In an unusual turn of events, it looks as if Africa – the continent to be worst hit by global warming and climate changes – could help provide clean energy, to Europe. It is one of those poetic turns that just make you all happy inside.
The project entitled Desertec consists of a string of giant solar power stations along the Mediterranean desert shores of northern Africa and the Middle East. Coupled together with smaller amounts of wind, hydro and geothermal stations the project which would cost more than £5 billion ($10 billion USD) could provide Europe with a sixth of its power requirements.
Thousands of mirrors would make up the solar aspect of this project,
and would generate power to be transferred to Europe via undersea
cables. The power would then be distributed across the continent,
including too areas like Britain.
Naturally, this project which was presented to the European Parliament
by Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan last week would help Europe
diminish its carbon emissions. Developed by the Trans-Mediterranean
Renewable Energy Corporation, the project is supported by engineers and
politicians from Europe as well as Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Jordan and
other nations in the Middle East and Africa.
The funds for the project would initially be provided by European
countries, focusing on the development of solar technology and the
construction of prototype stations. After that, banks and financial
institutions, as well as national governments, would all take over the
construction program. Over the next 30 years, the proposed plan would
cost some £200 billion ($415 billion USD).
'We don't make enough use of deserts,' said physicist Gerhard Knies,
co-founder of the scheme. 'The sun beats down on them mercilessly
during the day and heats the ground to tremendous temperatures. Then at
night that heat is radiated back into the atmosphere. In other words,
it is completely wasted. We need to stop that waste and exploit the
vast amounts of energy that the sun beams down to us.'
For such a long time, solar energy is known to be a possible savior for
the world’s growing energy needs. But finding enough cheap land upon
which to erect such power stations is difficult at best. That is why
people are turning to northern African countries, where land is cheap
due to the temperature.
This plan keeps getting better too, when you consider that the process
will involve pumping the superheated steam through tanks of seawater,
which would then create freshwater.
'Essentially you get electricity and fresh water,' said Knies. 'The
latter is going to be crucial for developing countries round the
southern Mediterranean and in North Africa. Their populations are
rising rapidly, but they have limited supplies of fresh water. Our
solar power plants will not only generate electricity that they can
sell to Europe, they will supply drinkable water that will sustain
their thirsty populations.'
The only drawback is one that the fossil-fuel proponents continue to
live off: the fact that coal is at least half cheaper than this
proposed plan. But if the planet is to be sustained past the next
century, maybe cost isn’t what we should be worrying about.
Posted by Josh Hill.
Story Link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/dec/02/renewableenergy.solarpower