ABSTRACT
A Desertec Industrial Initiative (Dii) was created in 2009 with an ambitious mission to source 15% of Europe’s power needs from North African desert solar power by 2050. As in other developing countries, deploying solar energy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) implies significant investment risks which are higher than in developed countries. Higher risks for investors are linked to uncertainties in a number of areas such as weak regulations for the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources (RES-E), lack of qualified staff, construction delays, and so forth (see section 3). Higher investment risks translate into higher overall project finance costs.
