Covering the Sahara Desert in Solar Panels
Solving the world energy crisis with an innovative approach
In a world with exhausting fossil fuels, solar panels can provide a sustainable solution to our energy problems. But they also come with a couple of issues: for one, solar farms are massive, and they have to be set up somewhere that gets a lot of sunlight. Now, if only we had a large mass of unused land that gets guaranteed sunlight every day. During a leisurely spin at the study-table globe, we identify a large tract of land which seems apt for this purpose. Let’s analyze the prospects covering the Sahara Desert with solar panels.
Forbes estimates that the world energy needs could be met by a square solar panel spanning 335 kilometers on each side. This seemingly astronomical number is just 1.2 percent of the Sahara Desert in solar panels. Therefore, by only scantily covering the desert in solar panels we could harness enough power to meet the energy needs of the entire world.
At this point, it is crucial to examine the environmental impacts of such a wide-scale project. Usually, a solar farm is built to prevent changes to the environment, but if we built one in the Sahara, it might cause some changes of its own. If we lined the desert floor with giant solar panels, it would double the rainfall in the region and increase vegetation cover by about 20 percent.
Sound a little unbelievable? Well, let me explain. The Saharan sand is unusually light in color, which means it reflects a lot of light and heat back up into the air. On covering the sand in dark solar panels, we would be ensuring that more sunlight is absorbed inducing a rise in the ground temperature. The warmer sand would initiate convection currents to produce rain. The warmer would rise from the desert to high altitudes and condense as clouds. This same moisture there would periodically fall as rain. Before we know it, one of the most extreme climates on Earth would undergo a significant makeover.
So, if these solar panels would not only provide sustainable energy solutions but also add much-needed greenery to our largest desert, then what are we waiting for? Shouldn’t we be out there building these things already? Well, it’s a little more complicated than that. For one thing, it’s great to produce enough energy to power the world, but then you have to worry about how you’re going to get it to everyone. Due to the desert being located far from storage units we would have to most likely take the energy to Europe.
Exporting sustainable energy would do great things for a lot of African economies, but they do not have the means for it. Currently, electrical grids in Africa are under-developed. It would be impossible for them to arrange power lines of around 800–3,000 km (500 to 2,000 miles) to take the energy to Europe Transporting power over long distances leads to power loss of up to 10%, which means that an already expensive project would get even more pricey. On top of that, Northern Africa has historically been a region entrenched in political instability. Such a situation greatly discourages the huge investment needs for this project.
Moreover, as Sahara stretches across many countries and the plan requires years of construction we would need large international cooperation to make it successful. Even if a single cog in the chain falters due to political instability the whole scheme could turn to mush. As great as this project would be, it would probably be better to attempt it on a small scale first. Maybe solar panels could be used to power some small African villages, and help to spread access to electricity in the region. Over time, we would muster the resources to take this exceptional plunge. Considering the improving prospects for the solar industry, this project may well be on the cards in the near future.
