UK May Soon Be Powered by Solar Energy From Africa Desert

Apparently the world’s largest solar energy project is now planned for the Africa desert. British homes could soon be powered by the solar energy coming from the desert, according to backer for a large solar energy project in the Sahara. Soon this project will overtake current sites in Spain.

The Desertec Industrial Initiative group claims a network of solar panels in north Africa, harnessing the sun’s rays, will be the biggest in the world. This current plan will dwarf the current largest installation that is already running at Andasol in southern Spain.

The planners of the project hope that it will eventually provide 15 percent of Europe’s electricity by 2050. It is thought that most energy demands could actually be met by covering as little as one percent of the world’s deserts with solar panels.

Coordinator of Desertec-UK, Dr Gerry Wolff, said that within five years people in the UK could start to use desert electricity that has been produced in the Sahara desert. Households would be able to say that they are actually making a cup of tea with energy that has been collected from the African sun.

The consortium of businesses needs to talk to the relevant governments, and there will, of course, have to be some changes to laws and regulations to smooth the path for these developments. A very important point that has to be stressed is the fact that the electricity will be for people throughout Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Thus, many people will be benefiting from this one project aimed is to help the struggling planet.