You’d think the top clean tech investments come from the United States, China or Brazil. Look again on the right side of this chart to show how green economies actually perform. Israel is a top 4 with Denmark, Germany, and Sweden.

A new report called the Global Green Economy Index shows that although the perceived hot spots in clean tech investment appear to be in China, the return on investment is something else entirely. Since we cover the Middle East region we’d like to point out that Israel ranked particularly well on the cleantech dimension, according to the report, at slot #4 out of 27 national green economies.

The report developed by a Washington based group called Dual Citizen looks at 37 different datasets and combines details such as domestic policy frameworks, cleantech investment and green tourism.  We hope that somehow Green Prophet’s work on highlighting the news of the region contributed to this report. You can link to the whole report here (links to PDF), which gives in-depth analysis for those investors targeting geo-specific regions.

Since the US economy has sank, with it has gone the solar industry. We hope there are still safe refuges for investors looking to put their investment funds into companies backed by countries that have the policy to support the green tech industry.

Jeremy Tamanini, the founder of Dual Citizen sent Green Prophet the report: “Green reputations are a vital component of overall country brands and the Global Green Economy Index provides government and private stakeholders in the green economy a unique tool to track, analyze and improve upon performance in this sector,”  he said, pointing out Israel’s leading role. 

Some more highlights of the clean tech report:

The report shows that the United States and China – the two largest greenhouse gas emitters – are making perceived gains in this sector largely due to the size and economic opportunity of their clean tech markets.  But their overall performance continues to lag behind that of their European counterparts like Germany, Denmark and Sweden.

Experts may view the world’s largest economies as the best targets for cleantech investment but smaller nations with relatively mature cleantech sectors exhibit more robust investment climates according to data.

1,000 cars have been donated by the Alwaleed bin Talal Foundation to the recent Jeddah flood victims

Heavy rainfall in Jeddah in Saudi this January led to the deaths of a reported four people and left hundreds more families stranded and distraught as they dealt with the flood. Although the floods in 2010 did not cause the same level of destruction as the 2009 floods which left over 120 dead, many Saudis feel that the city’s flood protection remains inadequate.

So whilst the donation of 1,000 cars will no doubt be valuable to the victims of the floods, what is really needed is clear policy and plan of action to improve Jeddah’s flood defenses.

I have previously reported in the issue of flooding in Jeddah and concerns by citizens that not enough is been to done to combat the causes.  A short documentary was released in February by a group of influential figures in the region highlighting the slow clean-up following the floods.

Writer Ahmad Al-Shugari called for a solution which would ensure an end to the floods, a timescale for action as well an estimate of the cost of the efforts to improve flood protection.

In response to the floods, ten thousand household items have been donated to the victims by the Alwaleed bin Talal Foundation and distribution began at the start of this month.

Donations to the people of Jeddah consist of 4,200 air conditioning machines, 1,300+ washing machines, 2,000 cookers, 2,400 refrigerators and 600+ carpets.

Charities included Al Bir Association, Al Faisaliya Women’s Charity, Alahya Centers, the Women’s Charity Association and Almustawda’ Alkahiri have also been providing food for the affected victims, as well as assistance in rebuilding their homes.

Let’s hope that alongside these generous donations emerges a clear plan to help improve the city’s flood protection, which will ultimately better serve the victims.

:: Image via Arab News.

For more on Saudi’s green news see:

Saudi Citizens Release Documentary Criticizing Lack of Flood Protection

Four Steps to a Greener Hajj (part 3)

Saudi’s Soaring Construction Industry Could Negate Costly Water Investment

Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) are increasingly being offered by governments and utilities worldwide, because they simply are the fastest, most efficient way to get more renewable energy installed. The UK is the latest to show record growth as a result of offering to pay for clean power produced. In just the first six months since offering their FIT, UK official figures published by UK energy regulator Ofgem show that an astounding 15,468 installations have been registered. Both Israel and Turkey recently offered FITs. Today it is Uganda’s turn.

