Europe has an intriguing Solar Power option since it is so close to African deserts just across the Mediterranean sea.

From 2007...
From article, (The statistics are quite startling. Every year, each square kilometre of hot desert receives solar energy equivalent to 1.5 million barrels of oil. Multiplying by the area of deserts worldwide, this is several hundred times the entire current energy consumption of the world. It has been calculated that, if it was covered with CSP plants, an area of hot desert of about 254 km x 254 km—less than 1% of the total area of such deserts - would produce as much electricity as is currently consumed by the whole world. An area measuring 110 km x 110 km, a small fraction of the area of desert in North Africa and the Middle East, would produce the same amount of electricity as the European Union consumed in 2004. In a report published in January this year, the American Solar Energy Society says that “...analysts evaluated the solar resource in the Southwest [of the US] and ... found that CSP could provide nearly 7,000 GW of capacity, or about seven times the current total US electric capacity.” (emphasis added)
If electricity is what is needed at the destination, then in almost all circumstances it is very much more efficient to transmit solar electricity directly using high-voltage transmission lines. HVAC works well over relatively short distances but for longer distances, HVDC is the preferred option. With transmission losses at about 3% per 1000 km, electricity may for example be transmitted from North Africa to the UK with less than 10% loss of power.
in the period up to 2050, Europe could meet all its needs for electricity, make deep cuts in CO₂ emissions from electricity generation, and phase out nuclear power at the same time. Compared with the situation now, there would be an increase in the diversity of sources of energy and there would be an overall reduction in imported sources of energy. Those two things together would mean an overall increase in the resilience and security of electricity supplies. CSP would be just one element in the mix - up to 15% of the total - and would be an exception to the rule of reduced imports.
The cost of collecting solar thermal energy equivalent to one barrel of oil is about US$50 right now (already less than the current world price of oil) and is likely to come down to around US$20 in the future. The MED-CSP report, published in 2005, suggests that CSP will need public support for a time (like other renewable forms of energy) but that, with economies of scale and refinements in the technology, the cost of CSP electricity is then likely to tumble relative to more traditional sources of electricity. The TRANS-CSP report calculates that CSP is likely to become one of the cheapest sources of electricity in Europe, including the cost of transmission.)

Me, "If Europe wants to drastically reduce CO2 emissions? It has to put money into not just small residential projects but big ones. And the desert right across from it in Africa may be the answer."

The Oil Drum: Europe | Concentrating Solar Power