Solar Power

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Here in North Africa, the sun shines for an enormous three thousand hours a year.

Scientists have begun working on ways of exploiting this energy source.  Could it be possible to convert sun rays falling on the African desert into electricity which could be channelled towards Europe, providing the whole continent with an unlimited supply of clean, affordable and sustainable energy?

They believe the scheme could become a reality within a decade.

The Sahara desert is one hundred times the size of Austria. If you were to cover the surface area of just Austria with solar energy generators, it could provide the whole world with electricity.

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The actual production of electricity is relatively simple. German and Spanish scientists are carrying out research in an experimental solar energy station in Almeria in the south of Spain. They are widely thought of as leaders in their field.

Solar powered plants concentrate the parabolic reflectors of sunlight on to special cylinders with heat conductive oil.

The oil then warms up the water until it evaporates. The water vapour drives a turbine and the turbine drives a generator. The end product of this process is electricity.

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During the day enough heat is generated to make it feasible to put a few hours’ extra energy into storage for future use. That way turbines can keep running even when there is no direct sunshine.

This energy generating plant is at the forefront of technology. There are more than 300 mirrors concentrating the sunlight on to one focal point at the peak of the tower.

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The temperature at this central hub can rise as high as 1000 degrees. The transmission channel is here – hot water vapour. And it can also activate a steam turbine.

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German researchers like Christoph Richter visualise a massive electricity grid linking North Africa and Europe.

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OT Christoph Richter, Solar Energy Researcher, Almeria

In terms of technology, solar energy is a realistic and sensible option.

The higher the level of solar radiation, the cheaper and more viable solar plants become. The sun shines 30% longer in North Africa than in Europe, which is why this place has such great potential. Material costs here are also lower. The existing technology could allow energy from solar fields to reach Europe from here. But this would require putting in place a political framework, which is still being discussed at the moment. The realization of this vision will certainly take some time, I’d say roughly ten years.

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African nations stand to benefit from European technology. Plans for the installation of enormous solar farms in desert areas are already in the pipeline.

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The timescale of this Desetec project, as it is known, is remarkably short.  The idea is for Europe to plan, finance and build solar power stations and a high voltage electricity grid in North Africa and the near East, connecting both continents.

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A type of energy motorway will then extend across Central Europe through Spain. Solar energy will be one more factor to complement other energy sources, wind energy, water power and biomass.

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The sun starved northern European countries will no longer need to rely on fossil fuels for their energy supply. For many it would also be a welcome alternative to atomic energy.

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OT Richter

 Some of those countries are interested in building this energy highway. We’d have of course a supply risk as we’re also getting oil from the same region. The target isn’t to achieve 100% energy supply from here. In fact, we’re talking about a share of 10 to 25%, with enough reserves in other places to fall back on if needed. But I think it’s ultimately a win-win situation. It will also contribute to stabilising and improving political exchanges between both economic regions.

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The technology involved is already well established. Solar energy installations have been operating without serious problems since the mid-eighties in the American states of California and Nevada. But interest in developing solar energy decreased because back then fossil fuels were inexpensive. Low oil prices also discouraged research. But then, after 2001 there was a change of attitude.  The EU became more aware of impending environmental and power crises, and began a programme to promote alternative sources of energy.

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But Europe has found itself caught in a difficult situation.  Centuries of European colonialism has led to African mistrust of their intentions.  Equally, Europeans are unwilling to put themselves in a position of reliance on countries that they consider volatile and untrustworthy.

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Even one of the leading campaigners and supporters of solar energy in Spain admits to misgivings about the extensive project.

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OT Valeriano Ruiz Hernandez, Institute for Thermodynamics, University of Seville (rather slowly)

“I find that we are faced with a huge dilemma. The mindset of using so much energy as though there were no tomorrow has brought about this awkward situation. Everyone assumes that their country will continue developing new energy sources indefinitely. However, there needs to be a fundamental change of attitude. As far as I am concerned the solution lies in our hands. Rather than creating one energy highway with solar electricity from Africa, every individual country should deal with its own resources more responsibly.

Germany or Austria can meet their energy demands through wind power or bio fuel. From my point of view, that would be the most intelligent solution. The treasures of nature lie on our doorstep.”

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Despite all this, there is gold rush fever raging through Spain at present.  Solar electricity is popular and heavily promoted here. Seville is soon going to be the first region to introduce solar power engineering to the main power grid.

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Currently the installation provides a capacity of 11 Megawatts to 6000 households. But the operator intends to boost this to provide the entire electricity supply of Seville city.

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OT Richter

With their potential, renewable energies could cover our needs 1000 times over. Right now, we can only make use of a fraction of that potential but even so, we could still provide several times the amount of energy needed for the world. With technological advances and the right political developments, we could imagine a scenario where renewable energies supply 100% of the world’s power.  

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But solar energy remains very expensive, an issue that the common European energy policy seeks to address.  This ensures that technology and funding are not a problem, and it seems likely that reform and further research will bring the price down, making solar energy much more viable for governments of the future.

Report: Alexander Steinbach

Camera: Peter Giczy

Editor: Astrid Conrad