Transcript The Desertec Project

SOLAR ELECTRICITY FROM
THE SAHARA FOR EUROPE
KS Energy and Sustainable Development
Theresa Spitzer, Stefan Krammer, Patrick Reiter
SOLAR ENERGY
Most environment friendly source of green
energy
 Technologies:

 Photovoltaic
 Solar
Thermal Energy
 Concentrated Solar Power
CONCENTRATED SOLAR POWER
Most promising technology for large-scale solar
power generation in Desserts
 Lenses or mirrors concentrate a large area of
sunlight onto a small area
 Concentrated light is converted to heat which
drives a heat engine connected to an electrical
power generator

CONCENTRATED SOLAR POWER
HISTORY OF DESERTEC
2003 TREC, Trans-Mediterranean Renewable
Energy Cooperative
 Desertec Foundation emerged from the
Cooperative
 2005 – 2007 Researches

 CDER(Morocco)
 NREA(Egypt)
 NERC(Jordan)
 University
of Sana’a and Aden(Yemen)
 DRL(Germany)
HISTORY OF DESERTEC

Result of studies:
 15%
of European final energy consumption can be
delivered with a „supernetwork“ of renewables
 Most energy can be produced with CSP in deserts

Founding of Desertec Foundation in 2009
YIELD OF THERMAL POWER POTENTIAL
AIMS AND VISIONS

Cooperation between EUMENA
 Europe

and Middle East and North Africa
Methods:
 CSP
 Photovoltaic
 Windparcs
 desalination
stations
Until 2020 MENA
and until 2050 Europe

COSTS AND FINANCIAL SITUATION

400 billion Euros
 350
billion for the grids
 50 billion for the transport
15-30 eurocents/kilowatt-hour actual
production costs
 4-5 eurocents/kilowatt-hour if the demand
increases
 No commercial competitiveness at the moment

OBSTACLES

Cooling requirement

Temperature and salt
GRID SYSTEM

Most promising Technology is HVDC
 Voltage
about 800kV
 Cost effective and environmental friendly
 Transportation losses of only 10-15%
 HVDC like highways and conventional AC system as
country and city roads
VISION OF THE GRID SYSTEM
POLITICAL OBSTACLES
Instability in Northern Africa and Middle East
 Closed border between Morocco and Algeria
 Negotiations only in a broader sense
 Dependency on Northern Africa

 Risk
of expropriation of assets
 Reneging on license agreements
 Corruption and bureaucratic red tape
COMPETITION WITH SMALL-SCALE PARADIGM
Europe has potential of
renewables within borders
 Desertec will lead to
monopoly
 Cost-effective?
 Faster Implementation

VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgdGLLy8TR
Y&feature=player_embedded#at=15