A consortium led by some of Germany's richest companies is venturing into the deserts of North Africa in a half-billion pound project aimed at bringing solar energy to Europe.

Energy provider RWE, Deutsche Bank, Siemens and re-insurance company Munich Re are among the organisations which are preparing to sink their money into the burning sands in the search for renewable energy.

These blue-chip companies are divining for the power of the sun.

The idea is to garner solar heat and then send the electricity to Europe, including the UK.

If it works, it would be the largest green-energy project in the world.

Munich Re board member Torsten Jeworrek said that the project's start up meeting is due to take place next month, and he is confident that solar power energy on a "massive scale" will be flowing to Europe within a decade.

The consortium's project is called Desertec and envisages low-tech solar thermal power - using mirrors to heat up water, which drives turbines in a local power plant - rather than an array of hi-tech photovoltaic cells.

The Desertec plan requires a new grid of high-voltage transmission lines from the Maghreb desert to Europe.

When it comes on stream, the project could provide the continent with up to 15% of all its energy needs.