What is exciting about the Uganda offering is its position on the map relative to a recent World Bank grid extension that we covered here to expand the grid in order to facilitate load sharing of peak energy demand as air conditioners rev up on hot summer afternoons throughout the Middle East.

The World Bank grid plan connects up the profligate energy user MENA nations like Saudi Arabia and extends the grid across the Suez and down through Egypt, into the African nations of Eritrea and Ethiopia.

These two nations are right on Uganda’s border. This gives Uganda potential to be a renewable energy exporter – with a good renewable development plan. And that is exactly what Uganda has just published.

Uganda’s Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff (REFIT) offering lays out a very specific plan by the type of renewable energy sought, by the year desired, by the MW required (by capping the total by year), and importantly: including the rate at which the payments will predictably step down as more megawatts are added, as adoption spreads.

Given how how detailed and well thought out the Ugandan plan is, this could be a very good driver of growth in renewable power, and lead to Uganda becoming a regional energy exporter.

FIT pioneer Spain has provided lessons in what not to do, to the rest of the world following in its FIT footsteps, and Uganda is no exception. Spain had to reduce its payments retroactively – and even to reduce the operating hours of solar power plants! - because it was taken by surprise by the success of its FIT in driving renewable investments, to far more installations than it budgeted to buy power from.

“The key in phasing out FITs – along with subsidies for conventional energy, which the International Energy Agency estimates far exceed renewables subsidies worldwide – is a gradual reduction in subsidies, to avoid any sudden shocks that would send investors fleeing, and to avoid retroactive cuts,” says Platts Renewable Energy Report editor, David Jones, as reported by Andrew Williams at Renewable Energy World.

Uganda’s 20 year power payment offers under its REFIT program will be administered by its Electric Regulatory Authority.

According to Feed-in Tariff expert Paul Gipe, Uganda seeks installations totaling just 7.5 MW of solar power by 2014, but will pay the most for that at $0.362 cents a kwh. The next highest paid power is for wind, and Uganda wants much more: 150 MW by 2014, and will pay $0.124 cents a kwh for the power. Biogas is the next highest paid renewable energy source at $0.118 cents a kwh, and it is looking for 50 MW by 2014.

It also has similar amounts and payment rates for biomass, landfill gas, bagasse (a biofuel from sugarcane waste) and three different small hydro power offerings, from micro systems of a few kilowatts to 20 MW systems. It wants 75 MW of geothermal power, and is offering $0.077 cents a kwh over the 20 year FIT.

An exciting development for the first African nation to develop renewable policy.

Image: Gamesmuseum

More on MENA Feed in Tariffs:
Israelis and Investors to Benefit from Feed-in Electricity Tariffs
Turkey Joins 78 Others to Pass Feed-in Tariffs To Encourage Renewable Energy
Israel Offers a Too-Low Rate For Wind Feed-in Tariff

At 80 million, Egypt already has the highest population in the Arab world, and it is growing fast economically, with over 6.5% growth expected this year. Its demand for electricity, understandably, given these pressures, is extraordinary.

Egypt has recently had blackouts due to electricity shortages, sending rioting protesters into the streets. It could have taken a timid route to build fossil energy to supply its rapidly growing population. But instead it is implementing an admirably bold policy to act effectively to get 20% of renewable power on its grid by 2020, with 12% coming from wind power.

Our previous story noted that Egypt has no lack of interested renewable energy bidders. A total of 72 international companies have already expressed interest in the formal tender to be held in 2011 by obtaining the documents to make bids.

The World Bank is estimating that 7,200 Megawatts could potentially be developed by 2022 in the Gulf of Suez area, which it ascertains to be among the best wind resources in the world.

Looking towards the European Union, Spain, Japan and German for funding loans, Egypt has proved adept at utilizing Clean Development Credits to fund renewable energy projects, with a loan of $1.2 billion Egyptian pounds from The World Bank. It is considered the only Middle Eastern nation to be among the best investment spots for renewables worldwide.

