Schmitt T (2018)
Publication Language: English
Publication Type: Journal article, Original article
Publication year: 2018
DOI: 10.1080/13549839.2018.1469119
Open Access Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2018.1469119
In 2009 the Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII) was founded by several,
predominant German enterprises. The objective of DII was to organise
the conditions for the realisation of the Desertec idea, which aimed to
both (a) supply Europe, in a large-scale manner, with electricity
produced in solar power plants in North Africa and the Arabic peninsula
and (b) contribute to the self-supply of the Middle East North Africa
region (MENA). Protagonists of the desert energy idea saw this
megatechnic project as a starting point for a new trans-Mediterranean
EU-MENA union, critics in contrast as a neo-colonial project. Disputes
over the adequate interpretation and implementation of the Desertec
idea broke out from the beginning. In 2014/2015, the media talked of
the failure of DII and of the Desertec concept. The majority of the
members left DII at the end of 2014. On the other hand, in some MENA
countries renewables are playing a crucial role in securing the future of
the energy sector. This paper analyses the development of DII and the
Desertec idea by using concepts from Social Studies in Technology, and
especially by the multi-level perspective approach in Transition Studies.
It shows how the interplay of different factors, such as technological
developments, entrepreneurial performances and political processes,
lead to internal conflicts and the non-realisation – up to now – of
related large-scale energy projects. As an important aspect of the paper,
different understandings of the future of our energy supply and of
North–South relations are presented in detail.
APA:
Schmitt, T. (2018). (Why) did Desertec fail? An interim analysis of a large-scale renewable energy infrastructure project from a Social Studies of Technology perspective. Local Environment. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2018.1469119
MLA:
Schmitt, Thomas. "(Why) did Desertec fail? An interim analysis of a large-scale renewable energy infrastructure project from a Social Studies of Technology perspective." Local Environment (2018).
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