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According to the Japanese NHK report, following the hydropower, thermal power, wind power, nuclear power, etc., experts from Tokyo University and Chubu University in Japan have made substantive progress in the research of new energy “sand electricityâ€. They built a “sand power station†at the experimental site in Sahara, Africa, and laid a large-scale battery panel with an area of ​​100 square meters and a power generation capacity of 10 kilowatts. They hope to use the inexhaustible sand in the desert and Ample sunshine provides people with energy. According to the person in charge, Prof. Yamaguchi disclosed that the first time a superconducting cable used for DC transmission was successful last year. Although the current transmission distance is only 200 meters, it is expected that long-distance transmission of 2 kilometers to 20 kilometers will be achieved within five years.
The main component of sand is silica. Japanese experts envisage mimicking the way of making iron and mixing sand with carbon at a temperature of more than 1,500 degrees Celsius to make it chemically reactive. When oxygen and carbon are combined into carbon dioxide, the oxygen in the silica is also removed, and the extracted silicon is then made into solar panels and placed in the Sahara desert. In the past, the silicon used in the manufacture of solar cells was usually the ultra-high-purity silicon used in the manufacture of semiconductors. The purity was as high as 99.999999999%, but this time the Japanese experts may have reduced the high purity requirements of the extracted silicon for the purpose of cost reduction. Therefore, although the "sand power station" works, the conversion rate of converting solar energy into electricity is only about 2%. However, technicians have used the advantages of desert sparse people to increase the conversion rate by amplifying the area of ​​the panels, so the technical difficulty has been greatly reduced.
Experts also came up with the idea of ​​using superconductivity technology to deliver long-distance power from solar power plants. This technique takes advantage of the fact that some conductors may experience zero resistance when the temperature drops to near minus 200 degrees Celsius. Their specific approach is to inject nitrogen close to minus 200 degrees Celsius in the inner tube of a double pipeline, laying the transmission lines. In order to obtain better insulation, the sandwich between the two pipelines must also be kept under vacuum; then they buried the entire pipeline deep in the desert. In addition, they set up a cooling station every 20 km or so to ensure that the nitrogen is re-cooled in the freezer to the required low temperature. Of course, all the power required for cooling equipment can be supplied by solar cells.
At present, researchers at the University of Central Japan in the Sahara have made some progress in their experiments. Algeria and other North African countries around the Sahara are also very interested in Japanese research on sand electricity. Recently, the Alania Technical University in Algeria has signed cooperation agreements with Japan for technical development. Tunisia has also set up a specialized agency for the development of "sand electricity" technology. Research topics include basic theory and business plans.
Japanese experts said that the development of "sand electricity" is not limited to the Sahara and other large deserts. In fact, the small and medium-sized deserts surrounding the cities and towns on the Earth abound, and it is expected that the total area of ​​desert solar panels laid throughout the world in a year may exceed 800 square kilometers.
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