The article doesn’t mention losses due to super long transmission lines. Like sure you can generate a kajillion watts of electricity in Algeria but if you can’t charge a cell phone with it once it makes it to Madrid then who cares?
There already is underwater power line between Spain and Morocco. From what I remember Morocco is still not generating enough solar power for this to make sense so it was mainly used to import electricity from coal. It is basically exporting carbon emissions to Africa. I think it's not that useful because you can already install solar panels in Spain so there's not much incentive to move it outside of EU.
There are also plans to create another like from Egypt I think but the distance makes it more problematic.
@EatingOnions
I'm flabbergasted that they're only coming round to this now.
Africa is the naturally richest continent on the planet & this includes its very under-exploited solar energy resources.
I remember the name Desertec, which planned the same thing some 20 years ago. But even back then the main issues were the need for a long HV transmission line and the political instability in northern Africa.
In the meantime we should have learned that depending on energy from other countries (Russia, middle east) is a disaster waiting to happen.
14 Comments
reddig33@lemmy.world · 36 pts · 55d
Don’t depend on other nations for your energy. See also: OPEC, Strait of Hormuz.
truthfultemporarily@feddit.org · 9 pts · 55d
Also the Russians could cut the cable.
SudoBauer@feddit.org · 2 pts · 55d
Surely the Russians would never think about sabotaging critical infrastructure.
becausechemistry@piefed.social · 17 pts · 55d
The article doesn’t mention losses due to super long transmission lines. Like sure you can generate a kajillion watts of electricity in Algeria but if you can’t charge a cell phone with it once it makes it to Madrid then who cares?
jgjl@discuss.tchncs.de · 14 pts · 55d
Because HVDC is a thing..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-voltage_direct_current
becausechemistry@piefed.social · 4 pts · 55d
Okay wow, that’s not bad! TIL.
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net · 6 pts · 55d
There already is underwater power line between Spain and Morocco. From what I remember Morocco is still not generating enough solar power for this to make sense so it was mainly used to import electricity from coal. It is basically exporting carbon emissions to Africa. I think it's not that useful because you can already install solar panels in Spain so there's not much incentive to move it outside of EU.
There are also plans to create another like from Egypt I think but the distance makes it more problematic.
Hiro8811@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 55d
There's a incentive and that is efficiency but probably the security risk would be too high
Quantillion@mstdn.io · 5 pts · 55d
@EatingOnions
I'm flabbergasted that they're only coming round to this now.
Africa is the naturally richest continent on the planet & this includes its very under-exploited solar energy resources.
huppakee@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 55d
It's nothing new, the only new thing is that the natural resource is sunlight.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · -1 pts · 55d
Dude...a lot of Africa can't get a clean glass of water.
gabelstapler@feddit.org · 5 pts · 55d
I remember the name Desertec, which planned the same thing some 20 years ago. But even back then the main issues were the need for a long HV transmission line and the political instability in northern Africa.
In the meantime we should have learned that depending on energy from other countries (Russia, middle east) is a disaster waiting to happen.
modus@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 55d
Now governments are stealing sunlight?
CactusEcho@piefed.social · 2 pts · 55d
This is the nordstream situation again.
I have better ideas:
First they should make it mandatory for governmental and local administration's buildings to have solar in their roof.
All the artificial lakes created by gravity dams that produce energy should be partially covered with solar panels.