14 September 2009 | News story As climate change escalates, the
world is increasingly looking to engineered solutions to reduce
carbon emissions and provide sustainable energy. Recently the
focus has turned on deserts and how they can be used to supply
large amounts of renewable energy which is causing some concern
among environmentalists. After many years on the drawing board,
in July this year, a large scale solar power project for the
Sahara desert in North Africa was launched. The plan is to
install solar panels across thousands of square kilometres and
transmit the electricity to Europe. The project is being
developed by the Desertec Foundation, under the auspices of the
Club of Rome and the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy
Cooperation. Supporters say that the project will keep Europe at
the forefront of the fight against climate change, meet a
significant portion of Europe's electricity demand and generate
thousands of jobs. Critics say that Europe would become too
dependent on the geopolitics of No