The nation had already put out bids for solar production and selected several companies to go forward with contracts to produce solar power for its energy-hungry nation. This year, Egypt is turning its attention to adding wind power contracts. The first of these wind farm contracts have already been signed. Egypt teamed up with Abu Dhabi last year on a 200MW wind farm near the Gulf of Suez. Next, once it has met its wind power production target, it plans to request bids for a smaller amount of nuclear power: 1 GW, by 2019.

From a US perspective, such a straightforward renewable energy policy is enviable, indeed. Egypt’s government makes the decisions on buying renewable power.

::Egyptian Wind Energy Association

More on Egypt’s energy:
Egyptian Energy Crisis Sends Protesters to the Streets
Egypt in Top 22 Nations for Renewable Investment Potential
21st Century Egypt Powers Two Villages Entirely With Solar Power

The Republic of Turkey has just joined the throng of rapidly growing developing nations that are offering a Feed-in Tariff (FIT) to developers of renewable energy, in order to put more renewable power on the grid. A FIT is a guaranteed payment by the kilowatt-hour, for energy produced. Because these pay just for the power produced, they are risk-free policies for governments to enact, so long as the price is neither so low that they are ineffective, nor so high that the initial investment in building the clean fuel-free energy infrastructure costs ratepayers too much.

More and more developing nations are choosing this route. Not just the powerhouses of China and India, but small developing nations like Thailand and Tanzania as well. In all of them, the feed-in-tariffs have led to more investment in renewable energy generation and an increased share of renewables in the electricity mix. And not just for developing nations.

WRI counts a total of 78 countries, states, or provinces that have passed feed-in-tariffs for renewable energy in the last few years. A FIT can result in quite a rapid change. For example, after the state of Gujarat in India passed a renewable energy tariff, power purchase agreements were signed for the delivery of 500 MW of solar within just six months.

However, the rate chosen is the key to success. For example, my own electric utility – Northern California’s PG&E – has long offered a payment that is virtually unknown, because the rate the utility will pay is so low. While there are many successful drivers of renewable energy – particularly solar – in California, the PG&E FIT has never been one of them. So most PG&E customers with solar roofs – including this author – use PG&E’s net metering program instead, to amortize their investment in solar.

I see the difference, personally. Less than 100 miles from where I live, a different California utility (SMUD) does offer an excellent Feed-in Tariff, and by contrast, theirs has been fully subscribed. But a too-low rate has no effect.

That mistake has just been made by one of Turkey’s Mediterranean Sea neighbors.  Israel just passed a FIT that is too low to drive project development.

Turkey is ideally positioned to benefit from a strong rate that would drive rapid development, as it has a powerhouse economy at home growing at over 5% annually, and a geographic advantage. Turkey is well positioned to supply the European grid and has a pending smart grid connection to Europe.

However, it looks as if it is following Israel’s example, and setting its price too low to encourage development. Its Feed-in Tariff law actually places a limit on total solar energy projects: of 600 MW annually, through December 2013, and then authorizes the cabinet to determine the limits afterwards.

It offers to pay $0.073 per kilowatt-hour for wind and hydroelectric power and wind energy, $0.105 for geothermal energy and $0.13 for energy from either waste (such as biomass or municipal solid waste-to-energy projects), and for solar energy.

A disappointed Tanay Sidki Uyar, head of the Turkey branch of European Association for Renewable Energy (Eurosolar) told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, “A law which is enacted during a period in which United Nations’ regulations instruct countries to use more renewable energy should have been much more encouraging.”

He added, “While Germany is seeking to get 100 percent of its energy from renewables by 2050 and England aims to reduce carbon emissions to zero, Turkey’s law – a country which has great wind and solar energy potential – should have promoted renewables far more.

For a rate to act as an incentive, it needs to be twice or three times the average electricity price, at least initially, while the infrastructure is being built and paid for. These rates fall short of that.

Image: ERIO

Related stories on Feed-in Tariffs:
Israel Offers a Too-Low Rate For Wind Feed-in Tariff
Israelis and Investors to Benefit from Feed-in Electricity Tariffs
Turkey Unsure to Look East or West for Renewable Energy Development

The extension of Section 1603 cash grants for large-scale solar developments in the US – tucked into the tax bill – were dealt a blow on Saturday. This could affect R&D developments.

