Sahara solar plan "win-win" for Europe and North Africa
BERLIN (Reuters) - A 400-billion euro ($554 billion) project linking solar power produced in the Sahara to energy users in Europe and North Africa is a "win-win" for both continents and could also promote integration around the Mediterranean, a German minister said.
Guenter Gloser, deputy foreign minister, told Reuters 20 gigawatts of concentrated solar power (CSP) -- the equivalent of 20 large conventional power plants -- could be harvested each year by 2020 if the project called Desertec got off the ground.
Gloser said the green energy would be used in Europe and Mediterranean Union states producing it and dismissed notions Europe would create "energy colonies," saying it could also help Mediterranean integration and significantly cut CO2 emissions.
"It's a truly fascinating project because it's a 'win-win' for everyone," Gloser said after blue-chip firms announced interest recently in the venture that would also include wind energy in a network of projects.
"It's a cooperation that will contribute to diversifying energy sources, geographically in terms of energy sources. And it isn't only the north that's interested in acquiring renewable energy but countries south of the Mediterranean as well. This is no way an issue of the north dominating the south."
German reinsurer Munich Re sparked some "gold-rush-like" enthusiasm in Germany last week when it announced it had invited heavyweight firms such as Deutsche Bank, Siemens and utilities E.ON and RWE to a July 13 meeting to agree on a joint project that could end up supplying 15 percent of Europe's electricity.
Europe depends significantly on Russia for energy, a situation the EU wants to redress following recent disruptions.
The 20 companies aim to sign a memorandum of understanding to found the Desertec Industrial Initiative, which would then commission studies on various projects in North Africa.
SUN BELT
It would take CSP -- a technology that uses mirrors to harness the sun's rays to produce steam and drive turbines to produce electricity -- from the Sahara and deliver to markets locally and in Europe.
Using high-voltage direct current transmission lines there is only a minimal power loss of 3 percent per 1,000 kilometers.
Solar thermal is a well-tested technology, from operation since the 1980s of an installation in the U.S. Mojave Desert, but it is still a more expensive source of electricity than fossil fuels. No details have emerged on government incentives to make the project viable, essential to draw private backers.
Gloser said the "ownership principle" is a key aspect; the power is not only for export but for use by nations producing it. He said, for example, Morocco, Algeria and Egypt could cut fossil fuel use by utilizing their own CO2-free energy.
The Desertec Foundation has noted in six hours the world's deserts receive more energy than mankind consumes in a year.
Gloser, who has helped shepherd the project together with France and Egypt over the last two years, admitted he was a bit surprised by the sudden awakening of interest last week. Continued...
