Publication

This paper focuses on a leading investment candidate, solar thermal or concentrating solar power (CSP), a commercially available technology that uses direct sunlight and mirrors. The authors focus on the most promising near-term prospect for CSP expansion: export of electricity to Europe from the desert regions of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), which receive some of the most intense solar radiation in the world. They conclude that large-scale deployment of CSP in the MENA region is attainable at levels of public subsidy that are modest, given the planetary stakes and argue that the question is not whether CSP is feasible, but whether programs like the MENA initiative will be operational in time to prevent catastrophic climate change.