An initiative by universities in Japan and Algeria aims to provide half of the world’s energy before 2050 by “breeding” solar panel plants in the Sahara desert.
The idea behind it all is to combine the two most abundant things you would find in the Sahara desert, namely sun and sand, by firstly building a handful of silicon manufacturing plants which could then use the plentiful sand to create high-quality silicon used in solar panels.
The energy generated by the solar panels would then be used to build the next generation of plants and solar panel. These would then repeat the cycle by “breeding” even more cute little baby silicon power plants, and so on and so forth.
Although no one has actually attempted to make silicon from the rough sands of the Sahara, Hidemi Koinuma from the University of Tokyo believes that it is merely common-sense.
"From the viewpoints of quality, quantity and chemistry, Sahara sand is hard to beat for use as silicon for solar cells," he says.
According to the New Scientist this is not the first attempt to turn the Sahara into a giant solar panel, with the Desertec Foundation also planning to pick up around 15 percent of Europe’s 'leccy bill, though is the first initiative to use the surrounding sand to sustain development.
However Desertec believes that the idea may be a tad difficult to pull off in reality, although it is a step in the right direction. The ‘high-temperature’ superconductors that would be needed to distribute the power as a direct current could cause a problem in fact usually function at the not very high temperature of -240c, so will need to spend considerable energy to cool them.
"There is not really a need for superconductors. By using high-voltage direct current transmission lines it is possible to transport clean power from the deserts over long distances to centres of consumption," says a Desertec spokesman. "Transmission losses are fairly low – around 3 per cent per 1000 kilometres. Unlike superconductors, there is no need for cooling, while power transmission costs are just 1¢ to 2¢ per kilowatt-hour."
Koinuma however believes that there is potential for linking the desert based power stations to a network of supercooled high-voltage DC grid for transporting electricity 500 km or more.
"Even if we need to cool the grid line with liquid nitrogen, the system could be cost-competitive," he claims.
Mister President,
I am asking this in the name of millions of other citizens of Planet Earth and
not in the name of any national citizens.We are asking you this not just
because very soon you will be in the most powerful position in this world,
but because we consider you as a humanist and a very rationale person,
hence you already know how much important Africa is for our planet's life
and how many very serious, grave problems confront this continent. And in
the top of all, Africa is going to be the Planet Earth's salvation. With this
financial crisis we have to decrease our hollyday's vanity spending but in
Africa, for long time and for too many, food, water and medicine are a
matter of life and death and that just for one reason : too many africans
have not job and no income so, no buying power (even the not-first-time
pirat attacks on the seas have the same reason).The project I propose
to you is not expensive, is not complicate, not risky or environmental
dangerous ! Actually, it is quite simple: create jobs in Africa and Africa
will give us back clean, cheap energy. But not this reason must be in our
mind with this project, but the fact that once Africa will get 9-10 million
jobs within 10 years, they would have incomes and there will be not too
much pressure on UN and wealthy nations to help them. More, when the
economic issue will turn for better, much better, the ethnic and religion
distensions shall, must fade out. And the most important thing in this
job-creation, is that all of them are in a most -green-ever energy
production.
We all know that Africa has the largest desert in the world ,Sahara
desert, aproximately 3,500,000 sq.miles and a smaller one Kalahari
desert (Namib desert on Atlantic coast) and these deserts are
growing larger in every year and "planting"an artificial forest, may turns
in a possibility to limit the physical expansion of desertic area.
Sahara desert is also known for its lack of rainfall and hence no too much
population here. But this desert could be turned in a forest of solar panels.
Filling only 10% of these two deserts with solar panels in less than 10
years in this industry (manufacturing the panels, instalation and then
maintenance and energy transportation) will have a job at least 2 millions
people which thru their income and spending would create many others
million of jobs. (Namibia, Botswana and Republic of South Africa can do
it by themselves this project because they have one of the best GDP in
Africa, even better than many other world wide countries). What America
need to do is to initiate this project with a fund of $ 50,000,000 (fifthy
millions ) which it is nothing for this country ( It's the cost of that
non-sense
Iraq's war less than 5 hours!) and we hope in this way the next
40+ countries that have a good GDP (a per capita GDP over $15,000)
would contribute at this fund, each, with an average $ 15 millions and in
this way the total fund may exceede 3 quarters billion dollars, enough
money to build up at least 3-4 solar panel factories (in Mali,Chad and Niger)
and 3 or more desalinization instalation in south of Marocco and Mauritania
(with pumping instalation) and one or more water pumping instalation in
Sudan, west of Nile ; thru these instalation water will be available deep
into desert and would be a good incitive for people to settle around the
new oasis and new agricultural sites ( Libya's Sahara part, Mauritania,
Botswana and Namibia are in top ten of most sparsely populated
countries in the entire world and African continent is the second largest one
piece land, but has the largest desertic area).
In time, expanding this project, Africa could be a clean electric energy
exporter in Europe but the most important, they can turn desertic Africa
in a green garden. And everybody can understand that achieving this goal
would be the most important benfits, our planet can has it, ever.
All this continent and its people need is just a small initial help and all
people who will work on this project must be, starting with the very first
day, only african people. And if poor Africa can do this, any other countries
with long day insolation can do it : Canada and US may work together
to make another solar panel forest in Arizona, Nevada or Texas;
Also Australia can do it ,Iran and the most Arabian countries
can do it, and so many countries can do it and in less than 5-10 years the
planet would be much greener and will breath much easier.
It is all we need.All of us !
Regards,
November 10,2008
P.S. (Dec. 27, 2008) Mr.Obama will be the first president of any state to
win the Nobel prize for peace and economics.
Politicians beholden to the fossil fuel industry (Read: Republicans, mostly) will never let this happen.