PureGin.org

Using current 'baseline' solar photo voltaic (PV) electric technology, solar farms covering approximately 2.85 percent of the area of the Sahara desert could generate enough electricity to equal the energy generated worldwide in 2005 from fossil fuels.

Such a solar array would cover approximately 256,500 square kilometers (somewhat larger than Honshū, the largest island of Japan) and cost in the neighbourhood of 150 trillion US dollars to construct, assuming costs of about $500 per square metre of PV cells.

Of course this is purely a thought experiment - the foolish and tragic consequences of treating Africa as merely a place on a map are manifest in history. Still, I find this little calculation compelling. Could Africa emerge as a wealthy, sustainable, world power by supplying PV electricity to Eurasia, and save the planet in the bargain?