Sahara Forest Project

Sahara Forest Project

Something big went on in the Sahara desert.

In 2011 a big and important project was developed. A project that that would have and produce water, energy and food in the middle of the desert.

It took place in Qatar, obviously in the Sahara desert but in the part that belongs to Qatar, and it was supported by ONU and was built up in collaboration with Yara.

The plan is still being implemented and constructions are not finished yet to exploit its full potential, however this is now a reality and the first crops were grown. 

Thanks to its efficiency they are still expanding and they are now being supported by different countries such as Norway and UK.

But what’s the most important part of it?

It is all thanks to thermal machines!!

Powered by solar thermal energy dare machines it becomes energy that bring seawater. This seawater passes through channels that evaporate to the atmosphere and make the air more humid and conducive to the cultivation as the weather there is extremely dry.

It works basically by:

• Concentrating Solar Plants (SCP), which store solar energy to generate steam, and later this steamdrives a turbine connected to a generator, producing electricity.

• Seawater Greenhouses (SG), which allow the irrigation of crops through evaporation of seawater and subsequent condensation into fresh water. In addition, salt water also helps cool the greenhouses.

But this goes beyond a simple experiment and has a very defined and important ends which are:

• Food production and biofuels.

• Generate a huge amount of potable water can irrigate these crops.

• Revegetate desert areas

• Create such amount of energy that can cover the electricity demand in Africa and Europe.

So we can see this plan is huge.

If you want to read more about Sahara Forest Project

http://saharaforestproject.com/