Alternative Profits Blog
Desertec - Massive Plan to Bring African Solar Energy to Europe
Reading this makes one understand the massive scales of business investments that are likely to take place in renewable energy. While in the last revolution - the IT revolution - investments were spoken of in billions of dollars, investments in renewable energy are being discussed in hundreds of billions of dollars, and in some cases, even in trillions of dollars!"The world's most ambitious green energy project is about to take shape. It is a plan for a chain of mammoth sun-powered energy plants in the deserts of North Africa to supply power to Europe's homes and factories by the end of the next decade.
In a few days' time a consortium of 20 German firms will meet in Munich to hammer out plans for funding the giant €400bn (£343bn) project, named Desertec. The scheme is being backed by Chancellor Angela Merkel's government and several German industry household names including Siemens, Deutsche Bank, and the energy companies RWE and E.ON. The Munich meeting will also involve Italian and Spanish energy concerns, as well as representatives from the Arab League and the Club of Rome think-tank."
Desertec could meet at least 15 % of Europe's needs, according to estimates. It could be up and running by 2019. By 2050, they estimate the contribution could be between 20 and 25 % - that's alot, though it is way too much into the future to say anything about it. Desertec envisages a string of solar-thermal plants across North Africa's desert. The plants would use mirrors to focus the sun's rays, which would be used to heat water to power steam turbines. That is, the technology used will be solar thermal, and not the usual solar PV.
You can read more on Desertec from here
posted by Ecacofonix at
1:32 AM
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Sunday, July 12, 2009