Base Europe's electricity on solar plus other renewables, not nuclear

14 Feb 2010

If we are to phase out fossil fuels and avoid nuclear, we must find some very large new sources of electricity - even more so if we want to replace some of the oil used in transport with electricity.

One of the few such sources is the DESERTEC project to bring solar energy from N Africa to Europe: it's now a $400bn project led by a German consortium. DESERTEC is actually much more than this - it's a complete electricity plan for Europe with low loss transmission lines linking different types of renewables, wind, hydro, biomass and it phases out nuclear. There is a great FAQ page about it here: http://www.desertec.org/en/concept/faq/ which answers most of the concerns people raise.

The Desertec Industrial Initiative now under-way is HUGE compared to our government's nuclear plans, yet very few people in the UK know about it. And judging by the way government consultations on energy avoid mentioning Desertec, it seems they would rather we didn't!
Fortunately there is masses of info on the Desertec website and reports you can download - please please do read them. They provide the most comprehensive electricity plan for Europe you will find anywhere. If after reading them you are convinced, then tell your MP!