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Energie

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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.