"The DESERTEC Foundation is intended to serve as a hub for realizing the DESERTEC Concept. It will also work for creating a global alliance to ensure security of energy supplies, to promote economic development, and to stabilize the world’s climate." The web site shows a picture of the earth, but centered on the frame of Europe and North Africa. Some pictures show a network of lines between North Africa and Europe. "The DESERTEC Concept describes the perspective of a sustainable supply of electricity for Europe (EU), the Middle East (ME) and North Africa (NA) up to the year 2050. It shows that a transition to competitive, secure and compatible supply is possible using renewable energy sources and efficiency gains, and fossil fuels as backup for balancing power."
The site seems purposed towards ensuring Europe has a source of electricity, and that Europe sees a lot of desert in North Africa upon which various sorts of solar power collecting systems can be installed. The idea would be to build transmission lines between North Africa and Europe to send the power to Europe. In other words it's a form of "How did our oil get under their sand" but for a renewable resource. Clearly if North Africa wants to set itself up as an electricity producer for Europe it could be mutually beneficial.
The site also lists Desertec projects around the world and obviously there are desert areas with a lot of Sunlight who could produce renewably sourced electricity for transmission to other areas.
