Science
Strategische IndustriepolitikScience und Strategie als Modell
Europas Traum ewiger Energie
Die Vereinigten Staaten auf Ölentzug
Ölfreies Leben in Plan und Finanzen
Energie
Solares Symbol auf Schule in SydneyAutogas Tankstellen
Pelletheizung
Autogasbetrieb
Erdwärmepumpe
Europe's dream of endless energy
Europeans ancient and unfulfiled dream of a Perpetuum Mobile, the energy out of nothing, could come true in some kind. Heat energy and electric current could be generated by solar technologies in the northern parts of Africa for the countries northern than Mediterranean Sea. The technology exists, the scale to use it is manageable and affordable, but cultural balance between the two worlds and the power policy framework is the sine qua non for that.
The key to prosperity in this century is not synonymous with the ownership of oil wells. It is a treasure to be found in the deserts of North Africa. Solar power there is as intense as nowhere else in the world to find. Scientists at the research network TREC drawn up a strategy called Desertec (desert technology). It was financed by the Federal Ministry of Environment together with the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The strategy contains the necessary technology, their dimensions and way to implementation.
Fascination of Desertec
Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Sudan and especially the non-oil Middle East States today's faces poverty and hopelessnes. They could find the way to prosperity and towards a own cultural achievement. For their own people they obtain large-scale quantities for drinking water. They also can build up an infrastructure providing a modern solar economy providing electricity generated eco-friendly as a valuable export product.The strategic wins for Europe are multidimensional. Europe would be independent of nuclear power. There is no radioactive waste, no coal-fired power plants, no Russian gas and no elaborated and costly produced ultrathin solar cells. Also we can avoid nuclear fusion reactors with unknown technology and unknown collateral damages. Europe’s Islamic gains peace, prosperity and a improvement of its own cultural mind. So it weights less immigration pressure on Europe. War risk or the risk of humanitarian disasters will be significant reduced in the otherwise troubled region.
Technique of Solar Power
Desertec studies provides a eleaborated approach. It constists of solar power plants in the Sahara desert and wind turbines in the West African coast. The generated eleictricity will be transported to Europe by direct current lines. The waste heat of the power plants will produce drinking water by water desalination. Solar power stations run for over twenty years reliable. The technology exists and runs simple with proven success. Their suitability is already shown in Nevada (USA), Spain and Australia. Mirrors throw the sunlight on a pipe with liquid. It is simply heated and empowers a conventional steam turbine. The technology delivers basic electric demand and works reliably overnight. Tanks with the liquid keep the heat gained during for overnight’s demand and provide so consistently electricity.The big challenge is transporting electricity to Europe over very long distances. The currently used direct-lines are not suitable because the transmission losses are too high. According to Michael Straub of TREC research network, the electricity for transportation thus converted into direct current. So the conductor losses will be much lower. But how does the power cross the Strait of Gibraltar? Straub has also an answer for this question. The necessary underwater cables have not to be invented. They are already in use today and bring electricity to the oil rigs in the open sea.
Dimensions and costs of Desertec
Do we have to cover the entire Sahara with solar mirrors? TREC calms down this point. The surface needed is much smaller than expected. For the needs of Europe the area as large as Austria would be necessary. Germany takes sixth of this area. This means a square with 50 Kilometers in length. This is still a lot, but less than 0.3 percent of the desert area of the Sahara. The wind power plants reduce the space requirements and widen the power base. According to the scenario of DLR total investment (German explanation) required is 400 billion €, spread over about 30 years. 350 billion € are needed to obtain the necessary power plant capacity, 50 billion € for the electricity transportation. TREC predicts, electric current from solar power plants will be competitive to fossil-generated in 2020.
Solar power problems
If it is so easy - why has not started? On venture capital, it is not. Considered by the banks there is enough in the market. After the first shock of oil prices in the seventies, the first solar-power plants were built. Then oil was again unbeatable cheap. The interest was asleep again. So it was difficult, to awake the interest in this technology in the oil states. Why, even if the electricity will cost half a cent?Many questions remain open: How are political and military guarantees for a new backbone of the European electricity supply defined? Who is the promoter of such a system in the European Union? Perhaps the Frenchman Nicolas Sarkozy in search for a the spirit of his controversial Mediterranean Union? How to implement an international system for the initial losses, similar to the German ecopower-energy providing law (EEG)? Who runs such a network, a supranational institution or ynetwork of private companies? What proportion of electricity demand will be generated in the Sahara, which fraction we will keep ourselves in Europe?
There is he solution, but there must bet the will to take it! Certainly very important is the cultural balance and respect for the Europeans towards Arab Mediterranean states. Without overcome this difficulty, I see no basis for stable long-term political conventions and stable business.
Mostly pressure to adapt is humans best taskmaster. And this is the chance to make the vision alive.
The German version you will find here, the source proof (in German) find here.