Desertec

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Desertec is a 550 million dollar initiative proposed by the Desertec Foundation to supply Europe with clean, renewable energy generated from solar power. The initiative would construct thermal solar power plants in the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East that produce electricity with zero greenhouse gas emissions¹.

Desertec utilizes concentrating solar power technology, which use lenses and mirrors to focus a large amount of sunlight onto a small surface area. The powerful sunbeam then heats water to generate steam, which rotates turbines that produce electricity. Electricity is then transmitted elsewhere through a grid of high voltage transmission lines². If implemented, Desertec would place concentrating solar power systems over a 6500 square mile area of the Sahara Desert and could potentially meet 15% of Europe's energy demands³.

The main benefit of the Desertec initiative is that it can produce clean and renewable energy with zero carbon emissions. Supporters of Desertec maintain that the program will keep Europe at the forefront of the fight against climate change and will allow North African and Middle Eastern economies to grow within greenhouse gas emission limits. Desertec representatives claim that it could one day provide Europe with 15% of its energy. Critics of the program point to cost, politics, and underdeveloped technology as downsides to Desertec. Both technology and transmission costs for Desertec are very high and there is concern that the concentrated solar power technology has not reached maximum efficiency. Skeptics also believe that Desertec could place political dependency on North African countries, many of which have unstable governments. The project itself could also be vulnerable to terrorism which would leave parts of Europe without power in the event of an attack⁴.