The world's most ambitious green energy project is about to take shape. It is a plan for a chain of mammoth sun-powered energy plants in the deserts of North Africa to supply power to Europe's homes and factories by the end of the next decade.
In a few days, aconsortium of 20 German firms will meet in Munich to hammer out plans for financing the giant €400 billion ($881 billion) project, named Desertec.
The scheme is being backed by Chancellor Angela Merkel's Government and several German industry household names including Siemens, Deutsche Bank, and the energy companies RWE and E.ON.
The Munich meeting will also involve Italian and Spanish energy concerns, as well as representatives from the Arab League and the Club of Rome think-tank.
Energy experts have calculated that Desertec could meet at least 15 per cent of Europe's needs, and be up and running by 2019. By 2050, they estimate the contribution could be between 20 and 25 per cent.
Desertec envisages a string of solar-thermal plants across North Africa's desert. The plants would use mirrors to focus the sun's rays, which would be used to heat water to power steam turbines. The process is cheaper and more efficient than the usual form of solar power, which uses photovoltaic cells to convert the sun's rays into electricity.
The project also envisages setting up a new super grid of high-voltage transmission lines from the Mahgreb desert to Europe. Professor Hans Mueller-Steinhagen, of German Aerospace, said that although the idea behind the scheme had been around for several years, investors had been deterred by the high costs of setting up the infrastructure.
Similar projects have met huge problems delivering electricity to distant consumers. Siemens has developed high-voltage direct current energy transmission which can transport energy over long distances without heavy losses.
