Sahara could provide up to 15% of Europe’s energy

Around 15% of Europe’s energy needs in 2050 could be provided by a huge solar project in the Sahara desert, after a consortium of European companies signed up to the $400 billion (£240 billion) venture yesterday (November 2).

The Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII) includes major renewables companies such as E.ON, Siemens, RWE and ABB as well as other solar companies in a 12 company consortium, which has committed to building massive solar energy fields across North Africa’s Sahara desert. DII said it hopes to be generating electricity by 2015.

The project will utilise concentrated solar power technology (CPS), which uses parabolic mirrors to focus the Sun’s rays on containers of water, vapourising it into steam to turn turbines. The electricity will then be transferred to Europe by way of a network of high-voltage cables.

Part of the sun’s heat will also be collected in heat storage tanks during the day and then run through steam circuits at night or specifically during peak hours, depending on the demand, meaning the plant can operated almost 24 hours a day.

Power generated is set to be used by the local populations in the region, and DII said that a number of North African countries have approached it about joining the project.

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