I came across an article referring to this recently.
http://www.trec-uk.org.uk/csp.htmIts a system that uses giant mirrors to focus sunlight on water filled pipes to generate steam for power generation.
The only byproduct is fresh water which can be used to irrigate and reclaim desert areas, (thereby reducing global warming)
apaprently 67KM square of sahara desert will generate enough power to power all of the UKs electricity needs.
So why the fcuk are we planning on building nuclear plants?
Every year, each square kilometre of hot desert receives solar energy equivalent to 1.5 million barrels of oil. Multiplying by the area of deserts world-wide, this is nearly a thousand times the entire current energy consumption of the world. The cost of collecting solar thermal energy equivalent to one barrel of oil is about US$50 right now (already less than the current world price) and is likely to come down to around US$20 in future.
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