(Image credit: The National News)
The Middle East is successfully transitioning away from a fossil fuel heavy electricity system to one based off renewable generation.
Clean energy capacity in the Middle East has doubled between 2010 and 2020 to 40GW, it is now forecast to double to 80GW by 2024.
The UAE is considered the industry leader when it comes to renewable energy generation.
A scale up of solar, wind, biomass and low-carbon hydrogen technologies have led the country to set a clean energy input target of 50% by 2050.
The Mohammad bin Rashid al Maktoum Solar Park is a key project that will assist the nation in reaching this goal. Operational since 2013, and soon to be the World’s largest single-site solar farm, the project is expected to reach 5GW by 2030.
This is enough electricity to power 320,000 homes and create 1280 energy sector jobs.
Saudi Arabia are targeting an energy from renewable sources to make up 50% of the energy by 2030. Solar farms are set to be the driving force of this target.
The Neom megacity in Saudi Arabia is currently under construction where the entire city will be powered by solar and other renewable technologies like wind power.
Saudi Arabia’s first wind farm, and the largest in the Middle East, began construction in 2019. The Dumat al-Jandal wind farm will be connected to the grid in 2030 and is expected to have an energy capacity of 400MW and create over 1000 jobs.
Overall, the Middle East has transitioned from an electricity supply of 98% fossil fuels to one soon to be dominated by renewable generation.
A combination of appropriate legislation, large scale projects and a shift in other countries position on net zero have influenced this change. So much so, solar power is set to account for 15% of the Middle East’s power mix by 2030.
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