In a rare weekend session, US Senate Democrats tried to bring up for a vote whether to reduce Bush era tax cuts, due to expire in 2010. They failed, because Republicans prevented the bill from coming to the floor, using their now familiar procedural trick, the filibuster.

Republicans abuse Senate rules to prevent votes on progressive bills. The vote failed, getting only 53% of the Senate vote, which in most democracies would be a win. But a rule essentially allows a 40% minority to say they are never quite ready to take a vote on some bill they don’t like, which means that to bring anything to a vote takes 60% agreement. Republicans now have a 46% minority in the US Senate. Anything over 40% means they can hold the US hostage to their wishes to keep bills from being voted on up or down.

Republican Senators in the US, some of whom make as much as $19 million a year, openly refused to allow any bills to come up for a vote until the Bush tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires are extended.

Democratic Senators wanted to let the tax cuts for the richest expire on schedule, saving $600 billion. Much smaller tax cuts for the middle class (families earning up to $250,000) they would extend, because with unemployment at a record 9%, many US families are struggling with unemployment. Anyone earning less than that would get a tax cut. The bill included much needed unemployment extension and other finance-related policy.

One little-noticed casualty of the latest example of this Republican extortion is the remarkable renewable energy policy contained in the Obama administration Recovery Act. One in particular, that 30% tax credits for building new large scale solar projects could be taken as cash grants by companies with no profits to take the tax credit against. This is due to expire on December 31.

To prevent it expiring, Senator Baucus (D) slipped an extension of the 30% tax credits into the tax cuts bill at the last minute with virtually no fanfare. How little? I am virtually the only US journalist to have noted it. Here is the Baucus amendment in the tax cuts bill. If the entire bill had been allowed by the Republicans to come up for a vote, Senators could vote on each of these items, and a simple majority, such as the 53% above, would likely have renewed them.

Baucus Amendment 4727: To change the termination date , by extending till December 2011, these renewable energy provisions of The Recovery Act:

1. Section 1603 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – cash in lieu of tax credit for businesses not making a profit and unable to take the 30% tax credit on building utility-scale solar projects

2. Tax credits for heavy hybrid and natural gas vehicles and a 30% investment tax credit for alternative fuel refueling stations.

3. Tax breaks for ethanol, 36 cents a gallon for blenders, and 8 cents a gallon for small producers. A 54 cents per gallon tariff on ethanol imports.

4. A $1-per-gallon production tax credit for biodiesel and biomass diesel and the small agri-biodiesel producer credit of 10 cents per gallon extended through 2011.

5. A 50-cent-per-gallon tax credit for biomass and other alternative fuels.

6. Tax credits for energy-efficient appliances and homes.

8. Adding $2.5 billion in funding for Section 48C the advanced energy manufacturing 30% tax credit for companies manufacturing advanced clean energy products and materials.

9. Reinstating the Research and Development tax credit.

Unlike democratic nations in Europe and Israel, in the US, a very powerful fossil fuel industry has long been able to prevent renewable energy bills from passage, through the misuse of the filibuster by Republican proxies in the Senate, funded by the industry. So, to pass renewable energy policy here, Democrats must slip the language into unrelated bills and hope to get them past the ogre at the gate.

It is simply foolish in the US for Senators to openly espouse a renewable energy policy here, because the media is fully controlled and the airwaves are blanketed with blowhards from the Heritage Foundation, The American Enterprise Institute and Americans for Prosperity and other front groups, all put in place to shoot down any policy that would help move the US off fossil fuels.

It’s a silly way to run a supposedly first-world democracy. But that’s how it is.

As a result, US clean energy policy has to be slipped into unrelated bills, a little at a time, with the hope that it won’t catch the attention of the big money devoted to keeping the status quo. Thus, the production tax credits credited for building wind energy were attached to a must-pass vote on the Bush bank bailout of 2008.

