Universities in Japan and Algeria have teamed up on a project that aims to solve the world’s energy problems. The plan is to build manufacturing plants around the Sahara Desert and extract silica from sand to make solar panels, which will then be used to build solar power plants in the desert.
The power generated by the initial plant or plants would be used to “breed” more silicon manufacturing and solar power plants, which will in turn be used to breed more again, and so on. The ultimate goal is to build enough plants to provide 50 percent of the world’s electricity by 2050, which would be delivered via a global superconducting supergrid.
To turn the world’s biggest desert into the world’s biggest power station the Sahara Solar Breeder Project aims to take advantage of two resources that are found in abundance in the Sahara – silica and sunlight. However, to make such an ambitious plan a reality there are more than a few hurdles that will need to be overcome. For example, there is currently no technology for making silicon from desert sand, then using it to make solar cells. Also, connecting the desert power supply to the world will require cables that must be cooled with liquid nitrogen and placed underground to minimize temperature fluctuations.
Watch a video clip about the project...
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