From the Sahara plan to make an energy oasis

Many of us have repeatedly come up with the idea that the Sahara is a practically inexhaustible source of energy that needs to be started to be used as soon as possible. Yes, there are practically no natural resources, but such a valuable resource as sunlight, more than enough. For several decades, scientists have made plans, often fantastic, trying to find the best way to dispose of free energy, but only now all these plans are beginning to be realized. The Sahara “mastering” project got its own name - Sahara Solar Breeder Project.

So, this is a very long-term project that will fully manifest itself by 2050, but already now plans are being made to create a powerful power station, which will evolve and develop with the advent of more and more new types of solar cells. Scientists involved in the project are confident that the solar panels will improve over time, the efficiency of conversion of solar energy into electrical energy will increase, and the station itself will grow.
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The picture that scientists see is power plants tens of kilometers long that can generate gigawatts of electricity. Part of this energy, scientists say, can be developed now, with the existing level of development of "solar" energy. The project has several problems that scientists will have to overcome. In addition to the low efficiency of solar panels, there are also problems such as the pollution of panels, their aging, the effect of sudden temperature changes on the integrity of devices and others.

Siemens took on the initial implementation of the project, the total cost of which could well be half a trillion dollars. According to the plan, the power plant will be located in the poorest countries in the region. The area of ​​the station will be more than 135 square kilometers. Now, according to technical experts from Siemens, there are all prerequisites for the project.

According to the plan, the received energy will be redirected to Europe, for which high-voltage cables will be laid along the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, a little later, the company will consider the possibility of creating wind power plants in the same region.

As you can see, the project is quite difficult to implement, but nonetheless the commercial companies that took up the project are not simpletons, and are counting on something. Half a trillion dollars is a huge amount, but it may well pay off in a short time after creating a powerful power station in the north of the Sahara. The only pity is that the project is clearly from the series of “long-term construction projects”, so even the beginning of it can be delayed indefinitely.

Via monstersandcritics