Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 3
Emerging issues need to be addressed in the society
achievement of sustainable development for the
whole world.
Clean and secure energy is the key to a sustain-
able civilisation, to human security, to a reliable
energy supply, to climate stability and biodiversity
for global and intergenerational justice and to more
civilisation and wealth. Energy is also the driving
force of life, usually accompanying conversion
from one form to another including heat, light,
mechanical, electric and chemical energy as well as
changes in mass. Without energy fl ow, no living
thing can survive. Throughout human history
energy use (and the rate of consumption) and the
advancement of civilisations have increased simul-
taneously. By considering the Sahara Solar Breeder
(SSB) project, developed in this article, we can eas-
ily consider it as, fi rst, being an energy/climate
security with global justice and development of
civilisation for the whole world and, second, a
clever global development strategy for solving
energy and climate problems with existing solar-
grade silicon (Si) production from sand technology
for a sustainable world. SSB may be a great solution
towards world sustainability since it proposes a plan
to overcome issues the society is facing today as
shown in Fig.
3
and summarised as follows:
Climate change (mostly from burning of fossil
fuel)
Increase in the prices of limited energy
resources
Increase in the prices of energy-intensive
commodities like fertiliser
Air and water pollution
Economic development in all aspects
National security
Poverty and global health
How to keep society free of geopolitical
confl ict
2
The Sahara Solar Breeder
(SSB) Project: A New Global
Climate Policy
On Earth, there are three kinds of energy
resources available: (1) geothermal and nuclear
(radioactive) energy, (2) fossil fuels (crude oil,
natural gas and coal) and (3) renewable energy
from incident sunlight, water (hydropower), wind
and biomass. Energy is the engine of the uni-
verse, engine of all the fundamental processes of
nature on Earth and engine of the world econ-
omy. The world is full of energy resources, but
their supply is fi nite. Our response is to fi nd ways
to use these resources more effi ciently and
develop new sources for energy. Energy needs to
be converted into power in order to make use of
it. The different forms of energy are summarised
as being fossil, fi ssile, renewable and new ener-
gies which can be presented as mechanical,
chemical, electrical, nuclear and thermal ener-
gies. Energy researchers should creatively apply
their knowledge of science (Physics and
Chemistry), engineering (electrical and mechani-
cal) and economics to confront the global chal-
lenges of energy supply and demand (Energy
Engineering
2013
). Figure
4
shows how we need
science and technology that are poised to play a
transformative role in providing clean and sus-
tainable energy. The SSB project may be a solu-
tion since it proposes a plan of international
partnership in basic research and development,
industrial production, trade and fi nance to con-
struct, gradually over the coming decades, a
'Global Clean Energy Superhighway' starting in
the Sahara desert in North Africa beginning from
Algeria.
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