Description
The DESERTEC Concept - Satellite-based studies by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have shown that, using less than 0.3% of the entire desert areas of the MENA region, solar thermal power plants can generate enough electricity and desalinated seawater to supply current demands in EU-MENA, and anticipated increases in those demands in the future.
Harnessing the winds in Morocco and on land around the Red Sea would generate additional supplies of electricity. Solar and wind power can be distributed in MENA and transmitted via High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission lines to Europe with transmission losses that would be no more than 10-15%. The Club of Rome and TREC are both pursuing this DESERTEC Concept: bringing technology and deserts into service for energy, water and climate security. Countries like Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia have already shown an interest in this kind of cooperation.
Information
- Author(s)
- Dr. Gerhard Knies
- Publisher
- Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC), an initiative of The Club of Rome
- Place published
- Hamburg
- Date / journal vol no.
- 26 November 2007
- Pages
- 7