News about Solar, Wind and alternative green power technologies

Giant companies have settled down to take a radical step to support the delivery of sustainable and eco-friendly energy supply. This mass of energy is to be generated from the deserts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. DII GmbH is a newly formed limited company. It was launched in, Munich, October 2009, by a group of 12 large companies and the DESERTEC Foundation. The origin aim of Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII) is to hasten the introduction of the concept called DESERTEC, which was originally produced by DESERTEC Foundation.

The work ahead for DII GmbH consists of devising a meticulous framework through in-depth analysis of how the MENA region will be able to supply energy through solar and wind that will be sufficient to provide to Europe and the MENA region. It’s intriguing long-term aim consists of bringing in a substantial level of energy required in countries of the MENA region as well as being able to meet an approximate 15% of Europe’s electricity needed by 2050.

Paul Van Son has been appointed as Chief Executive of Dll, with its headquarters situated in Munich. Mr. Van Son has, in his three decade career, been in numerous management positions in the energy industry across Europe, including managing director of both Econcern (Netherlands) and Deutsche Essent (Germany). Apart from purely managerial roles, he is also the chairman of European Federation of Energy Traders (EFET) and Energy4all foundation, an active body in Africa.

Paul Van Son, “We recognize and strongly support the DESERTEC vision as a pivotal part of the transition to a sustainable energy supply in the MENA countries and Europe”. He steadily conveyed the necessity to concretize the vision and make in a utopian reality. There are, however, prerequisites such as significant cooperation across culture and borders, to make green technology a feasible avenue and a growing success for the world.

The prime concern for DII will be to ascertain technical, economic and regulatory conditions fundamental for the accomplishment of effective implementation of the project. There have already been widespread political supports by institutions and governments in the MENA and European region. The tied relationship held with the Mediterranean Solar Plan (MSP) that launched in 2008 is one example. The political initiative of both DII and MSP to implement and nurture sustainable energy project confirms their mutual support.

The partners and shareholders of DII are ABB, ABENGOA Solar, Cevital, DESERTEC Foundation, Deutsche Bank, E.ON, HSH Nordbank, MAN Solar Millennium, Munich Re, M+W Zander, RWE, SCHOTT Solar and Siemens. Moreover, this bench of companies is going to widen by having more strategic alliances joining either in the form of becoming shareholders or partners. This will thereby ensure a comprehensive support from the entire EUMENA community.

There was a humble consensus amidst all the founders that steady protection measures are required to efficiently maintain the eco-system. Torsten Jeworrek, member of the board of Munich Re on behalf of the DII founding members:

“The question is not whether we should do something, but how we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere and how this goal can be achieved in an intelligent manner, which results in a win-win situation for both the environment and the economy. With regard to the important UN climate summit in Copenhagen, this private sector initiative demonstrates how business potentials can be aligned with sustainability goals.”

It is fascinating, as Dr. Gerhard Knies says ‘within 6 hours deserts receive more energy from the sun than human kind consumes within a year’. This is just a simple representation of how much energy is underutilized. The potential of DII GmbH to produce electricity from the sun is unfolded.

DII is achieving this through having a core focus on acting as an “awareness raiser” deploying its skills and dexterity to both remove barriers and catalyse the implementation of the DESERTEC concept. The real success is to be shaped from widespread collaboration with national blocks and independent bodies. The DESERTEC concept is a representation of an ideal approach towards sustainable development.

References;

http://www.desertec.org/en/press/press-releases/091030-01-formation-dii-gmbh/