Dr
Anthony Patt of the International Institute for Applied Systems
Analysis in Africa said some £50bn of government investment was needed
over the next decade to make the scheme a reality. That would convince
private companies that power from the Sahara was both feasible and an
attractive investment, he said.
In the long term, such a plan,
combined with strings of windfarms along the north Africa coast, could
"supply Europe with all the energy it needs".
He
said technological advances combined with falling costs have made it
realistic to consider north Africa as Europe's main source of imported
energy.
"The sun is very strong there and it's very reliable.
There is starting to be a growing number of cost estimates of both wind
and concentrated solar power
for North Africa....that start to compare favourably with alternative
technologies. The cost of moving [electricity] long distances has
really come down."
He said only a fraction of the Sahara,
probably the size of a small country, would need to be covered to
produce enough energy to supply the whole of Europe.
The results
are the first findings of a major research effort, together with
experts at the European Climate Forum and the Potsdam Institute for
Climate Impact Research, to judge whether such a Sahara solar plan is
realistic.
Patt said the team was looking at questions of
security and governance, as well as ways to pay for the technology. The
full results will be presented to governments later this year.
He
said sunshine in the Sahara is twice as strong as in Spain and is a
constant resource that is rarely blocked by clouds even in the winter.
The
scheme would use mirrors to focus the sun's rays onto a thin pipe
containing either water or salt. The rays boil the water or melt the
salt and the resulting energy used to power turbines.
Unlike wind
power, which usually has to be used immediately because of the cost of
storing the electricity generated, the hot water and salt can be stored
for several hours.
Trials of such concentrated solar power plants
are planned for Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Dubai, but Libya and
Tunisia could also be considered.
Patt said that starting such a
scheme would not be all plain sailing though. There would likely be
opposition from local communities across Europe who unhappy about
transmission cables installed near their homes. Piecemeal national
transmission networks could also pose a problem.
The findings
were revealed at the Copenhagen Climate Congress, a special three-day
summit aimed at updating the latest climate science ahead of global
political negotiations in December over a successor to the Kyoto treaty.
(c) The Guardian
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