Desertec - a nanotechnology-enabled bold vision for an energy revolution
A very ambitious idea that has been kicked around for the past couple of years has gained a lot of momentum over the past few months.
The vision that, if realized, would be a true energy revolution, is called Desertec and would amount to the biggest solar energy project of all times.
The project, if realized, will cost 400-500 billion euros ($550-700 bn) and deliver its first energy in about 10 years. The basic idea is to install a huge network of concentrating solar-thermal power plants in the Sahara desert and build a network of High-Voltage Direct Current transmission lines to carry the electricity to Europe.
The Desertec concept describes the perspective of a sustainable supply of electricity for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa up to the year 2050. By then, it could satisfy as much as 15 percent of the European Union's power needs. It shows that a transition to competitive, secure and compatible supply is possible using renewable energy sources and efficiency gains, and fossil fuels as backup for balancing power. Also, the technology exists today - it's the scale of the vision that's revolutionary.
Source: nanowerk
