QUESTIONS ON EU-SAHARA SUN SHARE

Europe's Saharan power plan: miracle or mirage?
Tom Pfeiffer (w/Erik Kirschbaum, Christoph Steitz, Jonathan Gould, Hamid Ould Ahmed, Gerard Wynn and Sara Ledwith), August 23, 2009 (Reuters)

"Desertec…[a 400 billion euro ($774 billion) plan to power Europe with Sahara sunlight and] the world's most ambitious solar power project [is gaining momentum, even as critics see high risks in a large corporate project using young technology in north African countries with weak rule of law]. Fields of mirrors in the desert would gather solar rays to boil water, turning turbines to electrify a new carbon-free network linking Europe, the Middle East and North Africa…[A] dozen [mostly German] finance and industrial firms…say it will keep Europe at the forefront of the fight against climate change and help North African and European economies to grow…

"Others warn of numerous pitfalls, including Maghreb politics, Saharan sandstorms and the risk to desert populations if their water is diverted to clean dust off solar mirrors…[and] say the concentrated solar power (CSP) technology behind Desertec involves greater costs and risks than the fast-growing patchwork of smaller-scale photovoltaic [PV] cell installations that generate most of Europe's solar energy today."

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"Desertec's founders are lured by the fact that more energy falls on the world's deserts in six hours than the world consumes in a year…Proposed by the Club of Rome, an international group of experts that suggests solutions to global problems, Desertec became an industrial project last month when reinsurer Munich Re hosted its launch…They have yet to draw up a business plan or specify how it will be funded but hope to recruit shareholders and partner companies from a variety of countries.

"Desertec officials say the Sahara could one day deliver 15 percent of Europe's electricity…[It will] advance in small stages with completion not before 2050…[but will be a positive gesture from the developed world to countries of the Middle East and North Africa, which stand to suffer most from the more frequent droughts and desertification blamed on global warming]…"

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"Supporters of…[PV solar] argue decentralized generation will prove more popular as falling prices make the heavy infrastructure needed for CSP unviable…[and say] producing renewable energy within their own borders [is a better choice. German solar energy visionary Hermann] Scheer said the costs of Desertec were being downplayed artificially and its technical capabilities over-estimated…Desertec would need 20 or more efficient, direct-current cables each costing up to $1 billion to transmit electricity north beneath the Mediterranean…

"Southern countries that import most of their energy like Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan would also benefit from Desertec…Morocco buys in 96 percent of its energy…a massive drain on state resources…The Moroccan government says Desertec could solve Morocco's energy dependency…Among hazards facing the scheme are the fact that Desertec would need tight coordination between governments to succeed, yet Maghreb states have tried and failed for two decades to integrate their economies and deepen political ties…Analysts play down the risk to Desertec's infrastructure posed by Al Qaeda-aligned rebels…[and agree] security risks can be managed, but the project could become entangled in broader talks between the EU and north Africa on energy, investment and trade."