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Solar panels in the Sahara 'could power the whole of Europe'

timesonline.co.uk — All of Europe’s energy needs could be supplied by building an array of solar panels in the Sahara. A £50 billion investment by governments over the next ten years would be enough to make Saharan solar power an attractive and viable prospect for private investors. "North Africa could supply Europe with all the energy it needs"

Who dugg this? Made popular Mar 12, 2009

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  • dogpigeoncow, on 03/12/2009, -3/+64Personally I would prefer to read "North Africa could supply Africa with all the energy it needs"
  • Aleman360, on 03/12/2009, -2/+59Hopefully they would use a giant Tesla coil that shoots lightning bolts across the Mediterranean.
  • inactive, on 03/12/2009, -0/+36With slaves, obviously.
  • hiPpymIck, on 03/12/2009, -0/+26FTA
    Modern HVDC cables can keep energy losses down to around 3% per 1,000km. or 620 ml

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/22/ ...
  • inactive, on 03/12/2009, -1/+24because they are tired of being dependent on Russia?
  • lolwutpear, on 03/12/2009, -2/+23Africa has energy needs?
  • calypsoschnitzl, on 03/12/2009, -3/+24How about Europe supplies its own energy needs. Africa supplies its own energy needs. America supplies its own energy needs. Asia supplies its own energy needs.

    That would eliminate one of the main reasons for countries going to war with each other.
  • WordsnCollision, on 03/12/2009, -4/+24And one million kids throwing stones would ensure the power would stay off.
  • jsffive, on 03/12/2009, -0/+19That... would be AWESOME!
  • tgc1, on 03/12/2009, -1/+19With hydro lines, like everywhere else in the world.
  • BossKey, on 03/12/2009, -0/+16Nigerian Internet scams don't run on waterwheels, bro.
  • stutimandal, on 03/12/2009, -7/+23And how would you store/transport the electricity from there?
  • Doc123, on 03/12/2009, -1/+16Why should the EU be depended on Africa for its energy needs?
  • Picard102, on 03/12/2009, -0/+14Energon cubes.
  • normanjc, on 03/12/2009, -2/+15Your brilliance! And knowledge of energy storage technology!
  • inactive, on 03/12/2009, -0/+13"On Arrakis, it's desert power."
  • norman619, on 03/12/2009, -1/+13Can you back that claim up with data?
  • VodkanLemons, on 03/12/2009, -2/+13Africa would become the next Saudi Arabia, and charge Europe whatever they want for their energy.
  • cheddaro, on 03/12/2009, -1/+11"All of Europe’s energy needs could be supplied by building an array of solar panels in the Sahara" Said Mr. Jones, lead salesman at Solactec Solar Panel Corp.
  • odessit, on 03/12/2009, -1/+11This is great! Previously Europe was dependent on oil from the Arab nations, now they would be dependent on solar energy from, again, Arab nations. Don't think that's a really good idea from a political point of view...
  • ExternalGazer89, on 03/13/2009, -0/+9just put fencing around it with guards ordered to shoot on site. problem solved :D
  • darkened, on 03/12/2009, -2/+11And then since it is Africa, it will be conquered by a "freedom fighter regime."
  • Dan6963, on 03/12/2009, -1/+10Mugabe's house is pretty fancy, man.
  • Tarnum, on 03/12/2009, -0/+8"The Spice must flow!"
  • DarkerMaster, on 03/12/2009, -0/+8They have flashlights
  • tgc1, on 03/12/2009, -3/+11Jesus. They are JUST figuring this out now? All the deserts in the world are potential hot spots for making electricity. Both from heat, wind, and solar power. DO EET!
  • Inflammo, on 03/12/2009, -3/+11THE POWER OF SUN COMPELS ME
    THE POWER OF SUN COMPELS ME
  • analogkid01, on 03/12/2009, -2/+10I'm not an ecologist, so have no expertise in the matter. But it sounds like you're saying we shouldn't even *consider* environmental impact.
  • thinkb4utype, on 03/12/2009, -1/+9Right. They build the solar farms in these North African countries, then how long before the Local Governments seize and nationalize them? Three years, four? They will just be shifting one cartel for another. Remember, the Arabs nationalized the oil companies.

    Right now, the Germans are second worldwide in renewable energy. The US is first.
  • bobbi21, on 03/13/2009, -0/+7uh... citation please?

    Iceland is 70% renewable. I doubt either US or germany is even close to that. Especially since US uses the most oil per capita out of any country
  • barc0001, on 03/12/2009, -0/+7Hm. This sounds hard to defend. If war ever breaks out, then Europe will need to park a fleet of Titans around the Sidi power plant...

