Getting geared to speak at MENASOL2011 in Casablanca, Morocco in May, Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII) CEO Paul van Son will discuss how the conflicts in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region will only drive solar powered initiatives.
The scheme to use the Sahara to gather solar energy for transport to Europe is still gaining speed, according to DII members. It is also believed that with the price of oil nearing $120 a barrel this week and the fact that it has only dropped to $114 over the past week means that the world is once again receiving a reminder that it needs to diversify its energy sources. Couple that with the nuclear crisis in Japan and it would appear as though renewable energy – including solar – is expected to grow exponentially.
Although on the heels of the economic meltdown in 2008, many rushed to support alternative energy only to see development efforts decline once the market stabilized. In 1986 there was a nuclear crisis when a reactor at the Ukrainian facility Chernobyl exploded, displacing several thousand families and infecting many with toxic radiation. Cries against nuclear energy and its harmful affects were short–lived, only to be revived again with Japan’s Fukushima.
Another example illustrating short-term excitement over alternative energy lies in the continuous fluctuation of oil prices, with some analysts predicting that 2011 could result in the second highest barrel price recorded in history. In June 2008 oil prices surged to over $140 a barrel on the NYMEX, but for those countries most reliant upon crude, renewable energy has only remained steady or barely seen an increase at all.
A MENASOL press release states that, “On first impression you are led to think that solar energy development has been put to the back burner as these countries prioritize socio-economic stability, but that would not be telling the full story.” Perhaps energy policies are still pushing through in places like Algeria and Morocco who have seen demonstrations, but on a small scale compared to their other North African neighbors. Yet it is hard to believe that with military air strikes consuming Libya and no clear leadership present in Egypt and Tunisia, that renewable energy is on anything other than a back burner.
That isn’t to say that projects like Desertec are a lost cause. In February Italy’s first financier, Unicredit, joined the group as a shareholder. And while it might take awhile to stabilize countries like Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia, the initiative was already scheduled to come online in shifts. And the first country to be tackled was Morocco, according to van Son (Morocco First on Desertec Minds). Heidi Hafes, event director of MENASOL 2011, said: “We are [in] daily communication with the CSP and PV industry and are acutely aware of the lucrative opportunities the North Africa and Middle East region presents these companies. That is why MENASOL 2011 remains an important forum that facilitates valuable business knowledge and making important connections.”
Altogether, projects like Desertec could still come online, but the timeline of 2015 to export energy to Europe might be up for a new round of discussions.
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