That is why most of what passes for renewable energy policy in the US was slipped into The Recovery Act, the 2009 bill to stimulate the economy after the Great Recession, and passed during a brief three month period when the Democrats had a filibuster-proof majority before Teddy Kennedy died.

And now that The Recovery Act is set to expire, so is US renewable policy. This now crippled democracy seriously needs outside help!

Image: Christiandivine

More on clean energy politics:
Luz Rises Again, as BrightSource, in California
Jordan Politics Hampers Climate Change Event
Obama Tried to Get Saudis on Board with Copenhagen, Wikileaks Reveals
Please Truth-Bomb the US Voter!

Who says that academia has to be detached from the real world?

The world of academia is notorious for being detached from the real world.  There are plenty of good reasons why it’s called the “ivory tower”.  Because sometimes you just don’t care why Jacques Derrida chose to spell the word difference as differance, and it really won’t make any impact on your daily life if you understand Heidegger.  But even though academia is, by definition, motivated by pursuing knowledge (and not action), some pursuits of knowledge can be very useful in the real world.  Tel Aviv University is hoping to prove that environmental research is one of them.

Tomorrow morning, Tel Aviv University will be hosting a conference (that is open and free to the public) titled Beyond the Ivory Tower: The contribution of academic research to the creation of environmental policy.

The university describes the motivation for organizing the conference as such:

“Israel has an abundance of academic research in the environmental field, with knowledge that can assist and promote decision making processes. However, in order for policy makers to utilize this academic information effectively, it is crucial to bridge the gap between researchers and policy makers by providing accessible and practical information that will create cognizant decision making.

The conference will address the potential for academia’s contribution to the design and implementation of environmental policies at the local government level. Specifically, the seminar will address the contribution of the Environmental Policy Clinic at Tel Aviv University to the implementation of the environmental bylaws of the Israeli Freedom of Information law in several local governments in Israel.”

The conference will be held in Hebrew (with simultaneous translation into English), and the keynote speaker is Professor Miranda Schreurs, the Director of the Environmental Policy Research Center and Professor of Comparative Politics at the Free University of Berlin.

The conference will take place tomorrow between 8:45am and 1pm in Hall 101 of the Naftali Building at Tel Aviv University.  For more information go to the conference website.

Image via: Shlomi Fish

Read more about recent and upcoming environmental conferences::

Energy Conference in Israel Becomes Arena for Debating Natural Gas Deal with Egypt

Egypt to Re-Think Wastewater Treatment at Upcoming Conference

Israel Shares Strategies for Taking Back the Desert Oasis November 8-11, 2010

And we love the idea of hydro-diplomacy.

Hoping for some sustainable changes in the water sector for Israel and its neighbours, we’ve partnered with the Strategic Foresight Group to interview those people and organizations at the heart of Israel’s water industry.

Last week: Shimon Tal, the past Water Commissioner of Israel. Today from the office of Dr. Uri Shani, Israel’s current water commissioner. Responsible for the overall management of the nation’s water resources, this interview with the Israeli Water Commission office (Ministry of Infrastructure), includes information that policy makers, journalists and those following the Middle East water story, will love.

Read about how Israel formulates its water policy, the planning and development of the water economy, how it prevents the pollution of water sources, how Israel regulates streams and flood prevention; uses its overflow water, develops new water sources, uses waste water, and promotes the efficient use of water. See our questions below and read on for the answers.

Q1. Turkey and Israel have had talks about freshwater supply and purchase in the past. The Turkish government has been positive in its overall response so far but there is some opposition to this in the Turkish political spectrum. If the Turkish government were to agree to supply 1 BCM of freshwater to Israel, is there a possibility that Israel will agree in return to share this water with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Jordan?

A1. Israel does not have any formal negotiation with Turkey regarding freshwater supply at the moment. Transferring water from Turkey through Israel to Jordan and the Palestinians, on prices that will be agreed in advanced between all parties, is an appropriate possibility that should be considered. Israel is always aspiring towards regional cooperation in order to resolve the water problem in this region.