  • EvilJelloMan, on 03/12/2009, -1/+8They accidentally the whole Europe? Is this bad?
  • bobbi21, on 03/12/2009, -0/+7Pretty sure they're doing more than barely surviving. Been barely surviving for hundreds of thousands to millions of years in a country sized area. Think that's just surviving at that point.

    If anything, the rainforest species are barely surviving. You have species of tree frogs that only exist in like a 10 m radius. Those guys are barely surviving. 10 min of logging and those guys are wiped out.
  • lilrabbit129, on 03/12/2009, -0/+6The last thing Africa needs is more foreign money coming in.

    Africa needs to be left alone for about 100 years, let its people sort themselves out.
  • inactive, on 03/12/2009, -1/+7Its a good idea sort of .. whose going to go clean, protect, service those panels every time they need it? I dont think your going to have a city grow up around them. Last I head in the desert countries they have fierce dust storms
  • erkokite, on 03/12/2009, -0/+6Or Europe could pay Africa for the use of the land, thus supplying Africa with much needed money and Europe with much needed power.
  • JDoms, on 03/12/2009, -1/+7uhh camels?
  • hiPpymIck, on 03/12/2009, -0/+6theres also this idea
    "Vast greenhouses that use seawater to grow crops could be combined with solar power plants to provide food, fresh water and clean energy in deserts, under an ambitious proposal from a team of architects and engineers.

    The Sahara Forest project would marry huge greenhouses with concentrated solar power (CSP), which uses mirrors to focus the sun's rays and generate heat and electricity. The installations would turn deserts into lush patches of vegetation, according to its designers, and without the need to dig wells for fresh water, which has depleted acquifers in many parts of the world.

    The team includes one of the lead architects behind Cornwall's Eden project and demonstration plants are already running in Tenerife, Oman and the United Arab Emirates."

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/sep/02/ ...

    - so you could also deal with the world water crisis
  • MotoFly, on 03/12/2009, -1/+6Much of the Sahara is in Libya and Algeria too. Pretty decent amount of terrorism over there.
  • zaferk, on 03/12/2009, -1/+6Too bad there will always be these anti-poverty activists complaining that Europeans are not doing enough to help the poor Africans, when in fact they will probably pay the governments there millions..you cant appease these poverty haters
  • Doc123, on 03/12/2009, -0/+5They should use the south of Europe instead Africa.

    Safer and cheaper.
  • MasterGrief, on 03/13/2009, -0/+5Promote this man!
  • Picard102, on 03/12/2009, -1/+6I take it you don't know much about desert ecosystems.
  • emkaysmith, on 03/12/2009, -0/+5My thought exactly. Not unlike the suggestions I've seen that the U.S. erect a few thousand wind machines in the Canadian northwest territories.

    "Hey, you're not using that land, right? We've got a $100-a-year lease here we'd like you to look at. . . ."
  • ThatsNotPudding, on 03/13/2009, -0/+4Good thing Europe owns the Sahara!
  • bobbi21, on 03/13/2009, -0/+4oh and just cus it was linked to on wikipedia

    Although there is significant variation in national targets, the average is that 22% of electricity should be generated by renewables by 2010 (compared to 13,9% in 1997).

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_policy_of_the_ ...

    So basically 1/2 of Europe was using more renewable energy 10 years ago than the US is using now...

    Sorry for posting 3 times. just kept running into more stuff

    (bah my posted links are messing up..weird..)

    www.greentechmedia.com/articles/renewable-energy-up-5-in-us--1471.html

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_I ...
  • iharbinger, on 03/12/2009, -0/+4ahh 2142, I love you so.
  • kanimara, on 03/13/2009, -0/+4Dust = No go.
  • bobbi21, on 03/13/2009, -0/+4Here we go.

    Wind, biofuels and other renewable sources made up 10.6 percent of the energy the U.S. produced in the first half of this year, accounting for more than 7 percent of the energy the country used."

    <a class="user" href="http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/renewable-e ... rel="nofollow">http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/renewable-e ...</a>

    And citation for my above point

    Renewable energy in Iceland has supplied over 70% of Iceland's primary energy needs since 1999[1] — proportionally more than any other country.

    <a class="user" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_I ... rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_I ...</a>
  • Tarnum, on 03/12/2009, -0/+4Because at the moment EU depends on Russia and Ukraine for natural gas (industry, heating) and uranium (nuclear fuel)?
    Remember the January gas crisis?
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