

Like I've said what brought me to this video is the title of "generate its own electricity". Being in engineering my whole life and now building my own solar power system abide a small one now , I think the world need to know more of how to sustain green energy and even climate change. By the way I'm from SE Asia and my ancestors are from China.

[@swynty5767]

31:42 for the part u came for

[@vintageludwig]

Some heroes don't wear capes.

[@febilogi]

Thanks!

[@mtssman]

I watched it a few times but did not come, sorry.

[@bbailey4life]

Thank you❤

[@orionbetelgeuse1937]

I can't see how those tiny 4 turbines will produce too much electricity, maybe enough for the exterior lights. Also I can't see much use even for those solar panels. As I see in the video there is a thick fog (I suppose it's smog) and I don't think those panels will produce too much electricity until they will be covered with particles and produce even less until some connection oxidizes due to acid rain and then produce nothing then they will call some alpinists to repair them or not

[@dedomenici]

Construction of this tower started in 2006 and was completed in 2011, so some of the info in this doc is a decade or so out of date.

[@georgeprout42]

Trivial search, I found it on nzgeo. Published in 2009, "China's smart tower"

[@nntflow7058]

This documentary is old. It just got posted now.

[@kelvinfrank8881]

So🤔

[@Alex-zc8ds]

what info is out of date? even if its old documentary the information contained within that is essential to the structure building is still the same

[@imjody]

Ahh, I had a feeling... My guess was this was first aired in early 2000s, lol. Thanks for clarifying!

[@MicahBratt]

How things like this are possible to build is still amazing to me

[@MrSeadawg123]

Look at how long it took the empire state building. 13.5 months. Using 1930s technology!!

[@chrimony]

I knew "net zero" was a pipedream right from the beginning. Even if they had installed the gas turbines in the basement, that's not "net zero".

[@Nat_Ryder]

What strikes me most is the strive for achievement and success by ambitious, innovative and creative professionals like these architects, construction engineers and designers to fulfil their dreams and create marvels whenever, wherever they can. We must celebrate people like these. Great job.

[@Sovereign_Citizen_LEO]

The sheer size of this building and size of those steel beams is quite impressive, even exclusive of the height.

[@NeilHadynNicholson]

Human ingenuity, engineering and technology is really amazing.

[@robertbaico8484]

Many thanks for the the effort of creating of this building … it must have not been easy.

[@hakoniwatrain]

I believe many of these technologies were realized at the NEC headquarters building in Japan over 30 years ago. Of course, I think it has evolved since then.

[@iramunn9611]

Awesome structure, and excellent architecture, engineering, and execution by all the teams involved. This building is a predecessor to many forward-thinking structure to come.

[@vintageludwig]

This thing has the cross section of a prostate massager.

[@A-Milkdromeda-Laniakea-Hominid]

And it took this comment to inform me such a thing exists. I assume the massage is from the outside, given the curvature.

[@vintageludwig]

@@A-Milkdromeda-Laniakea-Hominid maybe on your first try. Such a thing is meant to be inserted.

[@A-Milkdromeda-Laniakea-Hominid]

@@vintageludwig Oh. What's with the sharp edges then? Maybe you meant the concave side and rounded top reminds of the cross section. Anyway I'm personally way too scared of stimulating a cancer with my luck. I leave it alone

[@EnnTomi1]

holy fk you just opened a door for me.

[@Noneofyourbiz123]

@36:45 It says safety first, but at 35:47 and 36:00 it shows 2 rodbusters on edge of building clearly not tied off. No OSHA there.

[@EugeneKee]

Agree. For them, life is cheap, maybe?

[@mderline4412]

@@EugeneKee Or the same problem as everywhere else, compliance! They are using netting...

[@Sovereign_Citizen_LEO]

Noticed that also.

[@EnnTomi1]

just look how clean those Harness, they only use it for videos. plus even that is wrong anyway, no shock Absorber Stretchable Lanyard. safety is not existed in china anyway.

[@drewx10]

A thought occurred to me a little while after watching this. The act of mining and processing the raw materials for steel, glass, and concrete along with the power and energy for construction of this massive building produced several hundred tons of CO2 and green house gasses. Is such an endeavor worth it when we are trying to limit our output. Couldn't we build smaller spaces that allow people to gather without the wasteful processes used here?

[@cjhsuliman13]

The revolutionary dynamic nature of this building is a testimony to the benefits of the engineering and testing process for both large and small scale construction projects. it is also a testimony to the excellent skilled labor force they have in china.

[@paulwassenaar8351]

The nature of a building is NOT a testimony to the skills of the labor force. Moreover, most techniques came from outside China, including the engineering and testing standards.

