Rescuing the concept of solar electricity transfer from North Africa to Europe

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to shed light to the concept of solar electricity transfer from North Africa to Europe in the frame of Article 9 of the European Renewable Energy Sources (EU-RES) Directive 28/2009/EC, to explain why efforts have not been successful up to now and to provide recommendations on how to proceed. Design/methodology/approach -The authors have compared the "Supergrid" concept that was pursued by some institutions in the past years with the original "TRANS-CSP" concept developed by the German Aerospace Centre in 2006. From this analysis, the authors could identify not only major barriers but also possible ways towards successful implementation. Findings -The authors found that in contrast to the Supergrid approach, the original concept of exporting dispatchable solar power from concentrating solar thermal power stations with thermal energy storage (CSP-TES) via point-to-point high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission directly to European centres of demand could be a resilient business case for Europe-North Africa cooperation, as it provides added value in both regions. Research limitations/implications -The analysis has been made in the frame of the BETTER project commissioned by the Executive Agency for Competitiveness & Innovation in the frame of the program Intelligent Energy Europe. Practical implications -One of the major implications found is that due to the time lost in the past years by following a distracted concept, the option of flexible solar power imports from North Africa to Europe is not any more feasible to become part of the 2020 supply scheme. Social implications -To make them a viable option for post-2020 renewable energy systems for electricity development in Europe, a key recommendation of the project is to elaborate a detailed feasibility study about concrete CSP-HVDC links urgently. Originality/value -The analysis presented here is the first to give concrete recommendations for the implementation of such infrastructure.

Shades of green: Centralisation, decentralisation and controversy among European renewable electricity visions

“…It immediately received broad support for the idea, including from the German federal government [67]. Whereas Dii was founded to push the Desertec concept, the industrial consortium quickly deviated from the "original concept", for which the controllability of CSP and point-to-point HVDC lines are key, and instead searched for cost-optimal renewable electricity expansion paths with large imports of wind and PV power to Europe from MENA via a vast interconnected HVAC grid [68]. The split between the two Desertec organisations became evident when the Desertec Foundation left the Dii consortium in 2013, taking the Desertec brand name with it, because of irresolvable conflicts regarding "strategies, obligations and [.…”

“…These must introduce an "adequate policy and economic framework" to enable the construction of CSP stations in MENA and large-scale imports of controllable solar power to Europe, for example in an EU-MENA electricity treaty or by including imported CSP in national support schemes [19,23,74]. Other key actors in the Desertec storyline are scientists and energy experts, especially the team at DLR that developed the "original concept" of controllable CSP imports through point-to-point HVDC lines to Europe [19,24,68,75]. As long as the transition is secure and rapidly brings humanity under the carrying capacity, it is not important who builds and operates the new electricity system [18].…”

Bureaucratic land grabbing for infrastructural colonization: renewable energy, L’Amassada, and resistance in southern France

“…Plateau Survolté and L'Amassada underline the three principal problems of the transformer project: first, land grabbing and the intensification of energy infrastructure in St. Victor; second, the transformer will enable an increase in the wind, solar, and biomass colonization of Aveyron, in order to become "energy positive" (Delga, 2017); and third, its energy use. The transformer, they argue, will not serve for local use but for distant large cities, which includes forming an energy corridor or "highway" between North Africa and the EU (Trieb et al, 2016). Overall, there is a complete and utter disbelief in the discourse of "energy transition" as a solution to ecological catastrophe.…”

The dragon awakens: Will China save or conquer concentrating solar power?

“…Concentrating solar power (CSP) is one of few technologies that can provide dispatchable renewable power on a large scale. As it can both generate bulk renewable power and be built to compensate fluctuating renewables like wind power and solar PV, it could play a key role in the decarbonisation of power systems worldwide [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Despite these advantages, CSP has led a life in the shadow of other renewables, and its expansion has been slow and confined to just a handful of countries.…”