Companies eye massive solar energy undertaking | Cooler Planet News

Companies eye massive solar energy undertaking | Cooler Planet News: "Companies eye massive solar energy undertaking
A group of European companies are working on a proposal that could turn into one of the most ambitious solar energy projects in the history of the industry.

A Wall Street Journal report describes the project as an effort by 12 European companies that could see solar thermal applications developed in the Sahara Desert starting by 2015.

The companies are said to be investing about $2.5 million each for the project in its first year, with an eye on developing a network of solar thermal plants across North Africa in the coming years. The report also notes that the project could potentially generate as much as 15 percent of Europe's electricity by 2050.

Elsewhere, a report by AFP says that project could eventually create up to 2 million jobs while also contributing heavily to the energy needs of countries the solar energy plants would be located in.

The report goes on to say that the project will require about 6,000 square kilometers of land, and that facilities are already being constructed in places like Tunisia and Egypt that could become part of the future network."