My question with this biofuel, would it be as detrimental to the environment from emissions as fossil fuel is now? If so, what would be the point of using it?
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Green Technology Research Center
Image courtesy Sahara Forest Project
January 22, 2010—A renewable-energy "oasis" intended to be built in 2010 will serve as a proving ground for new technologies designed to bring green living to the desert, project managers have announced.
The planned research center, shown above in an artist's conception, is part of the Sahara Forest Project—but that doesn't mean it'll be built in Africa. Sahara means "desert" in Arabic, and the center would be a small-scale version of massive green complexes that project managers hope to build in deserts around the globe.
These complexes could create food, fresh water, biofuels, and clean electricity while also offering local green employment opportunities, organizers say.
"From my perspective as an environmentalist, this could be a game changer in how we produce biomass for food and energy, and how we're going to provide fresh water for the future," said project co-leader Frederic Hauge, founder and president of the Norwegian environmental nonprofit the Bellona Foundation. "I've never been so engaged and fascinated as I am now."
Hauge presented initial results from the project's feasibility studies in December 2009 at the Copenhagen climate conference.
Find out what experts have to say about the project >>
—Christine Dell'AmoreJanuary 22, 2010
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Algae Ponds
Image courtesy Sahara Forest Project
Lowly algae, usually bad news for ecosystems, are actually a boon for biofuels: Lab-grown algae can generate up to 30 times more oil per acre than other plants used to make the sustainable fuel, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Farming algae doesn't take up valuable agricultural land, and the resulting product can be easily exported, according to the Bellona Foundation's Hauge.
The Sahara Forest Project's photobioreactors (pictured in an illustration) would cultivate algae through photosynthesis in open, shallow saltwater pools. The plants' fatty oils could then be harvested as energy-rich biofuel.January 22, 2010
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Seawater Greenhouse
Image courtesy Sahara Forest Project
So-called seawater greenhouses (pictured) are basic and cheap, making them a cornerstone of the Sahara Forest Project.
In the above diagram, air going into a greenhouse is cooled and humidified by seawater. This humid air nourishes crops growing inside the greenhouse, then passes through an evaporator, where sun-heated seawater flows. When the now warm, humid air meets a series of tubes containing cool seawater, fresh water condenses on the outside of the tubes as droplets that can be collected.
Only 10 to 15 percent of the humid air gets condensed into fresh water. The rest flows outside to water surrounding trees, so that the "greenhouse will create a large area around it that will be become green," Hauge said.January 22, 2010
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Concentrated Solar Power Farm
Image courtesy Sahara Forest Project
Concentrated solar power will create efficient, clean energy for the Sahara Forest Project. A solar tower (pictured, right) uses mirrors to focus light on water pipes and boilers. The concentrated light creates superheated steam inside the pipes that can power conventional steam turbines, generating electricity.
Hauge said he has gotten "fantastic response" about the project from some governments, and—based on the success of the research center—he hopes to build the first full-scale facility within the next couple years.January 22, 2010
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