Clean energy from the world's deserts

The inaugural meeting of the Desertec industrial initiative is said to have brought carbon-neutral power supplies a step closer — European companies, including ABB, a leading power and automation technology group, met in Munich today to sign a memorandum of understanding on the Desertec industry initiative.

"ABB has been a collaborator on the Desertec project for many years,” said Peter Smits, regional manager of ABB in central Europe. “We believe our technologies and expertise will contribute to the continued success of this pioneering project."

By 2050, solar power from the northern Sahara could meet about 15% of European electricity needs and a significant proportion of local electricity demand in the countries of North Africa. The aim of the newly founded initiative is to analyse the technical, economic, political, social and environmental framework for the project.

Viable investment plans will be developed over the next three years and there are considerable business opportunities. ABB will contribute technical expertise towards the incorporation of renewable power into the grid and the efficient transmission of power over long distances.

"The technologies for a project like Desertec are tried and tested. HVDC (high voltage direct current) — a key technology for the long-distance transmission of electricity — was invented by ABB 50 years ago and has been evolving ever since. It is used to connect grids, incorporate renewable energy and increase energy efficiency, " said Smits. "Desertec is a visionary project that brings the prospect of carbon-neutral power supplies in Europe a step closer, but it will probably still take some time before the first desert electricity starts to flow into Europe. In the meantime, today's energy needs must be met by a broad mix of generation, including, for example, coal-fired plants."

Alongside ABB, some members of the initiative include the German insurer Munich Re, the energy groups E.On and RWE, Deutsche Bank, Schott Solar, and Siemens. Foreign companies such as Abengoa Solar from Spain and the Cevital industrial group from Algeria will also participate in the initiative.