HIGHLIGHTS

See also Endorsements and Speeches by politicians.

• Tewfik Hasni (Algeria) and Calixte Jeuffrain (TREC-France) speak about the DESERTEC concept on French radio RFI (MP3, 4.6 MB, Les Visiteur de Jour, 2008-07-29, in French).
• Within one month of its posting, Early Day Motion (EDM) 1871 07-08 has been signed by 55 MPs (2008-07-25).
• Solar power from Saharan sun could provide Europe's electricity, says EU (Guardian, 2008-07-23; see also Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph).
• Dr Gerhard Knies, Coordinator of TREC, is interviewed by Robin Lustig on BBC Radio 4, The World Tonight, 2008-07-23 (Audio RAM, 1.8 MB)
• Solar power in Europe (2008-07-19). This is a radio programme about the DESERTEC ideas on ABC Radio (Australia). It includes several sections of an interview with Polly Higgins of TREC-UK.
• Challenging 'voodoo' economics in the race for the best technology. This is an article by Polly Higgins of TREC-UK in the July 2008 issue (12) of Carbon2Share, published by Colin Challen MP. It is in three JPEG files: Section 1 (379 KB), Section 2 (270 KB), and Section 3 (341 KB). Click the '+' or 'enlarge' button to show each image full size.
• An interview with Gerry Wolff about the DESERTEC ideas by Marc Strassman of the Etopia News Channel, 2008-07-17.
• Clean desert power (4.43 minutes streaming sound, Free Speech Radio News, 2008-06-13). This piece about CSP by Naomi Fowler includes interviews with Polly Higgins of TREC-UK. Download file (MP3, 4.4 MB).
• Concentrating solar power (approx. 8 minutes of streaming sound, DW-world.de, Deutsche Welle Radio, 2008-07-09). This is another audio piece about CSP by Naomi Fowler, including interviews with Polly Higgins of TREC-UK.
• Edition of the "Analysis" programme about solar power on the BBC World Service (MP3, 7.8 MB). This programme, which was broadcast throughout the day on 2008-04-28, contains interviews with Gerry Wolff, Coordinator of TREC-UK, and with Belen Gallego, Director of CSP Today and a member of TREC-UK. The interviewer is Monica Whitlock.
• Interview with Gerry Wolff on Network Africa, BBC World Service (MP3, 3.2 MB). This is an interview conducted by Peter Lewenstein and broadcast throughout Africa on the 6th of May 2008, 06:30 GMT.
• Hot stuff : CSP and the power tower (PDF, 298 KB, Renewable Energy Focus, May/June 2008, pp 51-54). This is an article by Stewart Taggart, Coordinator of TREC-Australia and a member of TREC-UK.
• Parabolic troughs: CSP’s quiet achiever (PDF, 534 KB, Renewable Energy Focus, March/April 2008, pp 46-50). This is an article by Stewart Taggart, Coordinator of TREC-Australia and a member of TREC-UK.
• Energy Forum "10,000 Solar GigaWatts" (PDF, 167 KB) at the Hanover Fair, 23-24 April, 2008. Presentations from the forum may be viewed or heard via links from the 23rd of April and the 24th of April.
• Concentrating solar power and the proposed HVDC supergrid (PDF, 397 KB, Science in Parliament, Spring 2008, pp. 34-36). This is a briefing report and notes prepared following a "breakfast" meeting of the Scientific and Parliamentary Committee in the House of Commons on 2007-11-13. The briefing report is by Gerry Wolff and Neil Crumpton and the notes are by Professor Peter Simpson, Secretary of the Committee.
• Adjournment debate on "Concentrated solar power" in the House of Commons in the UK Parliament, 2008-02-28:
  • Transcript from Hansard
  • A video recording of the debate (ASF file, Windows Media, 44.4 MB).
  Dr Howard Stoate MP made a speech about the advantages of the DESERTEC proposals and energy minister Malcolm Wicks MP made a speech in response. TREC-UK provided the briefing information for Dr Stoate's speech.
• Bold energy plan to be debated in Parliament (News Blaze, 2008-02-25). This is an article based on a press release from TREC-UK and the office of Dr Howard Stoate MP. See also Solar plan debated in Parliament (News Blaze, 2008-03-04).
• Ray of hope? (WorldArchitectureNews.com, 2008-02-24). This comment piece by Michael Hammond is based on an interview with Gerry Wolff, Coordinator of TREC-UK, and other information we supplied. An introductory page, Smoke and mirrors or a blueprint for clean energy?, contains DESERTEC-related pictures including one taken by Polly Higgins, a member of TREC-UK.
• Hello Sunshine (PDF, 2.1 MB, Geographical, March 2008, pp. 57-60). This article about the DESERTEC ideas is by Matthew Brace, a member of TREC-UK. Geographical is the official magazine of the Royal Geographical Society.
• Solar power comes of age (JPG, 1.3 MB, Carbon2Share, Issue 10, Spring 2008—newsletter produced by Colin Challen MP). This is a slightly updated version of Win-win: concentrating solar power published in Greenpeace Business in July 2007. To enlarge the image, click the '+' with Firefox or the 'enlarge' button with Internet Explorer.
• Bring me sunshine (MP3, 11.4 MB, BBC Radio 4, Costing the Earth, 2008-02-08 21:00). This radio programme about solar power—with a good section about the DESERTEC proposals—includes interviews with Dr Franz Trieb of DLR and TREC and Polly Higgins of TREC-UK. The pros and cons of solar power (BBC News, 2008-02-07) is an associated article by Maggie Ayre, producer of the Costing the Earth programme. Speaking on the programme about the proposed HVDC Supergrid and the possibility of importing solar power from desert regions, Malcolm Wicks MP, Minister for Energy, said: "I think it is an exciting prospect ... I am very interested in that .... We have got to think in revolutionary terms ..."
