Munich Re, an insurance company, is leading efforts to garner support for a vast project, dubbed Desertec, to collect energy at solar farms in countries like Tunisia and then send it to Europe in the form of electricity. Munich Re wants other companies like the giant engineering group Siemens, Deutsche Bank, and utilities like RWE and E.ON to become involved.
Under the plan, energy would be gathered mostly using concentrating solar power, a technology that uses mirrors to harness rays from the sun to produce steam and drive turbines that make electricity. The power would then be delivered to Europe through high voltage direct current cables.
These cables are generally more expensive than alternating current cables, but far better at conserving power over long distances.
Excuse me? Ummm no. Greedy Europeans, not content to have used up the petrol reserves, want to now run up in Africa for solar power? Solar power in Africa for Africans FIRST, Europe can have what we don't use and at high prices at that.
