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Europe To Import Sahara Solar Power Within 5 Years
An anonymous reader writes "If just 1% of the Sahara Desert were covered in concentrating solar panels it would create enough energy to power the entire world. That's a powerful number, and the European Union has decided to jump on its proximity to the Sahara in order to reap some benefits from the untapped solar energy beaming down on Northern Africa. Yesterday, European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger announced that Europe will start importing solar energy from the Sahara within the next five years. It is estimated that the initiative will cost €400 billion ($495 billion). It's part of an EU goal to derive 20% of its power from renewable sources by 2020. From the article: 'The EU is backing the construction of new electricity cables, known as inter-connectors, under the Mediterranean Sea to carry this renewable energy from North Africa to Europe. Some environmental groups have warned these cables could be used instead to import non-renewable electricity from coal- and gas-fired power stations in north Africa.' To this the energy minister replied, essentially, 'Good question, we'll get back to you on that.'"
Some environmental groups have warned these cables could be used instead to import non-renewable electricity from coal- and gas-fired power stations in north Africa.
OK, who wants to get up and defend this one? Here we are, trying to do something positive, and environmentalists come down hard on it. Is anyone here surprised or consider this atypical? It's almost as if environmentalists don't want any development whatsoever to happen from now until the end of humanity.
There is a term for these folks: BANANAs (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything)
Unlike some other "educated" countries, the people of Morocco have realized that some people in other countries speak different languages, and that you can't overcome this by simply talking at them with an increased volume and decreased speed.
I hate printers.
So ... you're telling us that these solar panels will suddenly make the Sahara less hot, causing more clouds to form over it, cause more rain on the desert and possibly make it a more habitable place.
I'm having trouble seeing the downside to it, but maybe I'm just not that much of a pessimist
Yeah I mean I would never travel to California, Venezuela is just far too much of a political hotbed.
Well, I thought someone would come out and say why development in Africa is a bad idea. Thanks for restoring my faith in environmentalists!
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
It appears we have grossly underestimated these Fremen, My Lord Baron...