• CSP concentrates the mind (Renewable Energy Focus, January/February 2008, pp 42-47). This is an article by David Hopwood, editor of REF, Belen Galego of CSP Today, Reese Tisdale of Emerging Energy Research, and Gerry Wolff, Coordinator of TREC-UK. The article is an introduction to a series of articles in REF about CSP.
• A solar grand plan (Scientific American, January 2008). Apart from the emphasis on PV and the idea of storing power using compressed air (CAES), this proposal is essentially the DESERTEC concept applied to the US.
• An interview with Gerry Wolff about the DESERTEC ideas by Marc Strassman of the Etopia News Channel, 2007-12-12.
• How Africa's desert sun can bring Europe power (The Observer, 2007-12-02). This report about the DESERTEC concept appears to have been prompted by Prince Hassan's presentation of the "White Book" about CSP to the European Parliament on the 28th of November 2007.
• Europe looks to draw power from Africa (Nature News, 2007-11-27). This is another report prompted by the same event.
• All about: CSP (CNN.com/Asia, 2007-11-13). This is a short film about the PS10 CSP plant near Seville in Spain.
• Desert power (Green World, 2007-11-16). This is a republication, with permission, of an article by Gerry Wolff, Coordinator of TREC-UK, that was first published in the Newsletter of Scientists for Global Responsibility.
• Energy future: just deserts? (PDF, 181 KB, Environmental Scientist, October/November 2007, pp 19-21). This is also a republication, with permission, of the article by Gerry Wolff from the Newsletter of Scientists for Global Responsibility.
• Investing in deserts (PDF, 1 MB, Risk & Reward, vol. 1, issue 2, Autumn 2007, pp. 4-7). This is an article about CSP and the DESERTEC concept, from an investment perspective, written by Gerry Wolff, Coordinator of TREC-UK.
• A short film about CSP and the DESERTEC concept has been produced by film maker Peter Walsh. It features Katharine Hamnett (leading fashion designer and member of TREC-UK), Dr Gerhard Knies (Coordinator of the main TREC group), and Tony Juniper (Director of Friends of the Earth). The film was made for Al Gore's new cable TV channel and was screened over the weekend of the Live Earth concert in London (7th and 8th July, 2007). The film may be viewed online here: http://uk.current.com/watch/133890732 .
• DESERTEC and Dr Gerhard Knies featured on CNN:
• Just imagine. Short film in which Dr Gerhard Knies talks about the DESERTEC vision.
• Gerhard Knies: his vision. Slide show about the DESERTEC ideas.
• Biography: Gerhard Knies.
• Interview: Gerhard Knies.
• Le solaire concentré: maintenant! (Natural Vox, 2007-08-22). This is an article by Olivier Daniélo of Objectif Terre and TREC-UK.
• Win-win: concentrating solar power (PDF, 107 KB, Greenpeace Business, July 2007, page 6). This is a short article about the DESERTEC ideas by Gerry Wolff, Coordinator of TREC-UK.
• The potential of power from deserts (PDF, 350 KB, SGR Newsletter, Summer 2007, Issue 34). This is a feature article about the DESERTEC ideas by Gerry Wolff, Coordinator of TREC-UK, in the Newsletter of Scientists for Global Responsibility.
• Catching some rays in the desert (JPEG, 149 KB, Money Week). Thanks to Mike Graham and Polly Higgins (members of TREC-UK) for helping to get this published. To enlarge the image, click the '+' with Firefox or the 'enlarge' button with Internet Explorer.
• "Desert Bounty" Where can one find an oasis? (News Blaze, 2007-06-25). This is a feature article about the DESERTEC ideas by Gerry Wolff, Coordinator of TREC-UK.
• The BBC produced a TV report about the PS10 power tower in Spain (BBC News, 2007-05-02). The film can be viewed via a link from this page.
• Concentrating solar power for energy security and climate protection (PDF, 2.9 MB, Imperial Engineer, Issue 6, Spring 2007, pages 14, 15 and 19). This is an article about the DESERTEC ideas by Neil Crumpton of Friends of the Earth and a member of TREC-UK.
• The lazy environmentalist (JPG, 1.2 MB, Concept for Living, Issue 102, May 2007, p 69). This is an article about the DESERTEC ideas by Polly Higgins, a member of TREC-UK. To enlarge the image, click the '+' with Firefox or the 'enlarge' button with Internet Explorer.
• Bring me sunshine (PDF, 520 KB, IET Power Engineer, April/May 2007). A slightly updated version of this article by Gerry Wolff, Coordinator of TREC-UK, has been republished in The Oil Drum, 2007-05-31.
• Speaking about the DESERTEC concept on the 19th of April 2007, Sigmar Gabriel, German Federal Minister for the Environment, said "... the idea is ground-breaking".
• There are brighter ideas than nuclear (Utility Week, 2007-04-20). This is a JPEG copy of an article by Robert Palgrave, a member of TREC-UK, contrasting nuclear power and its many shortcomings with CSP and its advantages. To enlarge the image, click the '+' with Firefox or the 'enlarge' button with Internet Explorer.
• Neil Crumpton of FoE is interviewed by Peter Tatchell on "Talking with Tatchell" (2007-03-23)
• How mirrors can light up the world (The Guardian, 2006-11-27). Following on from this article, there was an interview about CSP with Dr Gerhard Knies on BBC Radio 4, The World Tonight (see the first entry for the 27th of November on the News page).