[@Sovereign_Citizen_LEO]

@@paulwassenaar8351 - Regardless (though true), the Chinese people are clearly massively talented and are proving their way to being a First World Nation and force to be reckoned with.

[@paulwassenaar8351]

@@Sovereign_Citizen_LEO 🤣🤣 Sure, the CCP is massively talented in faking it. Maybe you should check out some episodes of laowhy86 and serpentza.

[@icojb25]

well, as an aerodynamicist, sticking a couple (very small) VAWT's in those venturis is kind of a waste, so i guess this was mostly a gimmick. whats the point of building those slots and then sticking in a turbine which captures such a small subset of the flow?

[@AmyEugene]

When they showed the design of the vertical wind turbines I thought that meant they could fit multiple turbines in each opening. Maybe 4-6. I was surprised they only did one per opening, not even two. Is there some technical reason they couldn't do at least two? Either side by side, or one on the north end and one on the south end of the opening?

[@KamvaGwadiso]

@icojb25 so you think you are smarter than over 100 Engineers that worked on that building?

[@icojb25]

@@AmyEugene Turbomachinery is quite complex to design. The best configuration from a flow perspective would have been horizontal axis machine utilizing the full inlet flow (why waste any at all?). Of course, setting this up and supporting it, cantilevering a synchronous machine to generate the electricity etc off the edge of the building in this configuration would have been basically impossible (and visually ugly). So i guess they chose some small VAWT's to greenwash and make some sort of eco selling point. As to your specific question, no, generally one wouldnt want multiple machines in a (that) space. One large machine consuming all the streamlines is what you would want.

[@icojb25]

@@KamvaGwadiso Well I do have a PhD in turbomachinery aerothermodynamics, which i assume is more than you (from your bio, you seem to be an expert in 'deep trance" and music downloading) and i do design turbines all day long for a major aerospace company, so perhaps I am entitled to a couple small comments ... 🤔

[@KamvaGwadiso]

@@icojb25 I wasn't trying to be disrespectful, I was just asking and I'm currently furthering my studies in computers (currently learning software development ) and soon I will be enrolling in Computer Science and few years later get my PhD in Computer Science. Otherwise I wasn't going to write about my life in KZbin bio.

[@alexng704]

This is an old film. I used to live nearby of this site and watched this tower went up day by day. It was 12 years ago. Not sure if it's working as they claimed.

[@7000fps]

yes , the poster in one shot says 2010 !

[@Sovereign_Citizen_LEO]

@@7000fps - I believe it was completed in 2011/2012.

[@mashaguar]

Thanks!

[@ubermenschen3636]

@ 4:45 , fabricating curved box beam is a science and art. Hence, only special steel fabrication shop can meet the challenge. In fact USA has only one steel fabrication shop that can mass produce curved box beam. But China has several; that’s should tell you something.

[@Sovereign_Citizen_LEO]

It would be interesting if you could provide a link (source reference) for that statement (not saying it isn't true). But it's certainly true, that the size and scale (and speed) at which China builds projects is World Class (World Leading) and very impressive. China is most definitely a force to be reckoned with. The size of those curved box beams (and the building in general) was massive.

[@danielfox9461]

Im 30 seconds in and im calling it now, it may be we dont know the answer to this til the building is done but based on the shape this is gonna be one of those buildings that focuses sunlight onto cars or the street or other buildings and starts melting the shit out of everything

[@paulwassenaar8351]

Look at the sky. Looks to me like there's is too much air pollution to receive direct sunlight.

[@liquidpatriot4480]

Park your car for an hour, half of it melts 😅

[@moalbejabeja8350]

thx for build strong mega building

[@qa1e2r4]

3:01 take a guess what happens in the second after the cut? Pay attention they keep coming closer to the stacks...

[@seanitoism]

Say what?

[@seanitoism]

Ccp sucks

[@qa1e2r4]

@@seanitoism The crane is lifting a stack of steel that caught the wood 4x4 supporting the stack over or maybe they never told the operator about the wood plank... either way what happens next is that wood support snaps as it is between 2 stacks of steel and these 2 complete idiots walking towards it will need new underware and pants at least as having 1000kg of steel fall next to you is the least you get if you are lucky. That next shot of him looking up is probably him being mad pissed of the crane operator almost crushing him during the shoot...

[@FOH3663]

​@@qa1e2r4 Spot on ...

[@ronniemaynor4434]

I am impressed!

[@greg.peepeeface]

I hope this project becomes the definitive building for quality because of the current "Made in China" and tofu dreg reputation.

