Between 2018 and 2020, the solar power capacity of Vietnam leapt to 16.5 gigawatts from 0.1 gigawatts. In the same period, the sunny Mena region added only 3.1 gigawatts in its entirety. The region has made some important strides in solar power but it needs to find the way to go much faster.
More than 400 million people in the Mena region are a far larger market than Vietnam’s 96 million, and the gross domestic product per person is almost three times higher. The South-East Asian state is densely populated, mountainous and forested. If it can do it, this region can too.
The Mena region has some of the world’s best conditions for solar electricity – high levels of solar radiation, clear skies, open non-farming land and demand for air-conditioning that coincides well with peak generation. In the most favoured countries, this combines with political and business stability, plentiful capital, reliable electricity grids and often densely concentrated populations that can be served by desert solar farms in relative proximity.
In this way, regional Gulf countries have set records for the world’s cheapest solar electricity – 1.35 US cents per kilowatt-hour for Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra plant last April, 1.04 cents per kWh in Saudi Arabia this April, far below the costs of oil or even gas-powered generation. Yes, for now, gas or an alternative such as nuclear is required for night and less sunny periods. But the sensible combination of gas with solar yields the cheapest electricity mix.
Solar power is quick and straightforward to build, reliable in operation with little required maintenance and emits no greenhouse gases during operations. It can be built at every scale from a few watts for a garden light or a few kilowatts of panels on a villa roof, to gigawatt-sized plants such as Al Dhafra, about the size of Yas Island.
Above all, it is essential to transition towards a low-carbon domestic energy system and to make further progress on the green targets that almost every Middle East country has, such as the UAE’s plan for 50 per cent clean electricity by 2050. With continuing advances in renewables, these goals can be made much more ambitious.
Solar panel prices have risen recently, up about a quarter since the start of the year, because of increases in the cost of raw materials and shipping. This has been a shock for an industry used to a decade of sharply retreating costs.
But while this is grounds to proceed carefully, it does not demand Middle East project sponsors slam the brakes. Costs will probably ease off at the start of next year as new factory capacity comes online. Moreover, solar panels are only part of the total bill and prices for natural gas and coal, the main competitors to renewables, have also hit decade-long highs.
Instead, Mena governments should supplement their long-term aspiration with interim targets. This is anyway increasingly essential for their five-year submissions under 2015’s Paris Agreement on climate change, for which updates are due at the end of this year.
They should establish a refreshed pipeline of new opportunities, as Saudi Arabia has begun to do, so solar developers and engineering companies can plan accordingly. Project delays in the pandemic were inevitable but lengthy halts for bid evaluation and renegotiation should be avoided.
Ministries, electricity utilities and other solar sponsors need to make more use of the private sector. This includes cutting energy subsidies and regulations, so that factories, malls and homeowners can more easily generate for their own use. Solar panels should be mandatory for new construction. Industries should be allowed to “green” their output by contracting for solar electricity, as Emirates Global Aluminium recently did with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.
Solar in the region is led by a limited, albeit widening, set of champions: the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Israel and Morocco, now joined by Oman. The laggards, including the highly populous and energy-consuming Algeria, Iraq and Iran, and energy-starved Lebanon, need to get moving, if they can overcome bureaucracies and vested interests.
With only a small share of generation from solar power so far, balancing its variable output is not yet a serious problem for most countries. However, Jordan, having overcommitted, then had to halt projects while it reinforced its grid to move power from the sunny and windy south to demand centres in the north.
Other states can learn from this. As demand is mostly in the summer and daytime, the region does not need long-duration storage, unlike north-west Europe or the US north-east. In general, overnight storage will be good enough.
Dewa is building a pumped hydroelectric plant at the Hatta Dam, to recycle surplus power, and its concentrated solar thermal plant will be able to use stored heat to generate overnight.
Other options are innovative new batteries, “green” hydrogen from splitting water with solar power, and smart grids that can shift electricity usage around and draw on the capacity of a growing future fleet of battery cars. Electricity interconnections with neighbours can make use of different time-zones. Genuine markets for electricity trade, and smart meters that vary prices by season and time of day, should support such schemes.
The region has barely scratched the surface of what it can achieve with solar power. With boldness and imagination, the photovoltaic pillar can support an industrial, scientific and environmental renaissance.
Robin Mills is chief executive of Qamar Energy and author of The Myth of the Oil Crisis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Abu Dhabi card
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,400m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 2,200m
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 1,400m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 1,400m
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
The National selections:
5pm: Valcartier
5.30pm: AF Taraha
6pm: Dhafra
6.30pm: Maqam
7pm: AF Mekhbat
7.30pm: Ezz Al Rawasi
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
UNSC Elections 2022-23
Seats open:
- Two for Africa Group
- One for Asia-Pacific Group (traditionally Arab state or Tunisia)
- One for Latin America and Caribbean Group
- One for Eastern Europe Group
Countries so far running:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
More coverage from the Future Forum
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience
by David Gilmour
Allen Lane
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
NATIONAL%20SELECTIONS
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Match info
What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.
Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.
Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.
Favourite colour: Black.
Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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More on Quran memorisation:
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The%20specs
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Rashid & Rajab
Director: Mohammed Saeed Harib
Stars: Shadi Alfons, Marwan Abdullah, Doaa Mostafa Ragab
Two stars out of five
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
