Spiegel der Forschung Vol. 25 (2008) Heft 2 - English Version
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URN: urn:nbn:de:hebis:26-opus-71929
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Item Focus point: History - The politics of energy in Africa : Energy partnership with Africa burdens of history and current perspectives(2008) Speitkamp, Winfried; Stange, DanielHe who wants to shape the future must understand the past. Nowhere this is as much the case as in the relationship between Europe and Africa. An energy partnership with Africa means that on the one hand the specifichistory that connects Africa with Europe must be recognized, and the burdens of the shared history must be given consideration. On the other hand the interests of the African states must be identified, for example, which energy policy is being pursued and which energy conflicts are being carried out.Item History - Towers of Modernism : The Tendency Towards Technological Mega-projects in the 20th Century(2008) Laak, Dirk vanIn recent history, there has never been a lack of good, impressive, and convincing ideas presented to solve the complex problems of mankind. In many cases the reality has been less successful. Even when, especiallywhen, the plan was ambitious and technical. Often massive projects had massive consequences that hadn t been considered before. Therefore, it might be advisable to take a historically informed look back at the intellectual environment in which these technologically large-scale projects were conceived. Unquestionably attractive plans, like the Solar Energy Partnership with Africa , may benefit from looking at examples from the past in order to avoid making the same mistakes in their future realisation.Item Focus point: Political sciences - Participation not paternalism : Other aspects of a solar partnership with Africa(2008) Leggewie, ClausDue to its causes and its environmental impact, climate change is normally considered a subject for the natural sciences. But with a view to its consequences, it must also become a central subject for social and cultural studies.Africa has contributed very little to climate change, but it may suffer many of the consequences. A genuine solar partnership between Africa and Europe must offer the African partners a fair and autonomous development opportunity. Opportunities that are not usually provided in current development cooperation initiatives.Item Focus point: Political sciences - The Solar Plan for the Mediterranean : The Solar Partnership Between Africa and Europe in the Shadow of Politics(2008) Westphal, KirstenAt the inaugural Summit of the Union for the Mediterranean in July 2008, 40 heads of government and state from the Mediterranean adjoining states and the 27 members of the European Union agreed, among other things, on the Solar Plan for the Mediterranean. It was of particular importance for the Federal Republic of Germany and involves building solar power plants in the desert regions of North Africa and in this way supplying Europe with electricity. This solar plan can be an important pillar of an integrated climate and energy policy in Europe. It can contribute to a reduced dependence on energy sources that are harmful to the climate like coal, natural gas, and oil but also nuclear energy. The Solar Power Partnership could be an important building block for Europeans to achieve their climate targets.Item Focus point: Geography - A Sea of Mirrors but where? : Will the Solar Energy Partnership between Europe and Africa contribute to an aggravation of regional disparities in Africa?(2008) Schüssler, FrankIn view of the current discussion about the threat of climate change and the increasing scarcity of fossil fuels, many groups, including politicians, entrepreneurs, journalists, and our inter-disciplinary working group arelooking to Africa for a future energy supply. At first glance, the potential for new energy forms from the long forgotten continent seems gigantic. There is a huge potential for wind farms, along the thinly settled coastalregions of western Morocco and the adjacent Republic of Sahara (occupied by Morocco), as well as Mauritania.The wind blows evenly and throughout the year as a result of the North East Trade Winds. Initially, the promise of solar thermal power facilities in North Africa seems particularly compelling especially as the energy potentialis 2-4 times greater than in central Europe. However, a careful evaluation of possible locations from an economic, ecological, and social perspective is of importance.Item Focus point: Economics - Solar Power Stations in North Africa and an Energy Partnership with Europe : Several Comments from an Economic Perspective(2008) Winker, Peter; Preußner, ChristophIt seems that the use of renewable energy sources, even on a larger scale, is an obvious energy alternative, given massive price increases for fossil fuels and the discussion surrounding greenhouse gas induced climatechange. One component of this could involve the construction of large thermal solar power stations in North Africa. The electricity would be transported using a high voltage direct current technology that has been in usefor over 50 years and that loses little energy along the way. This idea is also pursued in the framework of the recently founded Union for the Mediterranean where it is called A Solar Plan for the Mediterranean . At whichcosts could solar thermal power be generated in Africa and which economic incentives could be offered for investment in solar power stations?Item Focus pont: Physics - Solar Thermal Power : The Science and Technology of Solar Thermal Power in Africa(2008) Schäfer, DanielEnergy is the most important of resources and the foundation of all human endeavours. The ubiquity and extensive availability of affordable energy provides the basis for the wealth of the technologically developedworld. The energy problem that the world is facing at the beginning of the 21st century is a complex Issue comprised of three facets: availability, economic efficiency and sustainability. How we respond to this problem willdetermine the shape of tomorrow. Paradoxically, that energy source with the greatest sustainable potential is also the least used: our sun. Solar thermal power stations could provide a possible renewable and environmentallysustainable energy source of tomorrow. These scientific, technical and instrumental fundamentals will be addressed in this article.Item Focus points: Physics - The Future of our Energy Supply : A Scientific Overview(2008) Düren, MichaelWho really wants to sit in the dark, freeze in the winter, and forego modern methods of transportation? Light, heat, refrigeration, machines, and transportation are just a few of the central engineering achievements of oursociety. All of them are only possible because of the constant availability of something that we call energy. In this article, the subject of our society s energy supply will be explored from the scientific point of view in a clearand simply structured way. This examination will lead to a little known and only superficially abstruse idea: Importing electricity from the deserts of Africa.Item Focus point: Solar Energy Partnership with Africa : An Inter-disciplinary Research Project(2008) Düren, Michael; Speitkamp, WinfriedIn the summer of 2007 an inter-disciplinary working group was formed at the Justus-Liebig-University to sound out the opportunities and challenges of an energy partnership with Africa. In a series of interdisciplinary lecturesand at a conference in June 2008 this subject was further explored. Additional conferences and workshops, as well as research projects on certain aspects of the subject will follow. Physicists, chemists, geographers, historians,political scientists, economists, and jurists are currently participating. In the following articles several of the participating researchers present questions and possible solutions from their disciplinary perspectives.