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PrintEmailMore sharingProject to turn desert green trials in Qatar By Matthew Knight, CNNNovember 14, 2012 -- Updated 1437 GMT (2237 HKT) | if (typeof cnnArticleGallery=="undefined"){var cnnArticleGallery={};if(typeof cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList=="undefined"){cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList=[];}}var expGalleryPT00=new ArticleExpandableGallery();expGalleryPT00.setImageCount(4);expGalleryPT00.setAdsRefreshCount(3);//cnn_adbptrackpgalimg("Bringing life to the desert ", 1);.cnn_html_slideshow_metadata > .cnn_html_media_utility::before{color:red;content:'>>';font-size:9px;line-height:12px;padding-right:1px}.cnnstrylccimg640{margin:0 27px 14px 0}.captionText{filter:alpha(opacity=100);opacity:1}.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:visited,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:link,.captionText a,.captionText a:visited,.captiontext a:link{color:#004276;outline:medium none}.cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{margin:0 auto;padding-right:68px;width:270px}
The ultimate aim of the Sahara Forest Project is to return vast areas of desert back to life, providing food, water and clean energy in barren, resource-poor areas around the world. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":true,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":1,"title":"Bringing life to the desert "}This dusty construction site in Mesaieed Industrial City, Qatar will be transformed into a center of food and freshwater production by bringing together a range of innovative green technologies.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":2,"title":"Turning the tide of desertification? "}The Sahara Forest Project is testing its technology on a one-hectare site. Solar power and a seawater greenhouse are being deployed in an attempt to prove a concept which could regenerate many arid locations around the world. This CGI shows how the site will look when completed.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":3,"title":"Testing new tech"}
This dusty construction site in Mesaieed Industrial City, Qatar will be transformed into a center of food and freshwater production by bringing together a range of innovative green technologies.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":2,"title":"Turning the tide of desertification? "}
The Sahara Forest Project is testing its technology on a one-hectare site. Solar power and a seawater greenhouse are being deployed in an attempt to prove a concept which could regenerate many arid locations around the world. This CGI shows how the site will look when completed.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":3,"title":"Testing new tech"}
Evaporated seawater will be used to create cool, humid conditions inside the greenhouse allowing plants to thrive. Condensers creating freshwater which will irrigate the crops. Outside, evaporator "hedges" (pictured) will be used to help grow desert-hardy plants. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":4,"title":"Using seawater wisely"}HIDE CAPTIONBringing life to the desert Turning the tide of desertification? Testing new techUsing seawater wisely<<<
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4>>>Event.observe(window,'load',function(){if(typeof(cnn_adbptrackpgalimg) == 'function' && typeof(cnnArticleGallery) != 'undefined'){cnn_adbptrackpgalimg(cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[0].image,"");}});STORY HIGHLIGHTSPioneering scheme to turn desert back into green, profitable land trialed in Qatar Sahara Forest Project testing technology on one-hectare site in Mesaieed Industrial City, south of Doha Pilot project using seawater greenhouses and concentrated solar power (CNN) -- In a region known for its towering skyscrapers, the erection of a modestly-sized greenhouse might not appear worthy of much attention.
But this small construction site near the coast in Qatar's Mesaieed Industrial City could help transform the landscape forever, says its developers, turning desert land into flourishing centers of food and freshwater production.The $5.3 million, one-hectare pilot plant opens later this month and is a major milestone of the Sahara Forest Project (SFP) -- a concept that has been developed by a Norwegian company since 2008.The facility -- built in partnership with fertilizer companies Yara International and Qafco -- will feature a range of green technologies including concentrated solar power (CSP), photovoltaic panels and a saltwater-cooled greenhouse that mimics the hydrological cycle. "We were very keen to develop integrated solutions that address multiple challenges simultaneouslyMichael PawlynMichael Pawlyn, a British architect specializing in sustainable design and founding member of the project, says bringing together clusters of synergistic technologies creates a new paradigm."At the start of the project, we were very conscious that a lot of people proposed single solutions addressing one issue at a time, be it water shortage, desertification, climate change. We were very keen to develop integrated solutions that address multiple challenges simultaneously," Pawlyn said.Infographic: the price of nature "If you compare man-made systems with eco-systems there are some quite striking differences. We tend to create simple, disconnected, linear systems. Ecosystems are complex, interconnected and interdependent."This interconnectedness is in evidence throughout the plant's design. Electricity from CSP helps power pumps bringing seawater to the site where it is used to condition air inside the greenhouse.The effect is achieved by trickling seawater over porous cardboard screens -- called evaporators -- which cool and humidify the dry desert air, creating a favorable growing environment for crops.Some of the evaporated seawater inside the greenhouse also condenses creating freshwater, which will be used to irrigate plants.Any saltwater that can't be evaporated is put to use elsewhere, says Pawlyn."The saltwater going out of the greenhouses will go to the CSP to cool it -- which makes it more efficient -- and then it will go to the evaporator 'hedges' which create good growing conditions for crops outside and revegetate areas of desert," he said.The remainder will end up in salt ponds where various compounds -- sodium chloride, gypsum, calcium carbonate -- can be extracted and potentially commercialized.The opening of the pilot plant is scheduled to coincide with the upcoming United Nations Climate Conference (COP18) which this year takes place in Doha from November 26 to December 7. "The overall ambition is to really shift from an extractive model of land use to a restorative model
