DEMONSTRATION CENTRE
A Demonstration Centre is envisioned in order to provide a cutting-edge environment for testing new and promising technologies for energy and biomass production. This will represent a major effort towards realizing the Sahara Forest Project's full potential.
The purpose of the Demonstration Centre is to provide a platform for research, innovation and cooperation into the technologies represented in the Sahara Forest Project. The experience gained from the centre will provide insight into the productivity of the project in all respects (energy, water, food, energy crops etc) and facilitate the large-scale roll out of the Sahara Forest Project.
The Demonstration Centre is intended to provide the data necessary to optimise the full-scale version. With the data gathered from the first year of operation of the demonstration-scale scheme it will be possible to make accurate predictions of the scheme's optimum economic scale and productivity in energy, water, food, energy crops and carbon sequestration.
The Demonstration Centre will allow access for a number of participants which will be joined in an effort to produce key resources while countering the effects of climate change.
Key aims for the centre will be:
• Optimization of synergistic effects
between the Seawater Greenhouse and
Concentrated Solar Power facilities.
• Proof of commercial viability of the
Sahara Forest Project
Optimization of freshwater production
• Optimization of food production and
testing of the most suitable crops
• Testing of the most suitable crops for
production in revegetation zones
• Facilities for research into cultivation of
microalgae and halophytes
• Testing of technologies for utilization of
seawater minerals
• Knowledge of how to use the Sahara Forest
Project as a driving force for creation of
"Green Jobs"
The Center will work both as a research facility and as an actual producing facility at the scale of several hectares. It will be the first step in introducing a concept of restorative production – commercial production of key resources while revegetating arid areas.