How can Renewable Energy Help Contribute to the Development of the MENA Countries?

MENARA Future Notes no. 6 (2017)

Increasing energy demand, for electricity in particular, a sharp cost reduction in renewable energy technologies and socio-economic benefits are all considerations that have played an important role in advancing the deployment of renewable energy technologies throughout the world. The MENA region is no exception, and it could benefit significantly from a wide-scale deployment of renewable energy. The MENA countries accounted for around 7.4 percent of the world’s total population (545 million inhabitants) in 2015. This is expected to change slightly by 2040, with an additional 213 million inhabitants by that date,2 which would put an upward pressure on energy demand and thus more greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) if this demand is to be met through fossil fuel resources, which currently dominate the energy mix in the MENA countries.