Energy from the deserts~Libya ~Tunisia ~ ETC..Ever hear of Desertec Foundation? You should!

[indimuse]

http://www.desertec.org/en/news/ (there are more than 20 news stories and links here)

Within 6 hours deserts receive more energy from the sun than humankind consumes within a year! ~ Dr. Gerhard Knies (hmmm..)



The red square represents the total surface needed to provide the WORLDS TOTAL Electricity demand!(amazing)



Jan 2011
More than 300 participants from Europe, North Africa and the Middle East joined Dii’s first Annual Conference – “Energy from the deserts” on 26th and 27th of October 2010 in Barcelona, Spain. The large number of government representatives from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia reflected the growing partnership between North Africa and Europe. The speeches and presentations are online by now on Dii's website.


Feb 2011
The Japanese Mitsubishi Corporation acquires a 15% share in ACCIONA Termosolar S.L. which already operates solar thermal power plants with a capacity of 150 MW in Spain and is building another power plant with 50 MW. As the largest Japanese company, Mitsubishi deepened its commitment to renewable energy and sustainable power generation.
READ ARTICLE ON: WWW.ACCIONA-ENERGIA.COM
(link at site)

Feb 2011
In an interview with WDR foreign trade expert Hans-Peter Merz tells of his experiences on economic cooperation with North African countries and the impacts that current political developments might have. He calls the DESERTEC Concept "the only future vision for this region", which could dominate the 21st Century - with great potential for development in the target countries.
READ (GERMAN) INTERVIEW ON: WWW.WDR.DE
(link at site)


Feb 2011
Among other measures to promote renewable energies, the FDP parliamentary group put through a resolution to enforce the work on an overall concept for the use of flexible cooperation mechanisms in the EU for green electricity by mid-2012. For the benefit of consumers, this would allow to feed-in clean power from deserts as foreseen in the DESERTEC Concept.
READ (GERMAN) PRESS RELEASE ON: WWW.PRESSRELATIONS.DE
(link at site)


Europe to buy Africa’s sun
Published: 03 August, 2009, 13:07
http://rt.com/news/europe-buy-africas-sun/

<snip>

Building a supergrid for Europe:
Currently, Europe is connected to Africa only through a 400kV AC link installed across the Mediterranean, under the Strait of Gibraltar, with a capacity of 1,400 megawatts (MW). France’s transmission system operator RTE, a Transgreen partner, estimated installing a higher-power DC connection there could cost at least €1bn (£847m) for every gigawatt of capacity. The cost of installing new connections from Tunisia to Sicily and Libya to Malta will likely be higher.

Read more: http://www.theengineer.co.uk/in-depth/the-big-story/building-a-supergrid-for-europe/1005262.article#ixzz1JaVGrc4k


The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_for_the_Mediterranean#Membership



Libya's Qaddafi taps 'fossil water' to irrigate desert farms. (must read)
<snip>
While many countries in the Middle East and North Africa bicker over water rights, Libya has tapped into an aquifer of 'fossil water' to change its topography – turning sand into soil. The 26-year, $20 billion project is nearly finished.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2010/0823/Libya-s-Qaddafi-taps-fossil-water-to-irrigate-desert-farms..


<snip>
By Sarah A. Topol, Correspondent / August 23, 2010
Tripoli, Libya
In the middle of the Libyan Desert’s scorched yellow sands, rows of green grapes dangle off vines; almond trees blossom in neat lines, and pear tree orchards stretch into the distance.
In the Middle East and North Africa, the quest to turn thousands of miles of desert into arable land has taken a backseat to containing an impending water shortage. While many countries in the region bicker over water rights, Libya has taken it upon itself to change its topography – turning sand into soil.

(more) http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2010/0823/Libya-s-Qaddafi-taps-fossil-water-to-irrigate-desert-farms




Do you see what I seeeee? Water..Energy... INDEPENDENCE! wink wink ;)
Very interesting stuff! Let your imagination be your guide~*~

[xchrom]

1. Recommend

[Gravel Democrat]

2. ^^^

one angry fucking donkey


"Within 6 hours deserts receive more energy from the sun than humankind consumes within a year! ~ Dr. Gerhard Knies (hmmm..)"

Our bought and paid for leader-ship of fools is the best that money can buy

[lonestarnot]

3. Fucking WOW! Interesting indeed.

Bookmarking for sustainability!

[indimuse]

4. Rec for AWARENESS!

yes. I did *rec* my own thread. THIS one is too important to let sink!


:hi:

[SammyWinstonJack]

5. knr

[hobbit709]

6. So how to get it from the deserts to where it's needed

and what does covering the deserts in solar collectors do to the ecology.

Tapping fossil water-just like tapping fossil fuels. Sooner or later water will run out. look at the Oglala Aquifer here.

[Gravel Democrat]

7. Well "we" have had plenty of time to START working towards the next big innovations

but instead we're told that we're going to be "investing" many more billions in Nuclear and Oil drilling.

>>"what does covering the deserts in solar collectors do to the ecology."

Surely Dr. Gerhard Knies isn't proposing Earthlings cover every spot of desert.

As for ecology, seriously? What did covering the entire area of Southern California with buildings that block out light do to that ecology?

What is Fukushima going to do to the ecology of the entire Pacific?

>>"Tapping fossil water-just like tapping fossil fuels. Sooner or later water will run out. look at the Oglala Aquifer here."

The Pacific + the Atlantic + Reverse Osmosis + Solar distillation + means never running out of water. "WE" just need to START FUCKING WORKING ON IT.

The world's largest desalination plant is the Jebel Ali Desalination Plant (Phase 2) in the United Arab Emirates. It is a dual-purpose facility that uses multi-stage flash distillation and is capable of producing 300 million cubic metres of water per year.

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

Why isn't the world's largest desalination plant in the US? Because we're invading Iraq, Afghanistan and now Libya?

[hobbit709]

8. Using local solar would eliminate the need for long distance high-power Xmission lines.

That would save billions in the metal costs for the wires and towers alone.

And desalination works but it is energy intensive. If it wasn't heavily subsidized by the government there the average UAE citizen couldn't afford it.

As long as the world's governments are run by the corporations, guns and bombs and other childrens' toys will have a higher priority than improving the lives of the people.

[WatsonT]

9. "Why isn't the world's largest desalination plant in the US?"

Because we aren't a desert nation with tremendous amounts of fossil fuel to burn?

[WatsonT]

10. Best of luck to them but I do see transmission as an issue

desert areas have low energy needs what with their low population/development.

So getting that power to where it's needed will be an issue.

/automated factories out in the desert running directly off solar and requiring virtually no human presence, served by automated trains would be a realistic investment in the not too distant future.

[Donnachaidh]

11. So we're going to stop buying oil from them and buy power from them instead?

So much for stopping funding of terrorism.... :puke: