A new Policy Brief that examines the feasibility of scaling up solar power development in North Africa to promote regional development goals and climate protection targets for North Africa and Europe has been published by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).
The Policy Brief presents results from empirical and modeling-based research, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research and the European Climate Foundation, carried out jointly by researchers at IIASA and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), and published, in press, and under review in a number of peer-reviewed journals.
The research addresses opportunities and risks associated with European-North African cooperation on concentrating solar power (CSP) development, as well as the challenges that a policy framework must overcome.
- Opportunities - CSP development in North Africa offers not only an affordable option to help European countries achieve 2020 renewable energy targets without sacrificing system reliability, but also the possibility of establishing a lower-cost alternative to conventional power generation that could help achieve global 2050 emissions reduction targets.
- Risks - CSP development in North Africa is unlikely to increase Europe’s energy import dependency or impose new risks of large-scale system blackouts in the event of hostile state or terrorist activities. It may, however, be blocked by potentially prohibitive financial risks for project developers associated with the business and investment climate in North Africa.
- Challenges - To stimulate the development of CSP and transmission capacity, policies must address the barriers to siting international transmission lines in Europe, the financial requirements of project and supply chain developers, and the needs of North African countries to provide increased energy access and sustainable job growth to their citizens.
Related LinkExpanding Solar Energy in North Africa to Achieve Climate Targets
