Sahara solar could provide Europe with electricity
Published on : 13/03/2009
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Solar panels in the Sahara Desert could satisfy all of Europe's energy needs, it has been claimed.
According to Arnulf Jaeger-Waldau of the European commission’s Institute for Energy, a solar power farm the size of Ireland installed in the Sahara Desert could help Europe achieve its energy target of 20 per cent from renewable sources by 2020.
He claimed that the Sahara could provide 100GW of electricity by 2050, a large proportion of the entire output from all of Europe's existing renewable power stations.
Mr Jaeger-Waldau said the initiative would cost government's £50 billion in investments over the next ten years and would make the Sahara a prospect for foreign investors.
In related news, 91 per cent of British households would consider installing solar panels on their roofs if they were paid a reasonable amount of money for the energy that they top up the National Grid with.
A large majority would expect feed in tariffs to rise from 20p to 50p per unit of electricity before installing panels.
