This story was previously titled "Massive Saharan Solar Project To Supply 15% Of Europes Power"
Massive Saharan Solar Project To Supply 15% Of Europes Energy »
Posted By Mikunited 2 weeks, 4 days ago in Science & TechnologyA sustainable energy initiative that will start with a huge solar project in the Sahara desert is announced by a consortium of 12 European businesses.
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Mikunited
I'm 49 and work as a painter and decorator.I live in London,with my long time partner,she is a teacher.We have ...
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Jeboba2 weeks, 4 days ago
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It is amazing how the rest of the world is passing us by because the oil and gas industry have bought and paid for our politicians! The U.S. has become a second rate country and will continue to decline until our politicians get their heads out of their collective arses. We have a horrible health insurance system and the rest of the world laughs at us while taking care of their citizens. Bottom line....to hell with the people. If it doesn't make disgustingly obscene profits then it can't be good!
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VOTE OUT ALL REPUBLICANS IN 2010!-
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wtagg2 weeks, 4 days ago
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Though I am in agreement with us becoming a follower instead of a leader, I'm not sure that the republicans can be held completely to blame for that. I think the entire entrenched political/corporate system we have here in the US is the roadblock. The companies making money with existing systems will not want to lose that power and influence and neither will those in power want them to lose it.
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Endoscopy2 weeks, 3 days ago
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This will be fun to watch. I want to know how they will transmit that energy from the continent od Africa to Europe. In electronics and electrical engineering there is a problem with sending energy long distance through copper wire. There is a resistance of the line and the formula for the loss of the energy in the line is the current squared times the resistance. Power companies in the US have that problem and they do not transmit that far. They jump up the voltage to lower the current but there are limits to that. 15% of the power in Europe will be a huge amount of current. I had to live with that problem in electronics with power supplies putting out a hundred amps or more. Multiple big wires and very good multiple connections. Those lines will cost a huge amount of money and will lose a lot of energy between the transmission and reception.
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Mikunited2 weeks, 4 days ago
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I'm from the UK and it's not my place to run down the USA.I have a lot of American friends and they have progressive views.
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The one point that I think reflects badly on the States,is the "Health Insurance"system.The rest of the democratic western world,all have some kind of "socialized medicine",
However Obama has only been president for a few months and I an hoping the US will move closer to a fairer healthcare system.I think it may take a few years to get it right,because there are so many vested interests,deeply entrenched.
I think that the States will becomes one of the leaders in renewable energy.The left see the moral and human side of renewables.The right are slowly seeing there is a wonderful business opportunity in renewables.
I agree vote out all Republicans in 2010,I also hope the UK doesn't vote the conservative party into power in 2010-
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chevydog2 weeks, 3 days ago
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Lots and lots of capital involved.
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I realize that there are interplays of all sorts of factors. But the cynic might say that this is just a high-tech version of the same old game of European exploitation. The primitive natives give up their resources (land and sunshine) at low prices so that the Euro-exploiters can live high on the hog.
Has anyone published what the Saharan countries are getting out of this? Or tried to do any economics if the land were purchased at say prevailing European land costs? This latter case is more like one would encounter in the US. I suspect that it's going to hinder much "alternative" energy; because I think that proponents are not looking at all the costs.
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insuranceman2 weeks, 4 days ago
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Mikunited, I have friends from the UK as well. I would hope that the opinion of both UK and USA citizens is that we are the strongest of allies.
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And I agree the USA is well behind the curve on green energy.
It is sad, but the USA lacks on many fronts including health care. Greed is the new norm in the USA and everyone is out for themselves - whether that be for profits or for fear that their existing health insurance benefits will be reduced.-
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Mikunited2 weeks, 3 days ago
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Insuranceman-I couldn't imagine a World where the USA and the UK were not the best of allies.
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You mention problems that are prominent Stateside,we share the greed orgy here too!!As of yet we have managed to keep it out of medicine,(except for drug companies).
We have a "constitutional monarchy",an anachronism from past centuries,that has no place in the modern World.We don't have a writen constitution like the USA and many other other modern nations.In our second house "The House of Lords",we are still arguing whether it should be fully democratic or not,at the moment it isn't at all!.We have no separation between church and state! So when I mention things I find "a bit backwards"about the States,I am only too aware of the faults of my own nation.Sometimes I criticize the States,but there is absolutely no question of the friendship I feel for it.In fact I criticize because I care. :)
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