Scientists have studied that farming renewable energy in the Sahara Desert would improve the life of its population. They foresee that planting wind turbines and solar panel in the biggest hot desert in the world would supply electricity to the entire world. Results of the simulation: quantity of rainfall across the Sahara and around after implementation of the project. (Image via Yan Li/Eviatar Bach)
Solid Biomass, water, Wind, sun and biofuels are the most common renewable energy sources in the world. Some of those sources are more appropriate in one geographic location than another. For example, at high sea with high winds, wind and water energy will be easier to create than solar. Likewise, a desert is probably the best place to harness solar power. Regardless of the source of the renewable energy, it is beneficial because it contributes to reducing the creation of greenhouse gases; and, consequently slows down the speed of global warming. Based on those facts, why haven’t scientists utilized more of the desert areas and oceans on the planet?
The answer to that is that they are trying. In fact, a group of scientists has predicted that planting numerous wind turbines or solar panels in the Sahara, the largest hot desert in the world, will not only improve the ecosystem and life in the region but also provide clean energy to African, European and Middle Eastern countries. The principle behind the prediction is that the wind turbines, through their rotations, will help mix the cooler air that is close to the ground with the hotter air that is higher in the sky.
Plus, the solar panel will prevent the ground from reflecting the high temperatures of the “ever-present sun”; therefore, preserving the cool temperatures. The combination of all those events will force nature to produce more rain, and more rain means more vegetation which also means a greater diversity in the fauna. If this project works, the temperatures in the area are sure to change and it could the beginning of reversing global warming. But, scientists push it further by predicting that the improvement of the weather in the area could help eliminate poverty among the populations living in the desert while supplying sustainable energy to a lot of countries. Some might even say that the success of the project could affect the scale of power when it comes to who controls the energy in the world.
But, before scientists could claim victory over global warming and the race for sustainable energy, they must address a few questions. How is a project of that scale going to affect the wildlife that is present in the desert right now? Given that changes in temperatures in any area of the globe could create an imbalance in another area, could the turbines and panels contribute to a worsening of the global warming? Would the world have to face new unknown challenges while trying to solve one?
To all those questions, the head of the research team, Dr. Yan Li, replied that it is necessary to test those predictions out first. For that, the team resorted to a simulation to predict the impact of such a large project on the desert and its bordering territories. Their findings brought them to the conclusion that the project will be mostly positive overall. They could foresee the growth of agriculture and farming. In other words, there will be an increase in food production, an improvement of the quality of life and a better environment.
Logically, it might be hard to see the dangers hidden in that project. Some countries like Saudi Arabia believe enough in the possibilities that they are already investing in solar energy. So, it is just a matter of time for Sahara’s neighboring countries and even Europeans countries to start funding the project. Meanwhile, scientists have not answered yet the questions of how much the ecosystem will change and how the changes in temperatures in that area of the world would affect the rest of the world.
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