energy solution

According to plans drawn up by the DESERTEC consortium, most of Europe's energy needs could be supplied from large scale solar power plants in North Africa and the Middle East. The plan is based on concentrating solar-thermal power plants and a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) grid. It has recently come a step closer to realisation with the signing of an agreement between a dozen major companies, launching the Desertec Industrial Initiative.

Read my story in this week's issue of Current Biology:

New grids on the block
Michael Gross
Current Biology, Volume 19, Issue 15, R626-R627, 11 August 2009
doi:10.1016/j.cub.2009.07.043
Summary:
Meeting both carbon emission targets and energy demands may be feasible with DC cables connecting power-thirsty cities to sun-drenched deserts.
[PDF] (restricted access)