[@directxxxx71]

Sometimes perception can't tell the truth. More than 45,000 U.S. bridges and 1 in 5 miles of roads are in poor condition, per the American Society of Civil Engineers. So it's most likely that the crumbling ones you would see were US than China

[@greg.peepeeface]

@@directxxxx71 yeah, because it was all built 70 years ago 🤦🏼🤦🏼🤦🏼

[@vegamoonlight]

​@@greg.peepeefaceand you have structures in China built more than hundred years ago, making up their ancient cities and towns. The tofu dreg is part of anti-China propaganda instigated during Obama's time as the US has been getting jealous of China's fast development.

[@PeaceChanel]

Thank You everybody for supporting Green Environmental Ideas to help our Planet Earth.... Peace.. Shalom.. Salam.. Namaste 🙏🏻 😊 🌈 ✌ ☮ ❤

[@shinchin384]

Actually, it's not a newly shot documentary. The pearl river tower was officially activated in 2007, almost 15 yrs before.

[@amandasmart1125]

Where is the pear river tower? 😂

[@shinchin384]

@@amandasmart1125 Search yourself.

[@tehcheezman7471]

That's some precision angle grinding.

[@vintageludwig]

How many trips to Home Depot do you suppose it took to finish the job?

[@tehcheezman7471]

@@vintageludwig at least 6, you never get everything the first time.

[@Bushra_325]

Intelligent and smart ideas, how can a person come up with these amazing ideas, this work motivates you to go for more smart and new ideas,

[@carlsaganlives6086]

Jeez, when are we gonna run out of concrete? We've used astronomical amounts, really mind-bending....

[@anonviewerciv]

18:20 From heat retention to sun shielding. ☀🛡🏢

[@deadlyace1231]

We need more buildings like this in the US and keep striving for eco- friendly buildings. I can't believe how short of a time frame it takes to get your money back and start earning a profit.

[@Sovereign_Citizen_LEO]

The ROI is most definitely overly optomistic (and false), even with the fastest growing economy in the history of humanity.

[@us3rG]

Profit? 😂

[@l3gendarylag805]

Yea government won't allow a profit unless it lines their pockets.. did u watch the whole thing

[@anim8torfiddler871]

Wind Tunnels have some data that might be helpful. It will be interesting to see if their design achieves some reasonable approximation of their target energy goals. Everyone interviewed is so Positive, Smiling, UPBeat. I am eager beyond words to know how the design is performing. Time to do some searching....

[@Charlie-Oooooo]

Fantastic! 👍Genius 🙏Can we study how well it has performed since completion in 2011? Can we then use this tech in new construction? Striving for Net Zero!❤

[@slaapkonijn58]

It probably whoefully underperformed. Technically it does not make sense to put turbines into buildings. It is better to just built them somewhere useful and bigger.

[@anim8torfiddler871]

Worth noting that the efficiency of the wind generation depends greatly on maintaining un-obstructed flow of air in the vicinity. The designers and builders surely must have done studies to determine how the addition of other structures in the vicinity would introduce turbulence and reduce the efficiency of the overall design. Seems a factor that will increasingly come into play regardless of politics, since economic development seems to require further construction roundabout.

[@lucca4709]

You can trust the construction worker with a cigarette 12:20 there is no technology that can replace that man right there look at him I'm so proud 🤣

[@nonsquid]

I fail to see how they got rid of the dripping ceiling from high humidity. We have water coolers at work and after years of disrepair, they leak. This looks like a massive mold - rain problem from the beginning.

[@buckbuck9225]

Collecting water would be extra cool

[@jianhuihong1]

Net zero is a joke for that building. The four wind turbines are tiny compared to the building. The solar panels are only on a small portion of the surface. The gas turbines use natural gas, so even if allowed, do not count as net zero. A lot of smoke and mirrors.

[@HectorRoldan]

I'm only half way through but am wondering if they used the gravity energy generation tech they use in Japan for this. Would be great if we rebuilt many cities with these technologies so we can put a dent in what we're doing to our beautiful home~

[@mikemotorbike4283]

34:40 the elevators regen going down when full, recouping 75%

[@user-eh9jo9ep5r]

This every each process and material with construction could be updated on more higher level, something like The Skyscraper That Generates Its Own Electricity | Megastructures | Spark II , and will be most advanced building and technology, with best outview around this building ) This new building could in autonomous mode by itself clean air polution from carbon dioxide too

[@scottbogfoot]

2:06 nice graphic, mega structures. except your sunlight rays is not heading the same direction as your building shadows.

[@paulwassenaar8351]

😂 Sunlight rays from the north trough polluted sky. 😂 Noticed the absence of surrounding buildings?

