Twenty German firms, and possibly more from other European countries, are banding together to dig up investments for a huge solar power project in Northern Africa.The Desertec project would see several solar power installations constructed in politically-stable countries across Saharan Africa and could cost well over $500 billion.  If built, the project could provide 15 percent of Europe's electricity needs.  The solar power plants would generate around 100 GW of electricity and would take 10 years to complete.The consortium of companies will meet on July 13 to start trying to attract investors.  Even if the group is able to secure enough financing, the big hurdles would still lay ahead.  The Saharan desert is not the most forgiving place to construct large infrastructure, plus once it was built, all that energy would still have to be transmitted to Europe and then divvied up among the many different distribution systems that exist throughout the continent.  If successful, this project could tap into a great source of solar power, but there will likely be lots or risks and issues along the way.via AFP

less than 406 day(s) - Friday June,19 2009 @ 09:19 PM
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