What is Digg?43 Comments
- gavinhudson, on 08/15/2008, -2/+13Africa's certainly the best continent I can think of for solar. (Except maybe much smaller Australia?)
- MattNF, on 08/16/2008, -0/+10Thank god you censored the "u" from *****, I don't know what I would have done if I saw it.
- Ghostalker, on 08/16/2008, -0/+8What this space?
- medfreak, on 08/16/2008, -2/+9That is not remotely funny. No, not because I am offended about the way you described African cities, but because of the fact that your PSU is just an Electric converter, and not a power generator.
- cobophers, on 08/16/2008, -2/+9Those crazy Africans always thinking for themselves about resource management.
- inactive, on 08/16/2008, -2/+7Utter crock. It amazies me that people buy into heart felt words without evidence or science to back it. This is another attempt at feel good enviro garbage that will fall flat on its face.
I fail to see why any nation in europe would invest in Energy that they cannot control themselves. Just because it sounds good and feels good doesnt mean its realistic. - NoobasaurusRex, on 08/16/2008, -0/+5Given that there are still many in people in both Saharan and sub-Saharan Africa without access to any electrical infrastructure, I think this proposition is unrealistic. A massive project is not what the world needs to end our energy problems. We need to focus on sustainability and self-sufficiency at the home. Africans are good at that. The European and Asian gluttons who throw away useful plastic containers need to learn a little from Africa. Instead of resorting to energy-colonialism whereby we use Africa as our solar/wind/hydro/petro cash-cow, we should try to reassess the gluttony and wastefulness of our lifestyles...
- david76, on 08/16/2008, -0/+3Crap. That's 1/10th of Alaska. I misread the figure. 52,500 is the land area of Arkansas.
- hiPpymIck, on 08/16/2008, -0/+3nothing barbaric goes on in the west.. evar
- JettaMan, on 08/17/2008, -0/+3Don't they understand that they are supposed to do whatever wealthy "Progressive" minded Westerners like Bono tell them to do?
- GeckoSlayer, on 08/17/2008, -0/+3Australia already has an initiative to do this, as we have masses and masses of outback space being used for.. nothing. Also, we have one of the greatest temperatures and sunlight intensities, it would make sense to do something large..
- forevernomad, on 08/16/2008, -1/+3If only it had been, Watt this space.
- meuse, on 08/16/2008, -1/+3I take it you have no problem with the East doing business in Africa?
- david76, on 08/16/2008, -0/+2.3% of the Sahara is 10,500 square miles. That's assuming 100% conversion. Solar is maybe 20% efficient (and that's being generous) so 52,500 square miles.
In other words, all of Alaska covered in solar panels.
Good luck with that. - accn112, on 08/17/2008, -0/+2how about a $800 mil prize for alternative energy to power ... us?
remember the pamphlets in airplanes? you gotta put the mask on yourself first. - slyzxx, on 08/16/2008, -0/+2Africa is a great place for solar energy, theres no smog so your not cleaning the damn thing so often.
- randumbusername, on 08/17/2008, -0/+2at least the left will have a new term:
throw out the old "blood for oil"
in with "blood for rays"
replace solar with oil and most of the comments will be about evil oil companies doing deals with dictators.....etc.
but the solar movement is cute and cool.
some countries in africa have enough on their plate with corruption and lack of individual freedom.
africa's problem isn't lack of ideas or investment. it's corrupt gov''t and leaders and sympathetic people from other countries which empower that corruption.
i find it ironic that the left will throw around the term "trickle down economics" implying a top down economic structure when the left essentially believe the same thing when it comes to governance.
Napster 2008 signatories:
John Mccain
Barack Obama - bdbr, on 08/16/2008, -1/+3...because relying on politically unstable countries for energy has worked so well in the past?
This article is purely a "what if". It doesn't answer the questions of how the AU will come up with this money, or how they'll ensure that it won't be parlayed off to corrupt officials, or even how they'll get the electricity all the way to Europe without substantial loss. - SuperMoses, on 08/16/2008, -3/+4I believe it when I see the West's hands out of Africa.
- Stormwern, on 08/16/2008, -1/+2They are already planning a hydro plant that would make Three Gorges look like a water park, but there's definitely potential for solar power aswell. Since the saharan nations aren't doing a whole lot with their deserts, it shouldn't be a problem to sign long term deals for permission to run solar plants there.
- Lephisto, on 08/16/2008, -0/+1Good alternative to Russia's resource monopoly.
