Possible model of the Sahara Solar Breeder Project
This is ambition with a capital A. Universities in Japan and
Algeria have teamed up on a project that aims to solve the
world’s energy problems. Called the Sahara Solar Breeder
Project, 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.
Initial research
That is why the project, which is getting underway this year,
will initially focus on the development of the basic technology
to make the project practical. Specifically, demonstrating the
possibility of manufacturing high-purity silicon from desert
sand, which is the key to the project, and constructing a
high-temperature superconducting, long-distance, DC power supply
system. With the initial aim of producing a 100 kW solar cell in
2011, the project ultimately aims to achieve a solar plant with
an annual capacity of at least 100 GW by 2050.
“While we develop technology for using desert sand to make
just one ton of silicon per year, or actually build just one
power plant in the desert, all sorts of problems, such as
sandstorms, will arise. And we will obtain basic data for
solving those problems,” says project leader Hideomi Koinuma,
who calls the project the Super Apollo Project, referencing both
the Greek god of light and the sun, and NASA’s Apollo project
that put man on the moon.
The research is a joint project between Japanese and Algerian
universities, including Tokyo University, the National Institute
for Materials Science, Hirosaki University, Tokyo Institute of
Technlogy, Chubu University and the Universite des Sciences et
de la Technologie d’Oran, through the International Research
Project on Global Issues by Japan’s Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (JST) and the Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA). But the project
participants recognize that, ultimately, the task will require a
worldwide effort, particularly among North African countries.
Koinuma says the total research expenditure of the project
will be 100 million yen (just under US$2 million) annually for
five years. He admits that won’t be enough to see the project
completed but hopes it will establish the basic technology for
providing the ultimate solution to the world’s energy problems.
Training for developing counties
Subscribing to the "give a man a fish and he eats for a day,
but teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime"
philosophy, another major aim of the project is to train
scientists and engineers from developing countries. To that end,
the project won’t just bring well-understood technology from
developed countries, but will involve people from both
developing and developed countries working together on R&D right
from the outset.
“Because technology hasn't yet been established for making
silicon from desert sand, then using it to make solar cells, our
aim is to work together from the basic research stage, so we can
discover and nurture talented scientists and engineers in
Africa," said Koinuma.
The project definitely has some lofty and worthy aims. We can
only wish them well in their endeavors and hope this is one
project that achieves its ambitious goals.
Via
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