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Medgrid

Medgrid is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Medgrid rather than just read about it. In short: Medgrid project, created at the end of 2010 in Paris, is a large industrial project planned in North Africa, which aims to promote and develop a Euro-Mediterranean electricity network that would provide North Africa & Europe with inexpensive renewable electricity, mostly from solar. The goal is to install 20 gigawatts (GW) of generating capacity, with 5 GW being devoted for exports to Europe.

Medgrid — main illustration
Medgrid — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Medgrid belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Medgrid to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Medgrid from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Medgrid project, created at the end of 2010 in Paris, is a large industrial project planned in North Africa, which aims to promote and develop a Euro-Mediterranean electricity network that would provide North Africa & Europe with inexpensive renewable electricity, mostly from solar. The goal is to install 20 gigawatts (GW) of generating capacity, with 5 GW being devoted for exports to Europe. The Medgrid project was envisioned by a consortium of twenty plus utilities, grid operators, equipment makers, financing institutions and investors, mostly European. On 24 Nov 2011, a MoU was signed between Medgrid and Desertec Industry Initiative (Dii) to study, design and promote an interconnected electrical grid with the 400 billion euro ($536 billion) renewable energy 'Desertec' project in North Africa. The medgrid together with Desertec would serve as the backbone of the 'European Supergrid' and the benefits of investing in HVDC technology are being assessed to reach the final goal – the 'SuperSmart Grid (SSG)'.

History

Background As per the statement made by Dr Gerhard Knies, German physicist and founder of the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC) network of researchers - "The world’s deserts collect more energy from the sun in six hours than mankind consumes in an entire year". It illustrates the idea behind the ambitious project - Medgrid which will exploit solar energy from desert areas.

The Sahara desert was chosen as an ideal location for solar farms as they enjoy strong direct sunlight for much of the year (3,000 to 4,000 hours of sunlight per year). In addition, the deserts are sparsely populated, making it possible to set up large solar farms. Lastly, sand deserts can provide silicon, a raw material that is essential in the production of solar panels.

Inception of Medgrid consortium (July 2010 - present)

Complementing a similar Saharan desert based renewable energy project - DESERTEC, the industrial project Transgreen was launched in Paris in July 2010 as a French initiative within the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM). A consortium of twenty-plus, mostly European, utilities, grid operators, equipment makers, financing institutions and investors envisioned the company named Medgrid in December 2010. The aim was to promote and develop a Euro-Mediterranean electricity network that would provide North Africa & Europe with inexpensive renewable electricity, mostly from solar. The goal is to install 20 GW of generating capacity, with 5 GW being devoted for exports to Europe. France and Morocco will launch the first experiment to transport solar power from the south to the north of the Mediterranean. Since the Euro-Mediterranean projects, Medgrid and Desertec are both attempting to generate solar energy from deserts and complement each other, a MoU was signed on 24 Nov 2011 between Medgrid and Desertec Industry Initiative (Dii) to study, design and promote an interconnected electrical grid with the 400 billion euro ($536 billion) renewable energy "Desertec" project in North Africa. The plan is to build five interconnections at a cost of around 5 billion euros ($6.7 billion), including between Tunisia and Italy. The activities of Dii and Medgrid are covered by the Mediterranean Solar Plan (MSP), a political initiative within the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM). In March 2012 Dii, Medgrid, Friends of the supergrid and Renewables Grid Initiative signed a joint declaration to support the effective and complete integration, in a single electricity market, of renewable energy from both large-scale and decentralised sources, which shall not be played out against each other in Europe and in its neighbouring regions. The medgrid together with Desertec would serve as the backbone of the 'European Supergrid' and the benefits of investing in HVDC technology are being assessed to reach the final goal – the 'SuperSmart Grid (SSG)'.

Consortium The consortium of twenty plus utilities, grid operators, equipment makers, financing institutions and investors include,

Abengoa SA (Spain) Alstom SA (France) Areva SA (France) Atos Worldgrid (France) cdc infrastructure (France) EDF SA (France) GDF Suez SA (France) NEMO (Italy) Nexans (France) L'Office National de l'Électricité (ONE) (Morocco) Pan Med Trading and Investment (Jordan) Prysmian (Italy) Red Electrica Corp. SA (Spain) REN (Portugal) RTE (France) Siemens AG (Germany) Soitec (France) Taqa Arabia (Egypt) Terna SA (Italy) Tunur (United Kingdom) Walid Elias Establishment (Syria) The consortium is led by André Merlin, CEO of Medgrid.

See also

Supersmart Grid Desertec European super grid

References

External links Medgrid official website

Illustrations

Medgrid: Union for the Mediterranean member countries potentially benefiting by the Mediterranean Solar Plan   .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}  Members of the European Union     Other members   Observer members
Union for the Mediterranean member countries potentially benefiting by the Mediterranean Solar Plan   .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}  Members of the European Union     Other members   Observer members
Medgrid: The red squares represent the area that would be enough for solar power plants to produce a quantity of electricity consumed by the world in 2005, in Europe (EU-25) and Germany. (Data provided by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), 2005)
The red squares represent the area that would be enough for solar power plants to produce a quantity of electricity consumed by the world in 2005, in Europe (EU-25) and Germany. (Data provided by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), 2005)
Medgrid: Schematic plan of the European Supergrid
Schematic plan of the European Supergrid
Medgrid: Existing links   Under construction   Proposed See also the List of HVDC project in Europe, which would eventually be part of European Supergrid
Existing links   Under construction   Proposed See also the List of HVDC project in Europe, which would eventually be part of European Supergrid

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Medgrid

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Medgrid claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Medgrid before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Medgrid ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Medgrid

In research
Medgrid appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Medgrid in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Medgrid is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Proposed electric power infrastructure in Africa, Proposed electric power infrastructure in Europe, Proposed solar power stations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Medgrid outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Medgrid in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Medgrid means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Medgrid out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Medgrid in simple terms?

Medgrid project, created at the end of 2010 in Paris, is a large industrial project planned in North Africa, which aims to promote and develop a Euro-Mediterranean electricity network that would provide North Africa & Europe with inexpensive renewable electricity, mostly from solar. The goal is to…

Why does Medgrid matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Medgrid?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Medgrid.

Tags

  • Proposed electric power infrastructure in Africa
  • Proposed electric power infrastructure in Europe
  • Proposed solar power stations
  • Renewable energy in the European Union

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