Giant solar plant planned for the Sahara, to power Europe
I just heard this quote from my Source, and I really hope that it is true.
If a mere 1% of the Sahara Desert were covered in solar panels, enough energy would be generated to power the entire world.
Man, I wish that I could prove that! I mean, I probably could with a little study, then a little math, but if it is true, then all that desert out there in the Sahara that does nothing but fill with hot sun could be used for some eco-friendly power!
In fact, a massive solar farm is planned to be constructed in the Sahara, and should be finished sometime in the next five years. It is slated to go until 2050, with a small portion of energy going to European nations, and then increase as the technology for transmitting energy is improved. Yeah, there is sort of a big “if” in that last sentence.
I realize that sometimes I write articles about fake tech that somehow leaks to legitimate sources, and I hope that this is one of those times. As it is, this illustration looks like a still shot from a little-seen Matthew McConaughey film Sahara.
If you can really fill one percent of Africa’s biggest desert and gain enough power the world, than let’s fill ten percent. Heck, fill it all up man! I’m sure that the situation is more complicated than that, though.
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The Geek Church » Blog Archive » Tech News for the Day, Thursday, June 24, 2010 Says: June 24, 2010 at 8:59 pm
[...] A big solar plant is planned for Sahara desert. [...]
Gadget Thumbnails for 24-Jun-2010 » Coolest Gadgets Says: June 24, 2010 at 10:02 pm
[...] Giant solar plant planned for the Sahara, to power Europe Gadget [...]
Giant solar plant planned for the Sahara, to power Europe … – KOL STUFF Says: June 25, 2010 at 1:12 am
[...] Continue reading here: Giant solar plant planned for the Sahara, to power Europe … [...]
GerryB Says: June 25, 2010 at 1:52 am
Story from a couple of years ago with a bit more detail on the same subject:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/23/solarpower.windpower
Mansoor Ahmed Says: June 25, 2010 at 8:38 am
I like this quote: “If a mere 1% of the Sahara Desert were covered in solar panels, enough energy would be generated to power the entire world.” Who said it btw?
Michael James Says: June 25, 2010 at 10:18 am
Weird, last weekend I was flipping through channels and watched “Sahara” for a few minutes and it got me thinking about solar power.
I never thought the Sahara could provide so much power, it’ll be great if someone is able to do this. Great for the environment and would also be great for the continent of Africa (economics wise).
Green Energy Says: August 15, 2010 at 10:45 am
If only this could be possible but I think it’s going to be a very long time (if ever) before that would become a reality. Currenty the cost is still very prohibitive
Lordrobot Says: June 24, 2010 at 8:49 pm
Sorry I hate to disabuse you of your fantasy but solar cells collect only 200 flux watts per 30 square feet for roughly five peak hours a day. To build solar cells and put them in this configuration will cost more in oil than the amount of electricity that the solar cells produce over their lifetime. It is called an energy deficit. That is why Iran is building nuclear power plants as well as China. The equations are well known in countries which study science instead of political science.