Mechanical energy is produced when heat is carried upward by convection in the atmosphere. Processes for controlling and concentrating where the mechanical energy is produced could be a method of harnessing solar energy. A process for producing and controlling a tornado-like vortex and thereby concentrating the mechanical energy where it can be captured is proposed. The vortex process is compared with the solar chimney phenomenon which shares the same thermodynamic basis. The physical tube of the solar chimney is replaced with a vortex and the atmospheric boundary layer acts as the solar collector. The work produced when air rises from the bottom to the top of the troposphere is typically 1500 J kg(-1), about the same as the work produced when a kilogram of water is lowered 150 m. The work can be transferred downward to the surface, where it can be captured. A vortex-power station could have an electrical capacity of 100 MW. Developing the process will require cooperation between the meteorology and engineering disciplines.