Does the Sahara become a giant solar plant?

Anyone who visits the Sahara is impressed by the heat and sun in this desert. In addition to a few oases with only small vegetation, the rest are mostly covered with rocks, sand and sand dunes . But the endless solar energy here is enough for Earth to use . comfortably.

According to world statistics, if the Sahara desert is a country, it will be the fifth largest in the world, more than Brazil and slightly smaller than China and the United States.

According to NASA estimates, the average square meter of Sahara desert receives between 2,000 and 3,000 kilowatt hours of solar energy each year. Total energy is estimated at 22 billion gigawatt hours per year.

If you turn the Sahara desert into a solar power plant, its power output will be equivalent to more than 36 billion barrels of oil a day.

What happens when people turn the Sahara desert into a solar farm, then this desert will generate about 2,000 times more energy than the total of the world's largest power plants now plus again.

Its power output will be equivalent to more than 36 billion barrels of oil per day. Stork if measured by demand, the energy supplied by the Sahara desert will be more than 7,000 times the electricity demand of Europe. Worth mentioning, the energy from this desert is clean energy, almost no carbon emissions.

Besides, the Sahara also has the advantage of being very close to Europe. The shortest distance between North Africa and Europe is only 15km in the Strait of Gibraltar (British land).

If used for Africa, only a small part of Sahara is needed. And people are hoping, if solar technology improves, things will become much cheaper and more efficient.

The Sahara may be harsh for most plants and animals, but it can bring sustainable energy to life throughout Africa and beyond.

In 2009, a project called Desertec was created to serve solar production from the Sahara desert. It quickly received a lot of money from various banks and energy companies pouring in.

But only a year later, the project collapsed, investors withdrew money because of high production costs. In addition, such projects also include many political, commercial and social risk factors. Perhaps this is the biggest reason preventing the endless resources of unexplored black continents?

1. The Sahara Desert can turn into a giant power plant