1,800 miles

Length of the proposed network that would carry electricity from a huge solar-thermal electricity-generating facility in Northern Africa to Europe (see map, right).

The Desertec Industrial Initiative is being undertaken by a consortium of 12 European companies: ABB, Abengoa Solar, Cevital, Deutsche Bank, E.ON, HSH Nordbank, MAN Solar Millennium, Munich Re, M+W Zander, RWE, Schott Solar, and Siemens. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding in Munich yesterday with a goal of providing 15 percent of European energy needs by 2050.

"We are pleased to participate in the Desertec Industrial Initiative and explore with our partners the feasibility of this trailblazing project," said Caio Koch-Weser, vice chairman of Deutsche Bank, in a release. "The initiative shows in what dimensions and on what scale we must think if we are to master the challenges from climate change both in ecological and economic terms."

The Desertec project would generate electricity primarily through solar thermal power plants, which gather solar radiation and convert it to thermal energy. According to the Energy Information Administration, "Normally, a solar thermal collector includes a frame, glazing, and an absorber, together with appropriate insulation. The heat collected by the solar collector may be used immediately or stored for later use." e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Read about Babcock Ranch, Florida, whose developer describes the project as the "first city to provide for its energy needs from the sun via the largest solar photovoltaic energy facility generating system powering any city in the world."