[@carlchapman4053]

It's a Chinese tofu project so I'm waiting for the bamboo "Rebar" to give way!

[@hanfeng95]

What kind of dog shit you ever build before? Or just because you a shit

[@Dmack2913]

I'm not an engineer but question: in the quest for net-0, could a wind turbine of select design be applied to the pinicle where the wind would be constant?

[@patrickday4206]

What happens to these big buildings when they are not worth maintaining and need torn down but isn't worth the demolition costs?

[@navneet7075]

I saw XINPING @11:26. 😊😊😊

[@chavdarnaidenov2661]

First, full admiration for the builders and organizers who accomplished this ultra-difficult project. Second, I am suspicious of vanity projects. A building should serve the inhabitants, be comfortable and maintain a good micro-climate. The whole philosophy of subordinating habitation to intermittent wind and solar generation is a dead end. For several 100 thousand years humankind either lived in caves, or tried to build substitutes for them, with a constant aim - to protect itself from the chaos of nature. But after the turn of the century we are toying with whimsical ideas, how to do exactly the opposite - to invite the elements inside. A good wind-tunnel is a bad office building and vice versa. If the energy used, the cooling system, the water heating should depend on unpredictable sources, this means there was planning, based on belief in miracles. Saying that, quite a lot of technologies in the tower devoted to energy efficiency and conservation sound smart and deserve to be widely adopted.

[@imhotepvisage]

Seems like they should have built this tower in San Francisco. They could easily have kept the micro turbines and did net metering. Plus the ocean breeze coming on shore is probably the most reliable place in the World, and there is plenty of sunshine with a cool wind which will keep the solar panels more efficient.

[@ahmedzakikhan7639]

San Francisco seems like a dying city with no ambition, honestly.

[@fredross3089]

Amazing concept and construction!

[@SamsonOhsem]

If I'm not mistaken, the Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou, China, was completed but not open to the public. 😅

[@greghanberry6985]

8:10 "I knew it, and it just poured out, and it was great". Yup, that's an architect. 😂😂😂

[@arte2arquiteto]

Flat Facade cost = 1X, Curved Facade cost = 2X, Double Curved Facade cost = 10X

[@nitishjoshi3751]

Why am i hearing about this just now?? These things should be more well known

[@ZoomZoomMX3]

The sky doesn't lie Looks very polluted

[@mohammadsattar5488]

When I hear the narrator throw around words like "elite, forward thinking, ground breaking " I can only think the script was written for them by the developers and that they are really trying to get the visual out there that they know what they are doing and its all good BUT then I see the thousands of buildings that have come crashing down in China

[@Chris-hd3yc]

They went as far as to capture wind, solar and elevator energy, why not utilize the water in the plumbing drains as well? Have a water wheel generator somehow. Big cisterns at different levels that capture the energy of falling water. Just sayin

[@Spectre.007]

I cant imagine how to clean those solar panels above it

[@andreastw3638]

Thats how u build a building... look surrounding n harness it.... either sun, wind, typhon, flood, tsunami, etc

[@urex1717]

I couldn't care less about the environment but if this ends up saving money in the long run, it would be great.

[@N8-RL8]

Need more simlar🌴

[@cavidqara2400]

Did he say horizontal turbines can’t turn to follow the wind direction ) at 31:05.

[@LunarTikOfficial]

*Maybe a small percentage but there is no way that entire tower is run by wind.. Wind is not always present nor is there enough anything to collect enough power from it to charge an entire building let a lone a red light..*

[@draco2xx]

i knew it was in china before even reading the description😂

[@nathanielmtunji5635]

shes stuck jil, and that deadline is looming.

[@rye419]

44:41 it looks like they're standing on oven grates

[@mohammadsattar5488]

We don't want to hear what it will do but what it can do

[@angloland4539]

❤

[@DJ-bh1ju]

Wonder about the viability of this project, with the ongoing property sector crash.....

[@angellestat2730]

48:51 That is false, the Bahrain World Trade Centre was one of the first buildings who was design and shape to take advantage of wind power generation.

[@robertsmart5600]

Construct an invisible underground geothermal power plant in an adjoining development to help power the building? A carpark above the power plant could have a solar roof & battery packs to feed EV charging outlets? "Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) are maturing technologies where bore holes over three kilometres deep are drilled down to extremely hot underground granite rock. Water is forced into the holes, heated by the rocks and then pumped back through return wells to the surface for use."

[@prolarka]

Probably having the wind turbine's shaft attached on the ceiling too would have made it more stable. I bet the building maintenance staff loves this building's design...

