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Re-greening the Sahara…

Re-greening the Sahara…. …using renewable energy for desalination Incoteco (Denmark) ApS. The Sahara. Just 5000 years ago, most of this was a great grass land, supporting a wide variety of life. Archeological remains show that much of the area that is now desert once supported great cities.

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Re-greening the Sahara…

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  1. Re-greening the Sahara… …using renewable energy for desalination Incoteco (Denmark) ApS

  2. The Sahara Just 5000 years ago, most of this was a great grass land, supporting a wide variety of life. Archeological remains show that much of the area that is now desert once supported great cities

  3. Climate Change was rampant... Carthage was not built for its desert views! ....causing the great drought and the formation of the desert

  4. CONTEXT - technical There has been a considerable increase in efficiency and reduced specific cost during last 15 years of: • Wind energy • photovoltaics • seawater desalination, especially reverse osmosis • arid land agronomy Market value of fossil fuel has risen by factor of 3 since 2000

  5. CONTEXT Environmental World-wide increase of: • Atmospheric CO2 has increased from 280 to 370 ppm in last 50 years • Desertification, continuing 5000 year old trend • Population rises to 9 billion by 2020 • Water shortages • Loss of arable land Low cost oil and gas depletion makes renewables competitive

  6. CONTEXT - Political • Potentially lethal pressure caused by a growing population in Africa and lack of: • industry • Water, exacerbated by frequent drought • Affordable, non-polluting energy • Arable land • Food • “Keep-out” mind set of developed nations towards the misery and poverty of Africans Parallel problems exist in other desert regions, eg Mexico/USA

  7. Context - Resources • Thousands of miles of undeveloped littoral, close to over-developed Europe • For tourism • Agriculture • Fish farms • Large and growing population • Unique solar resource • Lots of wind, some of it excellent • Some oil wealth • Shared cultures and language

  8. Re-green the SaharaWhy Not? The Arabian Peninsula, once green can also be re-greened Starting around the cities, aim to deliver more renewable energy, balanced by existing fossil plants and the increasing use of desalination.

  9. ...as renewable capacity builds up... Links with Great man-made river ...link fertile strips with a common grid, deepen into desert Inter-connect North African power grid and export CO2-free energy to Europe thro’ Spain and Italy

  10. Economic Returns Wealth is created by: • Tourism • Real estate appreciation • Agriculture and aquaculture • Food processing • Sale of CO2-free power to Europe • Industrial development • Export of know-how to other arid regions • Etc., etc. Region becomes economically attractive and growing

  11. A PROPOSAL This proposal must be driven by Africans for Africans • Each nation to be responsible for financing and developing its own solutions • Employ the widest possible range of technical solutions • From all over the Globe Seed capital supplied from oil revenues?

  12. Proposal - Moving Forward • Present concept to regional leaders • ...who can commission a... • ...Preliminary study – 6 to 12 months • This is presented to Regional Governments who pass enabling legislation that allows... • ...privately financed development groups to realise early projects

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