Michael PawlynIt was three years ago at the U.N.'s COP15 conference in Copenhagen that the SFP presented their first feasibility study to the world.Read: 'Mushroom garden' offers tunnel vision for greener LondonIt was one of the high points at talks which were widely viewed to have failed and has continued to gain the enthusiastic backing of environmental and political leaders.Olav Kjorven, assistant secretary-general of the U.N. Development Program has called it "a gold standard," while Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani believes the project could help improve food security in the Middle East."I think this will not be important only to Qatar, but to the whole region and elsewhere where they have the same climate as Qatar," Al Thani said in a statement.The plant will be open long after U.N. delegates have left town operating for at least a year, possibly two, Pawlyn says, so that all the systems can be thoroughly assessed and optimized.Larger projects look likely to follow the plant in Qatar with a 200-hectare site in Jordan slated for development. Pawlyn believes this is only the start, with certain areas of the world particularly well-suited to the project.Almeria in southern Spain -- with its 20,000 hectares of greenhouses -- is one perhaps and the Qattara Depression, which covers around 7,000 square miles (18,100 square km) of land below sea level in northeast Egypt, is another."By bringing these technologies together (we can) address some major problems -- create zero-carbon food in some of the most water-stressed parts of the planet, produce abundant renewable energy, revegetage deserts ... as well as providing food and livelihoods for large numbers of people in parts of the world that are really going to be suffering from climate change over the course of the next few decades."0Comments »
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Part of complete coverage on Explore more with Eco SolutionsShipping looks to clean up its actDecember 18, 2012 -- Updated 0322 GMT (1122 HKT)
Shipping lines, port authorities and technology companies are taking the initiative to go green and reduce costs.Urban farming looking upDecember 10, 2012 -- Updated 0206 GMT (1006 HKT)
Less than 20 miles from Singapore's skyscrapers is a completely different set of high-rise towers. Pitcairn's marine bounty December 6, 2012 -- Updated 1104 GMT (1904 HKT)
The Pitcairn Islands might only have 55 human inhabitants, but the waters surrounding them are teeming with marine life. Brazil's biofuel ideaDecember 3, 2012 -- Updated 0322 GMT (1122 HKT)
Biofuel made from sugar cane waste in Brazil could revolutionize the global energy industry. The road aheadNovember 26, 2012 -- Updated 0258 GMT (1058 HKT)
Many believe that fuel-cell cars will overtake electric vehicles in the near future. Skyscraper turns to age-old design November 19, 2012 -- Updated 0820 GMT (1620 HKT)
Modern and sustainable buildings in the UAE are taking cues from an ancient Arabic design tradition.Project to turn desert greenNovember 14, 2012 -- Updated 1437 GMT (2237 HKT)
In a region known for its towering skyscrapers, the erection of a modestly-sized greenhouse might not appear worthy of much attention.Cancun's underwater artNovember 12, 2012 -- Updated 0409 GMT (1209 HKT)
One man's artistic vision is distracting divers from Cancun's threatened underwater ecosystem. Flower power vs Lake VictoriaNovember 12, 2012 -- Updated 1746 GMT (0146 HKT)
Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake, has been plagued by water hyacinth plants for over two decades. Infographic: the price of nature
Just how much are natural wonders like the Great Barrier Reef worth in monetary terms? Deep water coral thrivingOctober 26, 2012 -- Updated 0623 GMT (1423 HKT)
A recent survey of the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef has found coral flourishing in deep waters, a stark contrast to the shallower reefs. Vietnam bear sanctuary threatOctober 19, 2012 -- Updated 0247 GMT (1047 HKT)
Wildlife lobbyists are mounting an online campaign to urge Vietnam's prime minister to reprieve an animal sanctuary threatened with closure.London's tunnel visionOctober 18, 2012 -- Updated 1219 GMT (2019 HKT)
A design competition gives London's disued tunnels and waterways a make-over.
[TECH: NEWSPULSE]Most popular Tech stories right nowThe NRA goes silent on social mediaInstagram users revolt over privacy changesWith apps, love the one you're nearExplore the news with NewsPulse »cnnad_createAd("480761","http://ads.cnn.com/html.ng/site=cnn_international&cnn_intl_pagetype=mmst&cnn_intl_position=300x150_rgt&cnn_intl_rollup=special_reports&cnn_intl_section=eco_solutions&page.allowcompete=no¶ms.styles=fs","150","300");cnnad_registerSpace(480761,300,150);cnnad_createAd("625961","http://ads.cnn.com/html.ng/site=cnn_international&cnn_intl_pagetype=mmst&cnn_intl_position=336x280_adlinks&cnn_intl_rollup=technology&page.allowcompete=no¶ms.styles=fs","280","336");cnnad_registerSpace(625961,336,280); Loading weather data ...
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