Background of the SEPA working group

The interdisciplinary SEPA working group is dedicated to the widely discussed option of importing electrical power from African deserts to Europe within the framework of a global energy and climate policy. The interdisciplinary panel of researchers investigates the opportunity for a cooperation regarding the use of renewable energies between Africa and Europe, that is equally beneficial for both sides. In principle, the working group is confident about the technical feasibility of large-scale solar thermal power plants, but is also certain that plans will only succeed if legal, political, social, geographical and historical aspects will be factored in from the beginning and the European initiatives line up at least equally to African interests. This discussion context was developed in 2006 to analyze the opportunities and risks of a Solar Energy Partnership based on the latest technical knowledge. Findings are differentiated and classified simultaneously from the perspectives of Political Science, Law, Economics and Social Sciences as well as History and Geography. Several seminars, a network of European-African cooperations, and two internationally attended conferences in the years 2008 and 2009 provide a solid and versatile foundation, in order to evaluate specific initiatives far more realistically than it was possible in the past.