[@Z13AT4SIXTY]

The blinds can never be fixed.

[@keithadams1538]

Must be a very stable structure the guy on the 53rd floor had a theodolite set up. weird

[@netposerx]

Beams need to be precise. Steel worker uses one eye to make sure the beam is precise. 😐

[@omarmolina4036]

I didn't see a very diverse work environment in China. 🤔

[@mderline4412]

So you missed the lead female engineer!?..... Putting your observational skills, into question.......

[@wadeyang1212]

Yea so bad! They only hire Asians！duhhhhhhh

[@SodiumSyndicate]

This building is so expensive compared to a regular building that the extra cost could pay for 50 years worth of electricity.

[@sohelblue7160]

It’s called innovation ,

[@BloatedBearucraticNightmare]

That is called CAMBER adjustment.

[@social3ngin33rin]

Skimming too much from this project is forbidden, foreigners are recording lol (or at least until they leave) Wonder if the entire building is really done >_>

[@perryjones6196]

1.6 Billion or 300 million it's an Actuarity

[@joannamariaochoa6830]

My city while in China

[@kildidar]

38:58 "with military precision" ='s 1 unforklift certified guy struggling to maintain balance of a floor jack with all the weight of the panel on the last 10% of the floor jack and 2 doods with ropes just trying their best to apply forces all "militarily willy nilly style"

[@pejuangAllah]

The labour make it real

[@JohnSmith-jt5qr]

It's a good concept, but I won't be energy neutral...simply too many Megawatts needed for a building that size.

[@patrickday4206]

This is dangerous anything is miscalculated and the harmonic frequencys will destroy the building. This is why it's not being done in America because nobody wants to insure a first of its kind

[@EugeneKee]

Chinese workers are hard-working people but safety is not really their priority. Even here in my country can see them ignoring safety.

[@JamesWhite-yj7sd]

they mad this mistake before the curved surface will act like a magnifying glass and cook the ground and other building

[@tanthiennguyen9308]

Oh man, ich habe Glück gehabt

[@amandasmart1125]

Steel toe boots are evidently not a safety requirement in china

[@FredMiller-lf2fj]

They capitalize on everything we do here in the U.S.A.

[@romanregman1469]

Tell me if I'm wrong : Why the HELL did the builder NOT clean the surface on the junction of structural elements? since the REST of the surface actually IS painted ! At LEAST slather GREASE over the junction surfaces, since the Whole Reason why nuts&bolts are used instead of welding, to give some flexibility to the building. DoublePlusGood since it COULD take the nuts&bolts out for inspection, MAYBE even undo the entire junction to SEE the surface hidden by the other side.

[@Erkekjetter.Vladislav]

Bolted joints carry shear loads in friction. If the surfaces are not in contact the bolts may carry additional shear loads they are not designed for.

[@tanthiennguyen9308]

Hightech Gebäude.......................!

[@MarcBeaulieuisGreat]

It consumes just as much as any other building 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@terrypetty8556]

Do you work in the building management or have taken an energy audit?

[@mynameis0077]

Blasting the bed rock is a very bad idea. There's a reason to the thickness of the rock. How do they know by blasting the bed rock won't weaken the strength of the bed rock which is important to support the weight of the building? How do they know the thickness and strength of the bed rock before removing the top off? Do we have technology to fully scan the entire bed rock just to make sure it's safe to erect a tall building? No we don't have. I guess they only assume it's safe to do so after all the owner of the building had already bought the land. Too late to discard the project even if somebody did realise it's isn't safe for high-rise building. Engineers and architects are hired to complete the building on schedule. It doesn't mean the building won't collapse should there be an earthquake hit the building in future. I always question the way tall buildings are built. It's never safe because there isn't a method to do so. It's all plain assumption. So good luck for the owner and the residents. I'll make sure will stay far away from the building. ...

[@sleepy670]

So they wanted net zero building but didn't even get close

[@Joedoeswhat]

Installing 8 ton beams that only way 4 tons

[@jeffbybee5207]

At 47 minutes you say you were going to.put 3 megawatts of gas turbines in the basement your still feeding energy in just gas insteed of electricty

[@ReiherAllendi]

isnt better to use solar panels?

[@epic2993]

Amazing but . Extremely dangerous. Come on too much wind could tear up fans and damage building . Even caught on fire. Power genaration systems need to replace. Dont know how it could recounstruct in wworking building

[@user-rk1bf4eh2p]

In 30 years it'll be torn down and replaced with another building

[@supremebeme]

this is super old video

[@jeffbybee5207]

Since the concave side faces south are we going to have melted people on the ground?