Europe Looks To Africa For Solar Power

With the demand for renewable energy rising, a European project is applying innovative means to harvest energy in Africa. The project known as Desertec will seek to produce power through large fields of solar collection mirrors in North African deserts and then deliver that power back to Europe as electricity. Critics have called the plan inefficient and exploitative given that solar energy can be harnessed in many regions and it’s unclear how Africa will benefit. But proponents of the plan stress their belief that the power generated from the site could help to meet the energy needs of both continents. Indeed, Desertec’s founders say that the site could not only become the world’s largest solar power production center, but that it could bring about increased regional stability through job creation, though stability has not always marked African countries blessed with oil resources. The cost of transmission, too, could be prohibitive – though the developers say such costs will be offset – but this could still be a significant hurdle. – YaleGlobal