Solar energy must play a vital role in desert development in Egypt, writes Essam Mitwally* Can solar energy play a role in desert development? In order to answer this question, one needs to consider the energy situation in Egypt. First, it is appropriate to define what we refer to as solar energy. Solar energy in its most general sense covers several forms of energy such as direct solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, tidal, wave, hydro, etc. Some of these resources are totally renewable such as direct solar, wind, tidal and wave; while the others, such as biomass, hydro and geothermal, are not strictly so. In Egypt, in the very long run ,only renewable sources of energy will remain, unless energy from outer space could be tapped, which should not be discounted considering the current advances in space research! So how can solar energy be utilized in Egypt? This requires the availability of a number of ingredients: the resources themselves; the technologies to harness them; the know how to apply these technologies; and a reduction of the cost of using these technologies to make them affordable to the public. Some of the recent trends gaining momentum globally, whether through practical steps or just through conceptualization, is the sharing of resources,ie. the sharing of the know-how through the acknowledgement of the concept of a common human destiny or "unity of fate". Globally, environmentalists have been struggling to make it very clear that our planet is much smaller than originally imagined, and that what happens in one corner of the globe affects the rest of it. So, how are the above ingredients going to be shared? Most technologies are, (and one can reasonably assume that they will continue to be), the product, and perhaps the monopoly, of the industrialized nations. It is true that some "simpler" technologies are now available in Egypt, but the balance of the longer list of these technologies is still in favor of the industrialized countries. The reduction of the cost of these technologies will also eventually follow, through better design, higher operating efficiencies, cheaper materials, and mass production, in addition, perhaps, to cheaper labor. Availability of know-how is a mixed bag, because knowledge depends on two elements: the release of the know-how by its source, namely, the industrialized countries again; and the ability of those receiving it to absorb it. The former is subject to many considerations, including political ones. The latter should not be a problem, if one can reasonably assume that all people, irrespective of their origins, have the ability to understand even the most complicated technologies, once given equal chances of exposure and/or training. As to the first ingredient, namely the availability of resources , thankfully, when it comes to solar energy , the distribution happens to be in favor of Egypt. This is "providential" justice, as it were. Or will the competition over oil supplies in the Middle East be repeated over solar energy resources? This danger may not be so far-fetched given the possibility that in the future, direct solar energy could be used in an area as large as the Western Sahara to generate huge amounts of hydrogen from the seawater of the Mediterranean Sea. It could then be transported to Europe and elsewhere, ensuring a continuous supply of a refined and clean type of fuel.. Obviously, the Sahara would then become as strategically valuable as the oil fields in the Middle East, Egypt included. The question, however, is whether the cost of receiving the required amounts of energy is affordable by the average household. Renewable sources of energy are a mixed blessing in terms of cost. Thus, while the capital costs of the related technologies are still relatively high, running costs are relatively negligible. If we could overcome the hurdle of the high initial cost, then using renewable sources of energy would be highly competitive and desirable, even while other conventional sources of energy are still available.. Many ideas have been proposed to overcome the relatively high initial costs of renewable energy systems. One idea receiving considerable interest is the creation of a "cooperative" or a "public utility" that would incur the large capital outlays and provide the services to the end users at reasonable cost. It should be noted here that while the total amount of solar energy usage could be relatively small on a country-level, it could constitute 100 percent of energy requirements at a village level and at the level of some individual households. The importance of such usage in Egypt should not be discounted however small it may be, since it may be the only available source of energy for some areas. Another important consideration to be taken into account is the shortage of freshwater in many parts of Egypt. With more than 3000 km. of seashore, seawater desalination may be the answer to our water problem in the long run. The direct application of renewable sources of energy in this area becomes as valuable as the life freshwater may sustain. Last but not least, the use of renewable sources of energy will ensure keeping Egypt's environment cleaner. Although some high speed wind machines may produce frequencies that may disturb radio communication, and longer exposure to direct solar radiation may harm the bare skin or eyesight, on the whole the adverse environmental impacts are negligible. However, all the above is dependent on the state of our world over the long term, that is, whether it will not have already been ruined by the continuous use and abuse of energy resources. Thus, it is imperative to pose many questions, here and now: What will be the state of the world environment in the long term? For instance, would there be any biomass left to be converted to energy? Would global warming have caused the disappearance of most of the agricultural land? Will there be an equitable distribution of freshwater? Would the energy mix between conventional and renewable sources ensure sustainable energy supplies and thus lessen the possibility of conflicts between nations? Finally, could the use of renewable sources of energy that are not controlled by man, or by one country, be a way leading to peaceful co-existence? Unfortunately, the writer and most of the readers of this article, will not be around to know the definitive answers to these questions. In any case, I hope that from the foregoing, it is obvious that the answer to the question posed in this article, is..Yes! Solar energy can play a role in desert development in Egypt! * The writer is a retired senior UN advisor and research scientist for NASA in the US.
