Welcome to the Glass Age

67 the rapid development of global renewable energies and low-carbon economies. DESERTEC is an international project at Noor Ouarzazate in Morocco to provide sustainable wealth for every human on earth. The DESERTEC Foundation aims to turn the biggest idea of the 21 st century into reality: green Desert-Energy that advances the decarbonization of Europe, guarantees Africa clean prosperity and makes the Middle East independent of oil income. As bad as deserts are for food production, they are ideal for energy production. At no other place in the world does the sun shine as much and so many strong winds blow across their flat plains. French and German companies are interested and China has also joined the project. The new 200MW Noor II plant has the world’s largest installed capacity as a parabolic trough concentrated solar power plant, while the 160MW installed capacity of Noor III is the largest amongst the world’s concentrated solar power plants. Glass for windmill turbines Wind, nature’s gift to mankind, is inexhaustible and readily available. When Charles F. Brush built the world’s first wind turbine in 1887, a new chapter was opened in wind power generation history. In the early days, blades of wind turbines were made of cedar wood. The improvement of wind Figure 4.6. A stunning image of a wind turbine. Source: Pixabay.