DESERTEC

12 companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Munich to establish a DESERTEC Industrial Initiative (DII) on July 13, 2009. The objective of this initiative is to analyse and develop the technical, economic, political, social and ecological framework for carbon-free power generation in the deserts of North Africa. The DESERTEC concept, developed by the TREC Initiative of the Club of Rome, describes the perspectives of a sustainable power supply for all regions of the world with access to the energy potential of deserts. The founder companies of the DII, whose regional focus is on Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), will be:

  • ABB
  • ABENGOA Solar
  • Cevital
  • Deutsche Bank
  • E.ON
  • HSH Nordbank
  • MAN Solar Millennium
  • Munich Re
  • M+W Zander
  • RWE
  • SCHOTT Solar
  • SIEMENS

The companies intend to establish a planning entity whose shareholders will include the DESERTEC Foundation. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in the presence of high-ranking representatives from German and international politics. Among the DII’s main goals are the drafting of concrete business plans and associated financing concepts, and the initiating of industrial preparations for building a large number of networked solar thermal power plants distributed throughout the MENA region. The aim is to produce sufficient power to meet around 15% of Europe’s electricity requirements and a substantial portion of the power needs of the producer countries. All of the DII's activities will be aimed at developing viable investment plans within three years of its establishment. The initiative’s clear focus on implementation is set out in the DII Principles for all future DII shareholders.


Hot African Deserts
Power Cool German Neighberhoods

20 Consolidated Companies start a Solar Electricity Project
to provide Germany with Electricity from the Desert

Twenty large consolidated companies have launched an initiative aiming at providing German households with solar electricity from Africa. The companies aim in mid July to join forces forming a company group-among them the Munich Re-Insurance Company (Münchner Rückversicherungs-Gesellschaft), Siemens, the Deutsche Bank and RWE (Rhein-Westphilia Electricity Joint Stock Company)- to implement the spectacular project; this was reported by the German Newspaper "Süddeutsche Zeitung" (Service Edition), quoting the Münchner-Rück Chairman Torsten Jeworrek.

The construction of the solar power plants in the continent's deserts is to cost 400 billion Euro and to start providing electricity within ten years. The project is regarded as one of the largest private green electricity initiatives of all times. In spite of the financial crisis, the consolidated companies will drive forward the fight against the climate change and become top of the green technology worldwide. Since some time now, the scientists have high hopes to win solar electricity in deserts. The billion project Desertec should finally prove that electricity can also be economically produced.

Original article (in Deutch) can be found here
English translation can be downloaded here (PDF, 160kb)


Power
From the Sahara
by Abdelaziz Bennouna

The desert power project DESERTEC could develop to an important source of income for North Africa and promote the economic integration of the continent. By Abdelaziz Bennouna

The desert power project DESERTEC has proponents and opponents. Its advocates see a huge change for the future in it. Opponents accuse it of gigantism. They defend the decentralized power generation as a future- and consumer-oriented production form.

Full Document:
English Version (PDF, 46kb)
Arabic Version (PDF, 140kb)