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There’s a plan to build a 400 billion euro ($569.1 billion) solar power plant in the Sahara Desert. But even in the early stages of the planning there are already some objections to the project.
Desertec, said to be the name of the proposed project, would be the largest solar power project in the world. Fields of mirrors would be placed in the desert to gather solar rays which would heat and boil water. The steam created would turn turbines to generate energy for use in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
Desertec is financed by groups based primarily in Germany. This solar power project could put Europe as the leader in the fight against global pollution problems and climate change. It would also help limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere across the region.
Once completed, the Desertec Solar Farm is said to be able to deliver 15 percent of Europe’s energy. The construction will be done in small stages, and the target completion date will be 2050.
Critics of the proposed solar plant say that Desertec will meet several obstacles. These include Saharan sandstorms, Maghreb politics, and the endangering of desert wildlife if the region’s water is diverted to be used for the solar mirrors.
People are criticizing the concentrated solar power (CSP) technology that will be used in the Desertec. They say that it will be more expensive than the usual photovoltaic solar panels that are widely used in Europe and other parts of the world. Then there’s the risk of corruption and bureaucracy hiking up the energy prices.
People behind Desertec are stating that more energy falls on the world’s desert in six hours than what the world utilizes in a year. The Sahara Desert is the ideal location for solar farms because of its proximity to Europe, and the intense sunlight found there.
Desertec was first proposed by the Club of Rome, a group of experts that thinks of solutions to global problems. The project became closer to becoming concrete when reinsurer Munich Re announced the proposal that was held in their headquarters.
Although the group hasn’t drawn up any business plans yet, or stated how the project will be funded, they are still hoping to attract partners and shareholders from across the globe.
With European governments looking to cut down on their carbon footprints, interest in these types of projects should increase. Let’s hope that all parties concerned with this project come up with a win-win situation.
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Although there are issues to work out still(how could there not be with a project that size?) at least the Europeans are starting to think outside the box. I know the large scale solar arrays are better investments, but I think the answer is still smaller arrays on homes and most important commercial warehouses…..especially places like here in San Diego.
It is a good thing that industry is taking initiatives to build up very large solar plant. This desert of Sahara seems to be a very intersting place for this kind of solutions. You are right, writting that there are other solutions like smaller instalations for home and commercial surfaces of solar panels. I think the investment every where would be good, but for smallest surfaces, it is more costy, because production is less efficient than large scale plants. Also, imagine how many houses and commercial warehouses would be needed to produce 15% of Europe needs in electricity !!