What does big picture, public investment in clean energy look like?
It looks like nine European countries planning to invest up to 30 billion euros (nearly $40 billion) in an underwater North Sea super grid that would harness and integrate Europe's vast renewable resources:
It would connect turbines off the wind-lashed north coast of Scotland with Germany's vast arrays of solar panels, and join the power of waves crashing on to the Belgian and Danish coasts with the hydro-electric dams nestled in Norway's fjords: Europe's first electricity grid dedicated to renewable power will become a political reality this month, as nine countries formally draw up plans to link their clean energy projects around the North Sea...
...All those involved also have an eye on the future, said [EWEA's Justin] Wilkes. "The North Sea grid would be the backbone of the future European electricity supergrid," he said. This supergrid, which has support from scientists at the commission's Institute for Energy (IE), and political backing from both the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Gordon Brown, would link huge solar farms in southern Europe - producing electricity either through photovoltaic cells, or by concentrating the sun's heat to boil water and drive turbines - with marine, geothermal and wind projects elsewhere on the continent. Scientists at the IE have estimated it would require the capture of just 0.3% of the light falling on the Sahara and the deserts of the Middle East to meet all Europe's energy needs."
America was once a nation capable of developing and executing such grand visions. The TVA, electrification and irrigation of the American west, the Marshall Plan, Interstate highways, a mission to the Moon. It has been a long time since America had such vision or at least the gumption to follow through. Perhaps these EU nations can help restore our faith in big thinking.
Posted by: Jesse Jenkins at March 25, 2010 1:55 PM