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Science Clean solar energy from Sahara could one day provide electricity to Europe
Science Clean solar energy from Sahara could one day provide electricity to Europe | Clean solar energy from Sahara could one day provide electricity to Europe |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Thursday, 24 July 2008 | |
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Page 2 of 2 The European supergrid, if eventually built, would allow all countries in Europe to tap into all types of renewable energy sources, such as wind energy, geothermal energy, and solar energy, that were part of the system. He also stated, "If you look at solar radiation, then the Mediterranean region is a very favourable one.... If you can connect the grid to hydro power, you've got that as a backup battery, and in addition there's wind. It's not a single source that's providing the energy but a combination of the different renewable energies." [Guardian.co.uk] The 40-year project would be estimated to produce 100 gigawatts (GW) of power by the year 2050 from an initial investment of €45 billion (45 billion euro), £35.7 billion (35.7 pound), or $US70.8 billion (70.8 billion U.S. dollar). The cost of building the high voltage DC lines could be about £1 billion per year (over forty years) until the year 2050. One hundred gigawatts, according to Guardian.co.uk, is more than all of the electrical output from all sources in the United Kingdom—which, according to EU scientists, would be enough to power all of Europe. According to Reuk.co.uk, as an example, the country of Algeria, in northern Africa, is currently building a solar-gas power station that will begin producing electricity in 2010. By 2020, the source is expected to provide 6 GW of solar power to Europe. [Reuk.co.uk: “Solar Power For Europe From Sahara”] Doug Parr, chief scientist with Greenpeace in the United Kingdom, stated, “Assuming it's cost-effective, a large-scale renewable energy grid is just the kind of innovation we need if we're going to beat climate change.” [MailOnline] Additional information about renewable energy sources in Europe can be found at European Wind Energy Association.
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