Importing Solar Energy from the Sahara

The EU contemplates importing solar generated electricity from the Sahara within the next 5 years. Günther Oettinger European Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger said in an interview on Sunday that the EU is hoping to reach its long-term goal of de-carbonising its economy by topping up domestic renewable energy production with solar electricity imports from North Africa. The EU has been investing heavily into alternative energy projects of which
Desertec Industrial Initiative is one of the most prominent. Desertec was launched in July 2009 by 12 companies who agreed to establish financing plans to develop solar projects in the Sahara Desert (EurActiv 22/07/09). The €400 billion project aims to eventually provide 15% of Europe's electricity needs with solar power imported via a high-voltage cable. Please go to the EuroActive website for more information.

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Photo of solar pannel by GreenlaGirl

Desertec. Electricity from the Desert

Enormous amounts of energy is being delivered every day by the sun to the deserts. Deserts receive in six hours as much energy from the sun as humankind consumes in one year. In addition, some deserts have very good wind sites. The deserts would enable a secure, sufficient and affordable energy delivery for a world of 10 billion people from clean and inexhaustible sources.The Desertec project, which aims to power Europe with solar energy from the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East, is to go truly international next month as five new companies from Spain, Italy, France, Morocco and Tunisia join the scheme.The Desertec concept was developed by the Club of Rome's Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC) network to bring solar power to Europe from North Africa.

The idea has become increasingly attractive since the EU's new Renewable Energies Directive set a binding goal to reach a 20% share of renewable energies in the EU's energy mix by 2020, detailing individual targets for each country (EurActiv 09/12/08).

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Windmills in the desert photograph by ABrinsky.