Developments Elsewhere

The DESERTEC concept takes the TREC concept one step further. The theory behind DESERTEC is that, in addition to generating clean energy for Europe, concentrating solar power harvested in the Middle East and North Africa also can be used to create needed water supplies for the nations of the region.

The first two planned projects under the DESERTEC framework are:

The Gaza Solar Power and Water Project. This project aims to provide water for the people of the Gaza strip from a combined concentrating solar power and desalination plant located either in Gaza but more likely somewhere in the far more spacious Sinai Peninsula.

The Sana'a Water Project. The capital of South Yemen, home to roughly two million people, is expected to run out of groundwater in as little as 15 years. At that point, the city will face two choices: relocating its populace at a cost of up to 27 billion euros, or building solar powered desalination plants to serve the city at a cost of about five billion euros.

Outside the Middle East and North Africa:

The Port Augusta Solar Desalination Project. This project envisages using concentrating solar power to provide energy to both multi-effects and reverse osmosis desalination in order to provide drinking water to a town of 15,000. This project aims to become the most environmentally-friendly desalination plant ever built. It will emit negligible greenhouse gases during the desalination process, and will harvest byproduct brine onsite into commercial grade salt instead of pumping the brine back into the sea.