In order to stop global warming before it is too late, it is not sufficient for countries to make only their own national power supplies environmentally friendly. It makes no difference to the atmosphere where carbon dioxide is emitted or avoided – ultimately, it is the overall pace of global carbon reduction that matters. Because investing in renewables is most effective at protecting the climate if it is done where those energy sources are most abundant, enormous potential can be realized through international co-operation. This is why the sun-rich deserts of the world play a special role in the DESERTEC Concept.

Studies carried out by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) show that implementing the DESERTEC Concept in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa will lead to a reduction in carbon emissions of more than 80 percent by 2050 – even though the demand for power in the Middle East and North Africa will increase severalfold in the next four decades as a result of population growth, seawater desalination and industrialization. The scientific basis of the DESERTEC Concept is described here.

Countries can supplement their own domestic electricity mix with clean imported electricity and thus reduce the risk to supply, because the alternatives increase with every new partnership. Apart from this, clean electricity from controllable renewable energies – such as that produced by solar-thermal power plants – can compensate for the fluctuations of photovoltaic and wind power, so that more of these variable energy sources can be used in the future electricity mix. Fluctuations in renewable energies and downtime in power plants and transmission lines can also be covered by the extended grid and integrated backup power plants.

Unlike the crude oil sector, the electricity sector uses many different competing energy sources. It is therefore in the interests of countries which export electricity to offer an inexpensive and reliable product, because any reduction in demand will lead to a loss of investment, export income and jobs. As well as this, undelivered electricity is usually lost, because it cannot be stored for months and sold more expensively like oil or gas.

Many desert regions are economically less developed, which means they can benefit all the more from DESERTEC. The energy potential of these regions is often so great that they can not only cover their own demand, but also that of consumers in far-flung countries. Generating clean electricity is an opportunity for them to create a basis for sustainable economic development. Local jobs are created in building and operating the power plants. Local companies have the opportunity to supply parts or even take over the entire value chain. Countries in the region can benefit from export earnings and reduce their own consumption of fossil fuels. If the geographical conditions are right, they have a clean and inexhaustible supply of energy for desalinating sea water to produce drinking water.

Training local specialists and skilled staff is an important part of the DESERTEC Concept. To promote the transfer of technology and research, the DESERTEC Foundation, in partnership with 18 universities in North Africa and the Middle East, has established the DESERTEC University Network, which will become a global science platform in the next few years.

Limited fossil energy resources, scarce water resources and a lack of jobs and prospects are factors which are highly likely to cause conflict, and can lead to political instability, international disagreements and increased migration. The development aspects of the DESERTEC Concept improve living conditions and defuse the struggle for limited energy and drinking water resources.

Working together to utilize unlimited renewable energy sources has other advantages in terms of security – trade relationships, interdependency and common ties ensure peace and cohesion, as the European Union has shown. Partnerships between neighboring countries in electricity grids and the trade in clean power can help foster similarly strong international communities both in the Mediterranean region and in other DESERTEC regions.