Use the DESERTEC Foundation Flyer to spread the word

The more people understand the big picture and the scope for individual action, the quicker the DESERTEC Concept can become reality.

Feel free to forward our PDF-Flyer to your friends! You're also welcome to print it for distribution at events:

English version, German version

(we are preparing further language versions, too)

Dii’s study "Desert Power 2050"

Dii’s study "Desert Power 2050: Perspectives on a Sustainable Power System for EUMENA" demonstrates that a power system based on more than 90% of renewable energy is technically possible and economically viable. The main message from the study could not be clearer: grid integration across the Mediterranean is valuable under all foreseeable circumstances. Besides promoting economic growth and leading to new areas for cooperation between Europe and MENA, power from the desert also offers solutions to the most pressing issues of our time: fossil fuel dependency and climate change.

Website of the study

DESERTEC WhiteBook

DESERTEC began in 2003 and was developed by an international network of politicians, scientists and economists known as the TREC network, from which the DESERTEC Foundation arose. From 2004 to 2007, the TREC network, under the stewardship of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), produced studies on implementing the DESERTEC Concept in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The results of the MED-CSP, TRANS-CSP and AQUA-CSP studies were summarized in the DESERTEC WhiteBook and presented to the European Parliament in 2007 by Prince Hassan bin Talal.

PDF: Summary of the studies (Excerpt from the WhiteBook)

PDF: Complete WhiteBook (revised version of 2008)

Energy [R]evolution: A Sustainable World Energy Outlook

This study by Greenpeace and EREC from 2010 shows that by 2050, solar energy from the world’s sun belt could supply 20% of the global energy requirements and thus greatly contribute towards meeting the 2 °C global warming target. By combining energy-saving measures, decentralized renewables and an international network of renewable energies, we can reduce carbon emissions for electricity, heat and transportation by more than 80% by 2050. If we drive forward the introduction of renewable energy, we can save nearly €5.000 billion in fuel costs by 2030, which will more than cover the cost of converting the worldwide electricity supply and will create 12 million jobs in the renewable energy sector.

Website of the study & PDF: Summary

Solar Power from North Africa - Frameworks and Prospects
SWP Research Paper, May 2010 
The idea of generating solar electricity in the Sahara Desert and exporting it to Europe is captivating, both from the climate and energy perspective and with an eye to Europe's goal of intensifying cooperation with its southern neighbours. Correspondingly great has been the political and media interest provoked by the Mediterranean Solar Plan launched in 2008 by the Union for the Mediterranean and DESERTEC and its private sector Industrial Initiative, Dii, founded in 2009. But if these highly ambitious projects are to become reality, a proper financial, political, legal and regulatory framework will need to be put in place.

PDF: Study in English & PDF: Arabic version