Feasibility of solar farm installation in the deserts

China is leading in solar capacity, producing over 130 GW at multiple times the capacity in a country like the UK. Deserts offer the opportunity to trap such energies efficiently. 

China's Tengger Desert capacity is over 1500 MGW, and the recent development of the 5,000-megawatt Dubai Desert Park targets to produce such energy. More than half of the panels are built in China, and it is working on ventures where the panels can melt permafrost where trees will grow in the area where these are deployed. 

It is not only working on ventures inside the country but many projects are targeted to generate power outside, like in Egypt, where it plans to build farms at the Benban Complex that will cover over 37 sq km and generate over 2000 MGW. 

The latest developments have made it cheap for the farms to deploy and generate power through such systems where even the oil-rich nations are targeting to dominate the sector in the post-fossil era and deploying such facilities 
in the deserts. 

PV installations in the Sahara desert 

North Africa has the opportunity to grow where the sunnier regions in the continent can deliver power to meet the local needs. In the current scenarios, countries like Russia and Canada have low solar lands, and such installations may not be viable at many locations. Still, in the deserts of the Sahara, the power can be stored from the sun to run steam turbines and create batteries. 

There is a possibility of getting uninterrupted power supplies in the deserts. Gulf has identified the opportunity and has promoted ambitious projects to deliver electricity at a relatively lower price.

Researchers state that farms in the Sahara can produce 2000 times the energy produced by the world's largest power stations or equal to the output delivered by 36 billion barrels of oil daily. It can produce 7000 times the total needs of Europe with zero carbon emissions.

Researchers are working on integrating two different types of mechanisms to get efficient output where the system of concentrated lenses or mirrors focusing system on generating power can be used, or PVs system based on semiconductors can produce small-scale electricity for buildings. 

Both systems have some drawbacks, as the deserts are known to get too hot to function properly. Also, the problem of sand storms can reduce efficiency; in addition, both the system needs water to clean the mirrors and cool the system.  

The Saharan regions have not traded fossils, and there are worries over the supply security of solar farms like the project Desertec that was active until mid-2010. Still, the collapse of oil and natural gas prices made the generation of such power unproductive. 

However, the booming African population creates a need for electrification where solar energy can provide a clean source to alleviate the crisis in nations like Nigeria.