Q2. Israel is counting on desalination as a major source of its future water supply. However, there are limits to the growth of Israel’s water supply based on marginal water alone. What are the other ‘regional’ solutions that Israel can examine in terms of water cooperation with other countries?

A2. As stated, Israel is aspiring towards regional cooperation in order to resolve the water problem in the Middle East. The ideas of freshwater supply from Turkey, and utilization of the Litani River, as mentioned on your third question, are positive issues for regional cooperation.

Q3. Lebanon’s Litani River has a particularly high quality of water, with a very low quantity of chlorates and nitrates present. Water cooperation with Lebanon would therefore serve Israeli interests but in order for this to happen, political cooperation between these two parties is required; in addition Israel-Lebanon relations are inter-linked with the Israel-Palestine conflict. Is it worth it for Israel to find political cooperation with Lebanon in order to secure its water situation or is this not a practical option?

A3. Effective cooperation between Israel and other parties, and Lebanon, regarding an agreed and mutually beneficial use of the Litani River waters, can be highly valuable for both states and can also be highly beneficial to the region as well, including Jordan and the Palestinians.

There is a considerable amount of water in the Litani River, in regional terms: the average multi-annual amount as estimated today is about 700 million cubic meters. Only a fraction of that high amount is used, mostly for agriculture, in Southern Lebanon. Most of the water goes to waste, flowing into the sea (part of the water is also used for power generation, before it drains into the sea without any further use). As for the quality of the water, as far as we know most of the Litani waters are contaminated and not considered potable.

It is in essence a practically–pending agreement: technically, it would demand the development of a simple project (which is highly preferable), practically and economically, to any other known alternative for adding additional and significant amounts of water resources to the region and to the three above-mentioned consumers. Any solution, though, requires cooperation between all parties.

Q4. Technical reports suggest that over-pumping is leading to the depletion of groundwater aquifers in the West Bank, both in terms of water levels as well as water quality. This could cause water shortages in the short-run and devastation of the eco-system in the long-run. What can be done to preserve these aquifers?

A4. Five years of severe drought in our area resulted in both a decrease in the amount of precipitation as well as a difference in the character of this precipitation. The natural recharge of both upper-water and groundwater sources was significantly reduced and this in turn gradually affected the quality of Israel’s water resources. The Israeli Water Authority is taking tremendous efforts to reduce the damage caused to these natural water resources and the descent in water levels that they have experienced. Efforts include:

a. Preserving minimum groundwater levels in all the basins in order to prevent irreversible damage and to prevent pollution of neighboring fresh water aquifers,
b. Ascertaining the exact volume of outflow from springs in order to preserve salt removing processes from the aquifers,
c. Ensuring a balanced distribution of water production in order to assure groundwater gradients, directions and flow regimes,
d. Conducting frequent monitoring of every water source in order to follow depletion in volume and quality, including condensation of monitoring networks in the tremendous expenses in areas of the high mountain and in the depth of the aquifer in order to follow negative regional influences,
e. Taking measures to prevent pollution from natural, agricultural or human sources, in order to minimize the volume and type of the pervasive pollutants to the aquifers.

There is no doubt that regional cooperation together with the Palestinian Authority, with the overall view of developing new (natural or artificial) water resources, as well as preventing the pollution of upper-water and groundwater sources, will significantly reduce the deterioration of both the quantity and quality of natural water resources in our area.

Q5. Israel has experienced a severe drought period in the recent past. With environmental neglect and the effects of climate change, this can be a frequent and imminent risk in the future. What can be done to minimize the impact of such a danger in terms of national measures as well as well as regional cooperation?

A5. In the last decade, the State of Israel has been taking significant measures to deal with climate change and with extreme climate conditions. The government made a series of decisions in order to increase the water supply and to restrict the water demand.

