Greater East Asia could lead the world towards a sustainable future
Mankind is confronted with enormous challenges. Global energy demand is climbing rapidly due to population growth and increasing industrialization. At the same time, we have to start reducing global CO2 emissions drastically and as soon as possible in order to prevent disastrous climate change.

Dr. Thiemo Gropp, Director of the DESERTEC Foundation, is convinced: “The efficient use of the practically inexhaustible energy of the East Asian desert sun in combination with the expansion of renewable energies can sustainably improve living conditions for current and future generations in Mongolia, China, Japan, the Koreas and the Mekong region. It also offers these countries the chance to take a leading role in the fight against climate change by harnessing the most abundant of all energy sources on earth.”

The DESERTEC Concept: Clean Power from Deserts
Within 6 hours deserts receive more energy from the sun than humankind consumes within a year. This means that sufficient clean power can be generated from the world's deserts to supply mankind with enough electricity on a sustainable basis. The DESERTEC Concept promotes the large-scale production of solar and wind power in the desert regions of the world, combined with a smart mix of photovoltaics, hydropower, biomass and geothermal energy.

The Technologies are available and already in commercial use
The technologies for the production and long-distance transmission of clean power from deserts are available and already in commercial use, for example in Southern Spain and in the USA.

The DESERTEC Concept integrates all types of renewable energy in a trans-national supergrid. The installed capacity of wind energy and photovoltaics is already growing strongly in East Asia. Concentrating Solar-thermal Power (CSP) is another important technology in the DESERTEC Concept because it can deliver dispatchable power that compensates for the fluctuations of wind energy and photovoltaics.

CSP works as follows: Solar energy is concentrated by means of mirrors to heat water. The resulting steam is used to drive conventional turbines for power generation. As heat can be easily stored with low losses, CSP plants are capable of supplying energy on demand - even after sunset. A high share of such dispatchable clean power in the energy mix stabilizes the electricity grid and therefore allows for a greater use of other fluctuating sources such as photovoltaics and wind.

Due to the fact that CSP plants are most efficient in areas with high solar irradiation the East Asian deserts are the most suitable regions for this technology.

Clean power from remote deserts can be transmitted over thousands of kilometers to the consumption centres in East Asia, using High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) lines. With around 2-3% per 1,000 kilometres, the transmission losses are fairly low. China especially is already experienced in the utilization of HVDC transmission lines which can be seen at the 1418 km HVDC line connecting Yunnan and Guangdong.

Main principles of the DESERTEC Concept
The DESERTEC Concept integrates all renewable energies in a trans-national supergrid

• Using a smart mix of the most efficient and abundant sources of renewable energy
• Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power (CSP) in desert regions
• Wind power in coastal areas
• Hydro power in mountainous regions
• Photovoltaics in sunny areas
• Biomass and Geothermal power where geographic conditions are favorable
• Interconnection of production and consumption centres by a supergrid of low-loss long-distance HVDC transmission lines including Mongolia, China, Japan, the Koreas, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar

The DESERTEC Concept was first developed for the Mediterranean region
The DESERTEC Concept was first developed for the Mediterranean region. Scientific studies proved the technical feasibility and economic viability of the Concept for this region. The following sketch illustrates the main principles of an interconnected electricity system for Europe, Middle East and North Africa:

• Using a smart mix of the most efficient and abundant sources of renewable energy
• Concentrating Solar-Thermal Power in the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East
• Wind Energy in coastal regions of North-West Africa, Northern and Western Europe
• Photovoltaics in other sunny areas
• Hydropower in mountainous regions like the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Atlas Mountains, etc.
• Biomass and Geothermal power where geographic conditions are favourable
• Interconnection by a supergrid of low-loss long-distance HVDC transmission lines that connect Europe with North Africa and the Middle East

The DESERTEC Concept can be implemented worldwide
Suitable deserts are in reach of the most populated regions of Asia, Europe, Africa, the Americas and Australia.

In Europe, the Middle East and North Africa the DESERTEC Foundation has managed to convince heads of governments and ministries of the benefits of the DESERTEC Concept and the need to create the regulatory framework for fast implementation. To further accelerate the implementation of its vision the DESERTEC Foundation has launched an industrial initiative (Dii GmbH) for the Mediterranean region and created the DESERTEC University Network.

DESERTEC is a win-win strategy for Greater East Asia
Greater East Asia could become a driver for the worldwide implementation of the DESERTEC Concept, as the region has all the necessary factors to build a trans-national energy network:

• Suitable deserts (e.g. in North-Western China, Inner Mongolia and Mongolia)
• High potential for wind power, hydro power and PV
• Fast growing electricity demand
• Proven engineering and manufacturing skills to build up new industries

Greater East Asia benefits in terms of socio-economic development and CO2 reduction
The East Asian nations will benefit from the implementation of the DESERTEC concept in terms of climate protection, energy security, socio-economic development as well as know-how and technology transfer.

China will benefit through the increased security of electricity supply thanks to its independence from the import and price fluctuations of fossil fuels and from having to transport coal. Less developed regions in Western China and Inner Mongolia will enjoy socio-economic development due to infrastructure investments, employment effects and local value creation. A rapid expansion of renewable energies in East Asia will lead to a substantial decarbonisation of the power sector and enable China to reach its CO2 reduction goals for 2020.

The establishment of an energy partnership between Mongolia, China, Japan, the Koreas and the Mekong region could bring major benefits for producers as well as consumers. Every region could use its own most efficient and abundant sources of renewable energy and compensate for the fluctuations of these energies through dispatchable power. Although hydropower and biomass are important sources of dispatchable power, the biggest potential for large scale production lies in CSP plants. The surplus solar power produced by CSP plants in Mongolia or China could supply less resource rich countries with clean and safe energy and help to stabilize the whole electricity grid.

Apart from giving the biggest CO2 emitters in Asia the chance to quickly decarbonise their economies, increased cooperation would also secure peace and build trust between the neighbouring countries.

The biggest investors of today will be the market leaders of tomorrow
The market for renewable energy technologies is growing constantly. It is seen as one of the most promising future markets worldwide. The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that by the year 2050 CSP will represent 11% of global electricity production.

The promotion of an East Asian CSP industry will lead to cost reductions for the DESERTEC technologies and hence accelerate the implementation of the DESERTEC Concept in other regions of the world. We want to facilitate research and business co-operations between Western and Asian experts to bring advantages for both sides in terms of technology and know-how transfer.

Hence East Asia could not only make a significant contribution to global CO2 reduction but also become the market leader in the production of DESERTEC technologies. This would strengthen East Asia`s worldwide reputation as a solution provider for climate protection.

Regional networks and cooperation are the keys to success
Global warming is not a problem that can be solved by one country alone. The DESERTEC Foundation is building a regional network that promotes the DESERTEC Concept in East Asia. We would like to launch initiatives with experts from science and industry to conduct scientific studies regarding the technical feasibility and economic viability of the concept. The results from these studies will be used to convince key decision makers in governments and ministries to create the legal and regulatory framework to enable the fast implementation of the DESERTEC Concept.

By turning the vision of this joint project into reality, East Asia could seize a unique opportunity to lead the world towards a sustainable future. If the East Asian countries are willing to take action they can start with the implementation of the DESERTEC Concept today.

If you wish to contribute please contact us at: asia@desertec.org