Desertec: The Project, The Problems & The Pipe Dream

Posted on 27. Aug, 2009 by Ross in Africa, Europe, Government Policy, Middle East

Since July 13th 2009, a scheme to build a gigantic array of solar thermal power stations all over the Sahara to provide electrical power to Europe and North Africa has been garnering the attention of the media, especially in solar-mad Germany.

Although little more than a website and a memorandum of understanding at present, the Desertec project would involved over a dozen nations at a projected cost of $563 billion in order to tap into the plentiful supply of solar power radiating onto the world’s largest desert from the sun.

The scheme is expected to provide 15% of Europe, Africa and the Middle East’s entire energy demands by 2050, as well as generating massive amounts of skilled employment in Africa.

However, criticisms of the project are starting to surface left, right and centre. Chief amongst them all is the aspect of energy security - something which Europe is all too familiar with after the gas supply squabbles with Russia and their desperate efforts to end their dependency upon just one main supplier. To start relying on imported electricity on such a massive scales is an anathema to most European governments.

Terrorism is a further concern - with the energy being piped into Europe through gigantic transmission grids, they could easily become a target of terrorist disruption. Falling solar photovoltaic prices mean that small, local solar projects would be far more cost effective, according to parties with vested interests.

The political hurdles are the highest, though. As well as crossing disputed borders and unpredictable nations, closer trade and investment links between Europe and Africa, as well as between the African nations themselves, would have to be far more stable than they are now. Corruption and bureaucracy would also create major obstacles to overcome for the project to even begin to get under way.

Although it may become little more than a super-sized PR stunt, however, Desertec is a first sign that the debate of how the counter global warming is starting to create collaborations not just internationally but intercontinentally, as well as bridging the needs of the developed world to reduce emissions with the need of the developed world to industrialise.