The steps included in this plan are:

a. Intensive use of marginal and recycled water (more than 60% of the agricultural irrigation is based on this kind of water).
b. Desalination of brackish water from natural sources.
c. Desalination of sea water (at the end of 2009, sea water desalination plants produce about 40% of the domestic demand and till 2014 the production will reach 600 million cubic meters per year which is more than 80% of the projected domestic consumption in that year).
d. Planning sea water desalination at this magnitude takes into account a decrease of 10% in the freshwater safe yield in the coming years and therefore has the intention to stabilize natural water resources in next decade.
e. Dramatic improvement in the efficiency of agriculture (more production for less water).
f. Cuts in allocations for agriculture.
g. Increasing water tariffs (to the actual cost).
h. Stepping water tariffs (relating to the consumed amount).
i. Levy on surplus domestic consumption (in drought years).
j. Distribution of water saving devices in the domestic sector.
k. Governmental campaign for water conservation.
l. Adopting a strong preventive maintenance approach (water losses in the range of 10% with a goal to reach to only 8%).

Israel Water Commission (promo video in Hebrew)

Click here to view the embedded video.

::Israel Water Commission (in Hebrew only, we’re afraid)

More on Israel’s water industry:
Interview with Shimon Tal, past water commission of Israel
All the Water in Israel: Interviews with Government, Analysts and Researchers
The Agricultural Roots of Israel’s Water Crisis
Israel and Jordan’s Red Dead Debate
Israel’s WATEC Water Conference, Makes a Splash

There is clear evidence that we need to do more and we need to do it sooner to address the pressing problem of global climate change. Yesterday, a delegation of global solar industry groups released a report at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen that showed how much electricity demand can be met by solar energy through 2020.

The European Union and the United States – the two most accelerated targets – indicated that with the right policies solar meet 12 percent and 15 percent, respectively, of electricity demand by 2020. With world-class solar resources, the Middle East will clearly have the opportunity to play a significant role in meeting similar targets.

With our worldwide partners, the European PhotoVoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) and the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE), our report detailed the solar potential of the Middle East. They found that with a target of 8.6% of electricity generated from PV panels in the next decade, the region can expect to create 8.2 million jobs and reduce their output of carbon emissions by 400 million metric tons.

U.S. solar companies have not overlooked the potential for growing their businesses in the Middle East. SEIA members have already announced solar projects in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. And Israeli solar companies like BrightSource Energy and Solel are leaders in utility-scale solar power in the United States and around the world.

If we are going to truly address global warming, the Middle East must play a vital role. Utility-scale solar power is one of the quickest ways for countries to start generating clean, renewable energy and the amount of sunshine that the Middle East receives makes it an obvious choice. A price on pollution is an important step, but negotiators in Copenhagen need to return to their respective countries and continue the work of establishing national policies that accelerate solar deployment.

::SEIA website

Saudi Arabia

Last week the Saudi Arabian Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) announced that police precints across the country would be receiving green policy guardians who would perform inspections and ensure compliance with environmental standards.

According to PME President, Prince Turki bin Nasser, the green guardians are currently being discussed with the Ministry of the Interior and are scheduled to be on the streets within a year.

Prince Turki bin Nasser also said that “over the past two years we have studied the damage inflicted on the environment by service stations in the kingdom.”   The investigations have led to the discovery that many gas stations in Saudi Arabia illegally dump used oil and other hazardous waste.

The PME has announced that, as a result of its studies, it would be inspecting gas stations to make sure that they are complying with environmental standards that help reduce pollution from leaks.  Government studies show that leaks in the tanks used to store gas and oil have resulted in groundwater pollution.  The pollution affects farms, water wells, and the health of Saudi Arabian citizens.

After discussing the matter with the Ministry of the Interior, the PME made the following decisions about enforcing environmental standards in gas stations:

- Gas stations will be subject to a mandatory annual inspection by PME inspectors

- Gas stations will be required to bore wells so that PME inspectors can collect local groundwater samples

- Certificates will be provided to gas stations that pass the inspections, and without such certificates the stations will not be allowed to operate

Read more about Saudi Arabia::

Go On “Hajj” To Mecca and Medina on Saudi’s New High Speed Train

Saudi Arabia Opens World’s Largest Desalination Plant

Saudi Arabian Sheikh Claims That Use of Ethanol Fuel May Breach Islamic Law