- JDLamb88, on 08/16/2008, -0/+1*takes out crayons and construction paper* lets get to plannin'
- hiPpymIck, on 08/16/2008, -1/+2'electricity all the way to Europe without substantial loss.'
from wiki
"The advantage of HVDC [high voltage direct current]is the ability to transmit large amounts of power over long distances with lower capital costs and with lower losses than AC.
Depending on voltage level and construction details, losses are quoted as about 3% per 1000 km. (~620 ml)
High-voltage direct current transmission allows efficient use of energy sources remote from load centers.
i think this article was inspired by this one
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/22/ ...
..your other points might take a bit longer to solve - zombies187, on 08/16/2008, -3/+4Good thing there is no war, aids or poverty in America.
- madwaxer, on 08/21/2008, -0/+1its been possible for a long time.
http://peswiki.com/index.php/Main_Page - dialectical, on 08/17/2008, -0/+1Good comment but I always love how all estimates will always give present alt energies any credit for getting more efficient. If there is a will there is a way and it is slowly starting to make business sense to everyone. The market is dying for solar productivity along with wind and, yes, bio fuels. More money means more minds looking at the problem. It will take a little while but over the next 15 years huge, and I mean way more than the 20 percent you quote, is really achievable....Got be positive man, its going to happen!
- beauley, on 08/18/2008, -0/+1For those of us with children, "don't forget to turn out the lights" is a normal echo heard daily throughout the home almost like a broken record. For most of us here in the U.S., it is our way of reminding our children that energy today costs money, maybe a little too much.
http://www.quazen.com/Science/Environmen t/We-Are-A-Nation-Of-Energy-Waste.15854
We Are a Nation of Energy Waste - Barackalypse, on 08/17/2008, -0/+1Forgive my obvious lack of geographic knowledge, but is the Sahara bathed in sunlight whenever Europe might want power? Because if its dark there, like say maybe 8-12 hours a day, then Europe better have some other means of power besides solar, or some energy storage device on a scale the world has never known before, or be content to sit in the dark a lot.
- psykiv, on 08/18/2008, -0/+1Now if only Africa was politically stable enough to allow for such an ambitious plan.
- TechMike, on 08/17/2008, -0/+1Nice idea. Solar and wind generation in Africa will let them sell their oil and coal to Europe. But sending generated electricity from the Sahara to Finland just isn't practical.
- inactive, on 08/17/2008, -0/+1Oh they'll invest in it - and they'll control it. It'll be just like China and Sudan. China maintains the Sudanese government because it's a Chinese company drilling and processing Sudanese oil. Europe and the US - as well as Russia and China - would just do the same thing with the solar farms.
It'll provide little benefit to Africa because the Developed World won't allow another debacle like the one we have in the Mid-East, with unfriendly and/or stable nations controlling a vital resource. - danconia, on 08/16/2008, -1/+1Plasma arc waste disposal anyone? Let's start up those plasma converters!
- SuperMoses, on 08/16/2008, -2/+2I do, but I live in the West so I try to criticize my government and those it's aligned with.
- kevL0CK, on 08/16/2008, -3/+3good. Africa needs help with this, for sure. but hopefully they would be able to maintain it and turn this into their #1 Export.
they need this. - Erythroxylum, on 08/16/2008, -2/+2Yeah, and we should start raping babies for good luck, and cutting women's clitorises off for ***** and giggles, and perpetrating genocide on each other too. We've so much to learn from those mud-hut-dwelling, primitive savages.
- 4eloBek, on 08/17/2008, -1/+1will not work, as long as there are africans, but i heard that china is moving in about 300 mil of their population, then it would work out.
- kushin, on 08/16/2008, -3/+3Africa is definitely the best choice for solar and other alternatives. It is the last clean continent available to us, so any plans
for clean energy should be the first priority.
But given the strife, civil wars and idiotic political leaders in Africa, this might just well be a pipe-dream unless there is someone
who can bring all the nations in Africa together for this cause. And the only person who is best equipped with that quality and has respect among all Africans is Barack, though he is still untested. - Jack8274, on 08/16/2008, -5/+3Yeah, they are so selfish with all there wars, aids, and poverty.
- inactive, on 08/16/2008, -6/+1F*ck you too!
- inactive, on 08/16/2008, -8/+3This would b e a poor plan. Can you picture the increase in political upheaval in the African "nations" if they started to have large fixed position centers of wealth production? Can you picture the return to Colonial Power days as the Developed World recolonized - via megacorporations this time - Africa?
A decentralized plan - including Africa - fr solar production would be better. - inactive, on 08/16/2008, -8/+2F*ck you man.
- daking89, on 08/16/2008, -17/+5I'll donate my PC's 500W PSU, that should power a city over there, right?
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