Solar energy for Europe

World population is constantly growing and Europe is no exception. The bigger the population the higher energy demand there is, and Europe already tries to figure future out energy sources that could satisfy future energy demand. One of these future energy sources could easily become Africa, or to be more precise Sahara desert in North Africa.

At least this is what “Desertec”, an organization focused on sustainable energy for Europe, Asia and the Middle East says. This famous company believes that the vast Sahara Desert of North Africa is perfect for solar energy exploit, and that all there is needed are further research and of course adequate funding. In order to do so, Desertec already announced plans to raise financial means adequate for not only research but also for building infrastructure. According to their estimates such project would cost somewhere around $600 billion. Despite the high investment costs many energy experts are optimistic about this project because of its enormous potential.

So how would this solar energy harvesting work? The basic idea is that solar panels should be built to concentrate the sun’s rays on a single point. In order to do so solar panels would be computerized to achieve highest possible efficiency. Sunlight heats water, which then creates steam to turn turbines. They also say that there is an added benefit of the concentrated solar power, namely the desalination of water. Desalinated water is not the only benefit behind these projects because such gigantic project could also mean much more jobs to many people in Africa.

As with any other renewable energy source solar energy also means less CO₂ emissions, and less emphasis on fossil fuels. Ecologically acceptable energy sources are exactly what world needs to avoid the worst of climate change. Using Sahara desert as main energy source for Europe is something that would definitely cause significantly less CO₂ emissions from EU, and of course less emissions on global level as well.

Solar power still needs plenty of research to achieve maximum efficiency and investment costs are still anything but small, but improvements are being made every day, and will continue to be made as demand for energy grows.

Desertec’s idea isn’t only appropriate for North Africa, but also for America, Australia and many other areas that have enough sunlight. Theoretically all areas near the equator that have enough sunlight throughout the whole year are perfect place to harvest energy from Sun to satisfy energy demands of many countries around the globe.

World simply has to look for new energy sources because fossil fuels are neither ecologically acceptable nor will they last forever so world desperate needs new energy sources to satisfy ever-growing energy demand. Solar energy is one of these sources with highest potential for exploitation and with enough funding and more research solar energy could very easy become top future energy source. So there’s definitely no reason why not to start with Sahara? It’s large area, has more than enough sunlight throughout the whole year, and could do wonders for many African people in need of job.