Sahara wind and sun to power EU homes

This year, somewhere in Morocco, work will begin on the construction of what is to become a vast network of solar and wind energy farms all around the Sahara desert to provide 15 percent of Europe's electricity supply by 2050.

The Desertec Industrial Initiative, launched in 2009, is a private consortium of 55 mostly German companies, including Deutsche Bank, Eon, Munich Re and Siemens.

The undertaking kicks off with a €2 billion solar farm energy from which could be sent through c...