1. Africa‘s second largest country is more than four–fifths desert, with enough sunshine to meet Western Europe‘s needs 60 times over, according to estimates cited by Algeria‘s energy ministry. The solar potential of Algeria is huge, enormous, because solar radiation is high and there is plenty of land for solar plants,‘‘ said Eduardo Zarza Moya, who works on solar power for Spain‘s public energy research center, CIEMAT. The price of the land is low, it‘s cheap, and there is also manpower.‘‘ Algeria already uses photovoltaic solar panels to electrify 18 scattered, off–grid villages in the Sahara, and 16 more are due to come on line by 200'. Two such projects are run by British–based company BP.