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Concentrated solar power for Europe – plan developing

Europe’s Plan to Draw Solar Power From the Sahara Moves Ahead   Discover Magazine 3 Nov 09 “……………..a band of alternative energy companies have announced the formation of a consortium dedicated to pushing the project ahead.The Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII) aims to provide 15% of Europe’s electricity by 2050 or earlier via power lines stretching across the desert and Mediterranean sea.

The German-led consortium was brought together by Munich Re, the world’s biggest reinsurer, and consists of some of country’s biggest engineering and power companies [The Guardian].The $400 billion project calls for building enormous solar power plants in the sun-drenched Sahara, and using new high voltage direct current cables that can efficiently transport electricity over long distances to bring the power to Europe.
The power stations would use concentrated solar power, in which mirrors concentrate the sun’s rays on a fluid container. The super-heated liquid then drives turbines to generate electricity. The advantage over solar photovoltaic panels, which convert sunlight directly to electricity, is that if sufficient hot fluid is stored in containers, the generators can run all night [The Guardian].

The countries of the northern Sahara–Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, and Tunisia–are said to be interested in the project, although their governments are expected to insist that a portion of the clean energy remains in Africa and is allotted to their own countries.

Europe’s Plan to Draw Solar Power From the Sahara Moves Ahead | 80beats | Discover Magazine

November 4, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, AFRICA, ENERGY | renewables, solar