Naked Science Forum
General Science => General Science => Topic started by: Herman Melville on 04/06/2009 11:30:44
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Could the Earth's deserts be turned into vast solar energy centres to provide power for the rest of the planet?
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Yes. However, it has the same logistical problems as the water question.
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Yes. However, it has the same logistical problems as the water question.
I don't see why: electricity is easier to channel (via cables) than water through pipes.
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Granted. However, there is still a huge cost issue, political will issues and logistical issues. Also, would you want your country's electricity coming from a source that could very easily be a terrorist target?
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Granted. However, there is still a huge cost issue, political will issues and logistical issues. Also, would you want your country's electricity coming from a source that could very easily be a terrorist target?
Those are all issues that people could get around if it was worth their while.
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Without trying to sound patronising (although I'm sure it manages it anyway), I think that that is a bit naive. There is never going to be a concord agreement that includes EVERYBODY - every nation, political position etc.
There are already local solar power systems (a big one recently in Spain for example). But I think that they will generally remain on an internal basis rather than some idealistic "power for all" scenario. Remember, to have centralised power resources was a communist concept and can still be seen in Warsaw, for example. It just doesn't work.
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Without trying to sound patronising (although I'm sure it manages it anyway), I think that that is a bit naive. There is never going to be a concord agreement that includes EVERYBODY - every nation, political position etc.
There are already local solar power systems (a big one recently in Spain for example). But I think that they will generally remain on an internal basis rather than some idealistic "power for all" scenario. Remember, to have centralised power resources was a communist concept and can still be seen in Warsaw, for example. It just doesn't work.
Science is about possibilities and I was trying to establish if this was at least possible. Once, people would have said it was impossible to go to the Moon. Of course political nonsense will often get in the way of good ideas, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't consider those ideas.
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I agree Herman. As I said right at the beginning, it is possible. It's just not feasible.
Unfortunately, technology and the pursuit of science isn't the limiting factor.
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Unfortunately, dentstudent is quite right. It is not so much the limitations of technology as the limitations of politics.
Would you feel your supply safe if the cables carrying it had to pass through a nation you know you can't trust? Or a nation you know would be happy to hold you to ransom? You only have to look at the problems with Russian gas being piped to Europe to see how problematical the whole affair could be.