In Future Will North Africa Be Providing Renewable Energy To Europe?
I believe it is likely that mainland Europe will be getting a considerable amount of renewable energy from Iceland, Ireland, Norway and the UK, and the seas to the North of Europe.
But what about the potential of providing Europe with renewable energy from North Africa?
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this post and received this answer.
Yes, in the future, North Africa is expected to supply renewable energy to Europe, with potential exports of up to 24 GW through subsea interconnectors. This will be driven by North Africa’s vast solar and wind resources, a strong push for renewable energy in the region, and European demand for clean power. Major projects are planned, but challenges like supply chain constraints and financing hurdles need to be addressed for these projects to be successful.
These are interconnectors I can find.
ELMED
The ELMED interconnector, also known as the Tunisia-Italy interconnector, is a planned 200 km, 600 MW high-voltage direct current submarine power cable between Italy and Tunisia.
This map shows the route of the ELMED interconnector between Tunisia and Italy.
Note.
- Tunis in Tunisia, is in the South-Western corner of the map.
- East of Tunis on the coast is a red blob, which marks the town of Menzel Temime, where the interconnector will connect to a newly-built substation.
- Palermo in Sicily, is in the North-East corner of the map.
- West of Palermo on the North-West coast of Sicily is Trapani, where the interconnector will make landfall in Italy and connect to a substation at .
As with many things engineering designed by Italians, this seems to be an interconnector with a certain simplicity and style.
The Wikipedia entry for the ELMED interconnector gives these further details.
The total cost is budgeted at €850 million.
XLinks
XLinks is a project to build a 3.6 GW interconnector between Morocco and Devon, that appears to have been rejected by the current government.
XLinks shows what engineers think could be possible. More details are given in the Wikipedia entry for the project.
UK Breaks Yearly Record For Rooftop Solar PV Installations
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Solar Power Portal.
This is the sub-heading.
The 2025 rooftop installation figures represent the fifth consecutive year of year-on-year increases in rooftop solar deployments, according to MCS.
A few nuggets from the article.
- The UK has seen rooftop solar installations increase year-on-year since 2021.
- UK rooftop solar PV installations have hit 206,682 so far in 2025, a record for the sector that has pushed the total number of certified small-scale solar installations in the UK to 1.85 million.
- This is according to the latest figures from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) Their web site is here.
- Somerset and Cornwall leading the country in installations, with 3,741 and 3,726, respectively. North Yorkshire (2,780), County Durham (2,668) and Wiltshire (2,545) make up the rest of the top five.
Great Britain is described as a very mature market. It certainly seems healthy too!
My Solar Panels
I have solar panels on the flat roof of my house.
In the last twelve months I have been paid.
- 29th November 2024 – £129.66
- 24th February 2025 – £31.58
- 27th May 2025 – £46.27
- 29th August 2025 – £114.63
Note.
- This is a total of £322.16
- There has been no servicing or charges from my energy supplier.
- My solar panels appear to have been installed in April 2016, according to the date on My Solar Panels Are On The Roof.
They’ve certainly been no trouble,
New Mersey Ferry Takes To The Water For The First Time In Historic Moment
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Merseytravel.
These bullet points act as sub-headings.
- Painted in traditional colours, first sight of the new Mersey Ferry in over 60 years
- Royal Daffodil floated on the River Mersey’s incoming tide
- Vessel then towed into Cammell Laird’s basin for further work to progress
- Proud moment for Mayor Steve Rotheram and Wirral shipbuilders
These three paragraphs add more detail.
The new £26m Mersey Ferry took to the river for the first time today in an historic moment for the Liverpool City Region.
Painted in the fleet’s historic red, white and black colours and with windows fitted, the first new Mersey Ferry in more than 60 years emerged from Cammell Laird’s giant construction hall on the banks of the Mersey early Thursday morning.
In a carefully managed 24-hour operation, the Royal Daffodil was moved to the river’s edge to allow the incoming tide to slowly lift her clear and float the vessel for the very first time. She will then be tugged to the shipyard’s test basin where engineers will carry out further work ahead of full sea trials early next
I would have thought that given Merseyside’s love of the spectacular, they would have launched the ferry in more dramatic fashion.
There is though, this YouTube video of the safe and steady launch.
I have a few thoughts.
The Ferry Was Built Quickly
According to the Wikipedia entry for the Royal Daffodil, the construction dates were as follows.
- Laid Down. 10th January 2025
- Launched. 6th January 2025
It is planned to be in service next year.
Perhaps, the Scottish Government should have asked Cammell Laird to build their recent ferries?
The Anonymous Widower 