Leaders from the United Kingdom and France are working on a bold plan that would allow the EU to meet renewable energy targets by importing solar power generated in Africa.

According to a story on EurActiv.com, Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy are supporting a plan that would involve the construction of massive solar plants in North Africa. Energy from the plants would be delivered to European consumers via a new high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system.

The idea is based on the construction of a €45 billion high voltage direct current (DC) grid that could transfer electricity produced by Saharan and North African solar installations to consumers thousands of kilometres away. The construction of a new DC grid would be necessary since most of the EU’s existing power grids operate on the basis of alternating current (AC) and as such lose too much electricity over long distances to make such a project viable.

To call this plan incredibly ambitious would be an understatement. Between the price tag and logistics it is likely that such a project would take many years to actually complete. The idea of using HVDC to transport reneweable power over long distances is becoming a popular one. The state of California is investigating the prospect of accessing clean energy from Vancouver, British Columbia.