Reverdir une partie du désert pour améliorer les conditions de vie des populations locales ? Tel est l'objectif du Sahara Forest project. De l'eau de mer s'évapore dans des serres où sont cultivées des plantes. L'air humide est alors progressivement aspiré (les pompes sont alimentées par de l'électricité d'origine renouvelable: solaire, éolien, énergie des vagues etc.) et la température dans la serre devient 15 degrés plus basse qu'à  l'extérieur. Les plantes ont alors un environnement humide et moins chaud que dans le désert. Ce micro-climat humide et modérément chaud permet une croissance très rapide des plantes. L'air humide aspiré se condense ensuite et l'eau obtenue permet l'arrosage des cultures ainsi que le nettoyage des miroirs d'une centrale thermosolaire.   Des fermes marino-solaires de démonstration ont été installées à Tenerife, à Oman et aux Emirats Arabes Unis. Des laitues, concombres, courgettes et tomates y sont cultivées. A découvrir dans The  Guardian (UK) du 2 septembre 2008.

O.D.

Seawater greenhouses to bring life to the desert - The planned project would use solar power to evaporate salt water, generating cool air and pure water thereby allowing food to be grown (...) - Guardian

En savoir plus:
http://www.seawatergreenhouse.com
http://www.exploration-architecture.com/section.php?xSec=35

Tenerife, Iles canaries, Espagne:



Abu Dhai, Al-Aryam Island:




Oman, Muscat:

 

D'autres photos:
http://www.seawatergreenhouse.com/gallery.htm



A noter qu'avec la technologie CLFR il est possible de cultiver sous des miroirs concentrateurs solaires, à l'ombre:  

 

Billet publié initialement le 3 septembre 2008

75

WORLD’S SECOND LARGEST SOLAR PLANT TO BE BUILT IN FLORIDA

ABILENE, TX, MARCH 26, 2009:

Lauren Engineers & Constructors recently signed a contract with Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for a new 75 MW Concentrated Solar Power Plant located near Indiantown, FL.

This landmark solar project will achieve several milestones for solar power, including:

• The second largest solar thermal power plant in the World
• The largest solar thermal plant outside of California
• The first hybrid solar facility in the world to connect to an existing combined-cycle power plant

This project, named the Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center, will be located on 500 acres of land adjacent to FPL’s Martin Plant. Using Parabolic Trough Technology to capture heat from the sun, this project will include approximately 200,000 parabolic mirrors. Total power produced for this new solar plant will be 155,000 MWh of power annually — enough power for 11,000 homes or 26,000 people.

Utilizing the latest in Solar Thermal technology, this revolutionary solar project will help to advance the field of solar power by producing clean energy at a competitive price. According to FPL’s website, the Martin Facility is expected to reduce green house gas emissions by approximately 2.75 million tons over a thirty year period, which is the equivalent of removing more than 18,700 cars from the road annually for the next 30 years.

“Lauren is proud to build this project and is dedicated to a project approach which minimizes disruption to the local community and ecosystem,” said Cleve Whitener, CEO of Lauren Engineers & Constructors.

In addition to this milestone solar project, Lauren also built the Nevada Solar One Power Plant, a 64 MW solar power plant located in Boulder City, Nevada. Construction for this plant, the largest built in over 17 years, was completed in June 2007. Lauren’s key role as the only contractor to have built a concentrated solar power facility in the US in the last 17 years has helped to solidify Lauren as the premier contractor for solar power facilities in North America.

Dans la presse:

-MW CSP Plant to be Built in Florida
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/03/75-mw-csp-plant-to-be-built-in-florida

Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center
http://www.fpl.com/environment/solar/martin.shtml

(...) BrightSource Energy was founded as Luz II in 2004, with seed financing from VantagePoint, BP, Google.org and several others. It’s currently building a solar power plant in the Mojave Desert. On Feb. 11, the company announced a deal with Southern California Edison on contracts to supply 1300 megawatts of clean solar thermal power — priced at an estimated 12.5¢ a kilowatt-hour.  (...) When fully operational, BrightSource’s solar plants could potentially offer a clean source of the electricity required for another of Salzman’s ambitious investments: Better Place (...) "The naysayers are fighting the inevitable (...) - Suite: CanadianBusiness.com

http://www.brightsourceenergy.com 

http://www.betterplace.com

Voir aussi:

Une centrale solaire gargantuesque va être construite en Californie...1300 MW !