Energy from a Thousand Suns

Giant solar thermal plants are replacing atomic and coal-fired power stations.
Since the desert energy initiative Desertec, solar heat has been the word on everyone’s lips: in the Sahara, power stations are intended to convert an enormous degree of solar heat into power for millions of Europeans. However, while Desertec has only been a bold vision up to now, the solar strongmen are already booming in Spain and the USA. Technology and expertise come predominantly from Germany.

Franz Trieb is currently hard to get hold of. The physician from the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) is always on the go, giving lectures, taking part in expert discussions, giving interviews. The fact that Trieb is currently so popular is not thanks to any planned world space missions. It is down to solar energy. With his system analysis and technical evaluation department, the scientist is also involved in the Desertec desert project, the biggest private eco-power initiative of all time.

Desertec is considered the symbol of energy revolution: Various companies in Europe, including energy corporations Eon and RWE, want to build solar power stations in North Africa, which should cover 15 percent of Europe’s energy requirements by 2050. Different to other photovoltaic systems, which convert light directly into electricity, this technology initially produces steam with the help of the sun’s heat. This is then used to produce energy. Desertec, for which the DLR is supplying the scientific basis, is set to cost 400 billion Euros. “Our studies show that solar power stations can generate enough energy on less than 0.3 percent of the desert surface of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa to supply the growing demand of these countries and Europe,” says Trieb.