Desertec Solar Power Steps Closer
Desertec an ambitious project to harness the solar energy of North Africa`s Sahara Desert has taken a step further to become a reality. A consortium of companies have formed the Desertec Industrial Imitative among the names are ABB, Abengoa Solar, Cevital, Desertec Foundation, E.ON, HSH Nordbank, MAN Solar Millennium, Munich Re, M+W Zander, RWE, Schott Solar, and Siemens.
With its headquarters based in Munich, Germany, the projects aims to supply 15% of Europe’s electrical energy needs by the year 2050. Using mainly Concentrated Solar Power, which differs from Photovoltaic by using the suns energy to heat a fluid to super high temperatures. This then acts as a reservoir of energy to generate electricity by turbine generators. The advantage here is that at night or on the rare cloudy day energy can still be produced due to the stored heat.
The projects is not just limiting itself to Concentrated solar energy, areas which are suitable for wind generation and geothermal will also be incorporated in to the project.
The generated electricity will then be cabled across the Mediterranean sea to supply Europe. Countries in North Africa and the Middle east will also benefit from the projects, with a percentage of the power generated going to the host countries.
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