YOUR recent articles have deplored the lack of scientific knowledge in our population and, last week, David MacKay's report, "Could the Sahara's sun save us?", illustrated this perfectly. To propose powering our homes with an expensive system that works for only eight hours a day and is 2,000 miles away is ridiculous - particularly when we have, in nuclear power, a proven system that supplies power locally and continuously.
Some people have a visceral hatred of anything nuclear and make much of the risk to future generations. A nuclear station generates a few dustbins-full of radioactive waste a year, and we have, below Runcorn, miles of old salt tunnels aching to be filled.
And against the supposed future risk, we have the current real toll of North sea helicopter crashes and the unreported but steady death toll in African coal mines.
Ralph Lamden
r.lamden@ntlworld.com
WHAT David MacKay says about the energy potential of deserts is broadly correct ("Could the Sahara's sun save us?", last week). Using the proven technologies of concentrating solar power (CSP), less than 5% of the area of the world's deserts could produce as much electricity as the world consumes today.
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Of course, CSP plants will be used in many places, not just the Sahara. With low-loss transmission lines, it is feasible and economic to transmit solar electricity for 3,000km or more. It has been calculated that 90% of the world's population lives within 2,700km of a desert and may be supplied with electricity from there.
Apart from cutting emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants, CSP (with other renewable sources of power) means we don't need to build the infrastructure for mining, processing and transporting fossil fuels or nuclear fuels.
Research at the German Aerospace Centre shows that CSP can not only provide plentiful supplies of clean power for people in the Middle East and North Africa but it is likely to become one of the cheapest sources of power throughout Europe, and that includes the cost of transmission.
Gerry Wolff
co-ordinator of Desertec-UK