Tunisia: Desertec promises 20,000 jobs.
8 February 2012
Read by 1710 persons
Who says solar power isn't present in Tunisia? The sun is there. Tunisia could supply energy to Europe! After developing projects in Morocco and Algeria, Desertec will support a gigantic project in Tunisia.
The foundation officially supports a colossal project, "TuNur," four times larger, which would cost some 10 billion euros.
The TuNur solar power plant will produce 2 GW of electricity, on average twice as much as a nuclear power plant, destined for export to Europe. Production should start in 2014 and reach its full potential in 2016.
This project, presented since May 2011 by the small developer Nur Energie, based in London, is something to dream about: 825,000 mirrors installed in the Tunisian desert by 2014. Some 20,000 jobs would be promised to Tunisians for construction and maintenance.
With the support of the Desertec foundation, NUR Energie launched the TuNur project to export solar energy from North Africa to Europe, connecting Tunisia to Italy via a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) line. When completed, TuNur will be one of the largest solar energy projects in the world.
What is truly unique about this project is that it is a real South-North collaboration that highlights not only the socio-economic benefits that such an association can bring, but also takes into account the environmental impact, which led to the choice of technology used (solar thermal power plants) and the overall design of the project. In order not to accelerate the desertification process, TuNur will use very little water and recycle in a closed system the steam produced by this process of rows of mirrors reflecting sunlight towards a storage tower. This will transform the Sahara into a resource that can both drive the local economy and meet the growing demand for low-carbon electricity.
Unlike other ambitious projects, where idealism, high costs and bad timing clashed with the harsh reality of building giant solar pipelines, NUR Energie's TuNur project is perfectly timed.
With optimistic, cooperative and ambitious projects like this one organized through collaborations between Europe and North Africa, and initiatives from the private and public sectors, the bright future of millions of people is assured.
Meriem.Kh
Investir-en-tunisie.net
Published February 1, 2012.
Posted online February 8, 2012.
The foundation officially supports a colossal project, "TuNur," four times larger, which would cost some 10 billion euros.
The TuNur solar power plant will produce 2 GW of electricity, on average twice as much as a nuclear power plant, destined for export to Europe. Production should start in 2014 and reach its full potential in 2016.
This project, presented since May 2011 by the small developer Nur Energie, based in London, is something to dream about: 825,000 mirrors installed in the Tunisian desert by 2014. Some 20,000 jobs would be promised to Tunisians for construction and maintenance.
With the support of the Desertec foundation, NUR Energie launched the TuNur project to export solar energy from North Africa to Europe, connecting Tunisia to Italy via a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) line. When completed, TuNur will be one of the largest solar energy projects in the world.
What is truly unique about this project is that it is a real South-North collaboration that highlights not only the socio-economic benefits that such an association can bring, but also takes into account the environmental impact, which led to the choice of technology used (solar thermal power plants) and the overall design of the project. In order not to accelerate the desertification process, TuNur will use very little water and recycle in a closed system the steam produced by this process of rows of mirrors reflecting sunlight towards a storage tower. This will transform the Sahara into a resource that can both drive the local economy and meet the growing demand for low-carbon electricity.
Unlike other ambitious projects, where idealism, high costs and bad timing clashed with the harsh reality of building giant solar pipelines, NUR Energie's TuNur project is perfectly timed.
With optimistic, cooperative and ambitious projects like this one organized through collaborations between Europe and North Africa, and initiatives from the private and public sectors, the bright future of millions of people is assured.
Meriem.Kh
Investir-en-tunisie.net
Published February 1, 2012.
Posted online February 8, 2012.
