News

The Sahara Wind project presented at the 2nd World Wind Energy Conference in Cape Town, South Africa on November 24^th 2003.

Focusing on how to bring wind energy developments to African countries, the conference brought over 120 high-level government representatives, leading international scientists and experienced entrepreneurs from 33 different countries. Speakers presented accounts, case studies and success stories of the development of wind energy in their respective countries. The Sahara Wind project was presented under “Policies for the future: spreading awareness of wind opportunities (North Africa)”.

Think energy megaprojects are passé? Check out www.Saharawind.com, a private development group based in Morocco. They want to build 5 GW of wind in the Sahara Desert and ship the juice to Europe via monster undersea D.C. transmission lines. “In the run-up to the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa in September, it looks more and more like there will be problems with defining concrete further steps—and the European Union should have some concrete projects it can support. The Saharawind project represents a unique example of power integration opportunity between both continents.”

At the invitation of Green MEP Claude Turmes, the Sahara Wind project is presented at the European Parliament in Brussels on June 20th, 2002.

The presentation was followed by a question session, raising a numbers of technical issues. To assist in answering them Khalid Benhamou, Managing Director of Sahara Wind was accompanied by Dr. Gregor Czisch who holds a PhD in electrical engineering. The latter was obtained on a "Scenarios for a Future Electricity Supply – Cost-Optimized Approaches to Supplying Europe and its Neighbours with Electricity from Renewable Energies" thesis dissertation, for which he was awarded a summa cum laude distinction. Ahead of the Johannesburg Sustainable Energy Conference of 2002, the Sahara Wind project was presented to the European Parliament as a joint alternative in response to clean energy access and development challenges of the African continent.

Sahara Wind at the 1^st World Renewable Energy Policy and Strategy Forum 2002- Renewable Energies: Agenda 1 of the Agenda 21, Berlin June 13-15th, 2002

The Forum enabled the elaboration of an Action Plan for the Global Proliferation of Renewable Energy. The document states the critical link between energy systems and the development of societies. Limits of the fossil/nuclear energy system were made relevant compared to Renewable Energy as a possible complete alternative. This laid the ground of a new energy paradigm. As a result, a set of recommendations were elaborated to facilitate this historical energy transition.

The Sahara Wind project presented at the Renewable Energy for Africa session of the 3rd Africa-US Energy Ministerial Conference, June 2002 in Casablanca, Morocco.

Attended by Energy Ministers of Africa and the U.S. Secretary of Energy under the theme 'Energy Partnerships for Sustainable Development: Energy Security and Regional Integration' the conference focused on the development of the energy sector in African economies. Its objective is to support accessible, environmentally safe, and affordable energy supplies on the continent. The conference aimed at enhancing the dialogue among public and private sector representatives on key energy issues. It also reaffirmed the importance of the U.S.-African Energy Ministerial processes in its ability to help promote democracy, good governance, human rights, trade investment, and global integration.

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2002/05/10/02-11729/us-africa-energy-ministerial-meeting#h-6

At the request of Khalid Benhamou, managing director of Sahara Wind written question in March 1999 by Mr. Dietrich Elchlepp Member of the European Parliement to the EU-Commission regarding the possibility of co-financing a feasibility study on importing electricity from the Sahara coastline into the European Grid. “ This would provide an essential condition enabling the production of non-polluting, cost-competitive electricity …”. This question was asked at the request of Khalid Benhamou, Managing Director of Sahara Wind.

North Africa's first 50 kW class wind turbine powering a Wind-Diesel-Hybrid test site by Tiniguir. Erected in 1995 under supervision of Khalid Benhamou, director of the Sahara Wind project (up-right) the system powers an agricultural farm of the ‘Domaines Agricoles’. Built around a 50 kW AOC wind turbine coupled to diesel generators, the combination feeds variable loads through a 5000 Volts distribution grid spread over a few Kilometers. The objective of the test site is to assess wind energy, turbine technologies, electric load controls and management, grids and their applications for local, distributed and energy-intensive uses.

.

Cover of the High-level Report on the wind energy potential in the Sahara with local applications to support sustainable development. Authored by Khalid Benhamou, Managing Director of the Sahara Wind project, the report is submitted to King Hassan II of Morocco on February 19th, 1994.