DESERTEC was set up as a non-profit entity to create a pan Middle Eastern and North African energy grid that would link to Europe. It would generate energy where sun is aplenty, and send a portion of it northward.

The NGO founded in 2009, but envisioned much earlier, joined forces with Dii, a consortium of companies to get commercial opportunities off the ground.

In recent months,  critics have questioned whether the ambitious plan had crumbled in failure following Spain’s failure to back Morocco’s first DESERTEC CSP plant and Siemens’ exit.

DESERTEC Foundation pulled out of the consortium due to “irresolvable disputes” over future strategies and obligations.

The group also said they want to “avoid being dragged into the maelstrom of negative publicity about the management crisis and disorientation of the industrial consortium.”

It seems that DESERTEC has swapped priorities and allegiances with Dii to Desertec Power, a company which has secured funding for a160MW CSP plant in Morocco and one underway in Saudi Arabia.

Yet we can’t help but notice that not much has come to completion despite DESERTEC’s lofty goals.

“It was always clear to us that our idea of producing electricity from the deserts on this earth was never an easy task and will always face extreme challenges,” the statement reads.

In addition to the logistical challenges of linking power stations in North Africa via subsea cables under the Mediterranean Sea, the region has been beset with political turmoil over the last two years.

Previously enthusiastic about reducing reliance on energy imports,  governments in Egypt and Tunisia especially have had new priorities given the continued socio-political unrest.

Less impacted by the Arab Spring uprisings, Morocco has continued to pursue its renewable energy ambitions.

As owner of the DESERTEC “brand,” the non-profit organization assures the press that they are the guardian of the concept. With any luck, its new-found freedom will give the project new wings.

Read more about the DESERTEC project:

First Solar Takes on a More Serious DESERTEC Role

Op Ed: Euro Troubles Delay DESERTEC Project

Moroccan Solar is Safe Despite DESERTEC Setbacks

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DESERTEC Power, backed by the original DESERTEC Foundation, recently launched in Saudi Arabia with plans to work alongside scientists and researchers at the King Abdullah City for Atomic & Renewable Energy (KA-CARE) to usher in a clean, renewable new era for the world’s most notorious oil producer.

“Acting as a regional facilitator DESERTEC Power addresses the in-kingdom needs for both renewable energy and desalinated water production, according to a recent DESERTEC press release.

Supervisory Board Chairman Dr. Ahmed Al-Malik, the former Vice Governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, is responsible for overseeing “the planning, realization, ownership, and likely the operation of renewable power plants as well as associated matters of education and employment,” according to the group.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has the potential to be a championing nation in power generation from renewable energy sources and to advance in global climate friendly development,” said Dr. Thiemo Gropp, Director of the DESERTEC Foundation.

“The DESERTEC Foundation highly appreciates the opportunity to encourage the intended development through concrete projects.”

In 2009, DESERTEC was established in part to generate renewable energy in the Middle East and North Africa region and evacuate it via subsea cables in the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. But the group has also spent considerable energy nurturing multilateral knowledge-sharing and business development  networks in order to increase global awareness of and interest in cleaner sources of power.

Saudi aims to produce 41,000 MW of solar energy by 2032; working with KA-CARE, DESERTEC Power backed by Germany’s DESERTEC Foundation will provide the necessary infrastructure and support to help make that happen.

Among the challenges will be establishing the necessary regulatory framework to encourage investment in renewable energy plants throughout the Kingdom.

But of one thing we are certain: both Saudi and DESERTEC are very serious about laying the groundwork for a cleaner future.

Image of Riyadh at sunrise, Shutterstock

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