Although the Saharan trade winds that extend from Morocco through Senegal represent some of the largest wind energy potentials available on earth, their erratic nature undermines any optimal utilization possibilities to the extent that only a marginal proportion of that wind energy can be fed into the region’s weaker grids infrastructure. While clean energy generation perspectives are considerably reduced, this also prevents any industrial integration and economic development from taking place locally on a significant scale.
Thus, a conventional approach to wind energy developments to feed smaller local electricity markets cannot enable a viable wind energy industry to be established which could have been essential for tackling the regions economic challenges currently under pressure from Sub Saharan African migrant populations. Indeed, a large renewable energy industry accompanied by many social benefits and job creations could actually improve the region’s economics particularly as it would be based on the sustainable utilization of one of the world’s largest wind energy resources.
Developing hydrogen energy perspectives through industrial synergies will bring North Africa’s scientific communities to take a comprehensive look at energy systems and adopt more holistic, integrated approach to energy technologies. These have been driven thus far mostly by external market forces which tended to provide unsuited ready-made solutions in terms of local development. Indeed, experiences in North Africa have clearly shown that efforts aimed at introducing (new) wind energy technologies amounted ultimately to the simple import of turnkey equipments through concessionary sources of financing and export credit packages. Such policies have done very little in terms of local impact or capacity building for a technology that could have been promising in terms of economic returns, in addressing energy access, energy security, and the creation of an accessible integrated industrial activity.
Upstream project development activities relative to the Sahara Wind Energy Development Project have made it relevant to deploy "green campus concepts" and establish carbon free hydrogen production perspectives, in encouraging countries with similar potentials to collaborate and exchange expertise, amongst others through excellence centers located in their universities. It may be sensible to mention that wind-electrolysis for grid stabilization, hydrogen production and energy storage enables an integration of wind energy systems within weak grids through small, medium and large integrated applications.
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Sustainable Development 
