Monday 19 November 2012

Desertec's trouble highlights Solar energy failings

Now some stores you just can't believe and others you can write the script too far in advance. The Desertec story definitely fits into the latter category.

Desertec was a German Green-Party led idea for building 125 gigawatts of solar power plant across the Desert of North Africa for export to Europe. At the cost of a mere 400 billion euros this was supposed to save us from dominance by Gazprom and others.

Green energy, helping poor countries, getting away from nasty Russians and their gas. What a great PR opportunity.

The reality has proved, somewhat more complicated. After all, there are still foreign countries involved, ones that are becoming more unstable like Morocco. So the dependence is not cured. Then there is the fantasy technology that somehow the power can be transported across continents without catastrophic loss along the way. Oh and that all the private companies are now rapidly pulling out after doing some lengthy due diligence and would only return if Government put up the vast share of the investment.

All of this could easily have been predicted a few years ago, but wild dreams and promises (this reminds me a little of asteroid mining initiatives in the US) make for great media content, as do big ideas that solve huge problems with simplicity - its just that they rarely work.

In fact, Solar energy is an industry in huge crisis, over-supply from China of cheap, inefficient panels has pushed prices down to below cost and ruined many companies business models. Then the various Governments in Europe, including our own, have started to cut subsidies for a technology that does not really deliver any meaningful return on investment.

Politicians love to make grand statements about the future being 'Green'  - reality is showing this is far from the truth.

10 comments:

Budgie said...

This is what you get when politicians, especially greenie ones, try to pick winners. Stuff only works when it works, not when politicians say it will.

Cameron is no better. And his latest wheeze is to bypass planning safeguards so he can build more windmills. You just know we will get Millybland in a couple of years' time. A choice of two daft statists.

Electro-Kevin said...

I believe we will get shale gas - but not until after a few energy disasters.

It will reach a point where we simply can't afford to have school children running the country.

James Higham said...

In fact, Solar energy is an industry in huge crisis

Not to mention wind farms.

rwendland said...

Not so sure this story is as bad as portrayed. According to some Bloomberg New Energy Finance research, in sunny high-leccy price areas unsubsidised PV leccy costs less than domestic leccy prices (assessed using a 6% discount rate, which many domestic customers would find acceptable ROI). [press release, PAPER]

Examples of such countries are claimed to be Italy, Spain and parts of Australia. California, Brazil and Turkey are fairly close, likely to be by 2015.

So for sunny countries, support seems plausible soon for an unsubsidised industry. Though unclear if domestic alone could support the industry, and not sure if/when the economics would work for industrial customers.

CityUnslicker said...

PV is sunny countries makes sense, just a geothermal in say iceland. I have more of a problem with the alleged ability to push leccy from say Morrocco to Scotland!

ivan said...

I can quote a non working small scale example from the French Spanish border region.

Friends bought a mas that was too far from the EDF supply to be economically connected - the reason it was for sale in the first place. Because of some EU initiative EDF built a solar panel array with massive batteries for storage - they were supposed to give 7 days autonomy just in case, EDF also charged for the electricity supplied.

The first time the electricity ran out after 2 rainy days they complained and the installers came out and found some faulty diodes at the panels. The second time no one could find a fault and they were told they were using too much electricity - a few eco bulbs, a fridge and a computer, no way.

The third time the called me and I agreed to meet them in town at an Industrial supplies establishment. There I introduced them to a 10kW diesel generator. I installed the generator for them and connected it to the large inverter mains input and auto start.

There hasn't been a forth time and now EDF pays them for electricity which more than covers their outgoings on red diesel.

No matter how you cut it solar energy is not and will not be viable on earth - in space that is another matter entirely, the getting it from there to here is the problem with that.

One day the greens will realise that all of the alternative energy proposals are worthless then we might get a sensible energy policy based on nuclear - but I'm not holding mt breath waiting.

Demetrius said...

This science thingy is a bit rich for me, but why don't they put the solar panels deep enough in the sea to do wave energy as well. Even better the installations could support underwater windmills.

Arthur dented said...

Moonbeam generation is the future. All you need is moonlight, chanting book and a coal fired power station and you'll have plenty of energy

Budgie said...

Er, Ssolar pv doesn't work when the sun don't shine. That's every night, folks.

Agence communication said...

this is true and very interesting in this way i like it so much ..."" Now some stores you just can't believe and others you can write the script too far in advance. The Desertec story definitely fits into the latter category.

Desertec was a German Green-Party led idea for building 125 gigawatts of solar power plant across the Desert of North Africa for export to Europe. At the cost of a mere 400 billion euros this was supposed to save us from dominance by Gazprom and others.

Green energy, helping poor countries, getting away from nasty Russians and their gas. What a great PR opportunity.
"""