Algeria plans to export solar power

international | sci-tech | other press Monday June 25, 2007 14:09 by Terence

Other Arab states encouraged to do the same

It is reported today that Algeria plans to start exporting solar power and using it domestically from a plant from a hybrid solar/gas plant in the Sahara desert due to come on stream in 2009, with exports of power to Europe due to start up by 2015.

The report doesn't give any figures on the amount of power it plans to generate but the step in itself is a significant milestone.

For years it has been pointed out that all of the North African countries are ideally placed for generating massive amounts of power from solar energy because they have both the constant sunshine and have a huge area of land that is not used for any other purpose.

Given that some of these countries have significant revenue from oil exports it is more of a puzzle as to why they don't use some of this money to build huge solar farms that would generate income continuously for them into the far future.

Perhaps todays report is the first sign that the penny is beginning to drop regarding this.

The story itself can be found at: