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Saudi Arabia: Oil Dependency Under Threat

Biggest Risks and Problems: Saudi Arabia, heavily reliant on oil revenues, faces the dual challenge of declining oil prices due to shifts towards renewable energy and the inflationary pressures driving up costs domestically. The country’s economy is vulnerable to the volatility of global oil markets and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and dust storms.

Possible Solutions: Diversification of the economy away from oil, investment in renewable energy sources like solar power, and implementing sustainable water management strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change. It is trying through its investment in alternative areas of energy (hydrogen – see ACWA) and tourism (Neom) to bring Saudi into the 21st century.

United Arab Emirates: Vulnerability of Coastal Infrastructure

Biggest Risks and Problems: As a nation with a significant portion of its population and infrastructure located along the coast, the UAE is particularly susceptible to rising sea levels and extreme weather events. Inflationary pressures further strain the government’s ability to invest in climate adaptation measures and infrastructure resilience.

Possible Solutions: Investment in coastal protection measures, sustainable urban planning to mitigate flooding risks, and incentivizing businesses to adopt eco-friendly practices. Invest in ecological waste removal for building projects – see Burj. See: Burj built without thinking where the poop will go. The UAE has also been investing in sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).

Qatar: Water Scarcity and Agricultural Challenges

Biggest Risks and Problems: Qatar’s arid climate and limited freshwater resources make it highly vulnerable to water scarcity, exacerbated by climate change. Inflation compounds the challenges faced by the agricultural sector, which relies heavily on imported food due to limited domestic production capacity.

Possible Solutions: Implementation of water conservation measures, investment in desalination technology, and promotion of drought-resistant crops to enhance food security. See Doha’s agriculture convention.

Kuwait: Energy Intensive Economy at Risk

Biggest Risks and Problems: Kuwait’s energy-intensive industries, including oil refining and petrochemicals, contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation. Inflationary pressures drive up production costs, posing challenges to the country’s economic competitiveness in the global market.

Possible Solutions: Transitioning towards renewable energy sources, improving energy efficiency in industrial processes, and diversifying the economy to reduce dependence on oil revenues.

Iran: Environmental Degradation and Socioeconomic Impacts

Biggest Risks and Problems: Iran faces a multitude of environmental challenges, including air and water pollution, deforestation, and soil degradation. Climate change exacerbates these issues, leading to adverse effects on public health and exacerbating social inequalities. Inflation further strains government resources, hindering efforts to address environmental degradation. Women’s rights and an Islamic regime makes it impossible for environmental voices to speak. Those that try are killed or put in jail.

Possible Solutions: Strengthening environmental regulations and enforcement, investing in clean energy technologies, and promoting sustainable agriculture practices to mitigate the impacts of climate change and inflation. Strenthening women’s rights and freedom of expression.

Climateflation presents a complex and multifaceted challenge for Middle Eastern economies, requiring concerted efforts from governments, businesses, and civil society to address effectively. By prioritizing sustainable development, investing in climate adaptation measures, and diversifying their economies, countries in the region can navigate the dual threats of climate change and inflation while ensuring long-term prosperity and resilience.

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Toray Industries from Japan announces it will supply the membranes for a new reverse osmosis desalination plant in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This will be the Kingdom’s first seawater reverse osmosis  desalination plant using clean energy under a public-private-partnership (PPP) structure. 

The Yanbu 4 desalination plant is located 100 miles of Saudi’s Madinah province, near the town of Ar Rayyis. With the production capacity of 450,000 cubic meters per day of potable water once it is completed, the plant will supply drinking water to the Makkah and  Madinah regions respectively. This is where millions of Muslims go on a Hajj pilgrimage. Good green news in advance of Ramadan which starts next week. 

Toray will supply the RO elements  and provide technical services and will help alleviate water shortages not  only in Makkah and Madinah regions but in the Middle East and North Africa.

Over the years, Toray has expanded RO membrane sales, production, and technical  support to help resolve global water issues. Applications extend from desalination and  waste water reclamation to industrial usage. The aggregate water production capacity of  Toray RO membranes is 120,000,000 cubic meters per day. That is enough to serve the  water needs of 840 million people. 

Providing access to clean water is pivotal to the Toray Group Sustainability Vision,  representing a roadmap to the World as Envisioned by Toray Group in 2050, and embodies Toray Vision 2030, through which the Group pursues sound, sustainable growth.  

Toray will continue to provide RO membranes and other advanced membrane  technologies and strengthen technical services to cater to local demand. It will thereby  help resolve water issues in the Middle East and other regions in which industrial and  population expansions will likely boost water demand. 

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A perfect storm of inflation, supply chain disruption, spiralling interest rates and delays in connection to the UK’s national grid means that the swathe of solar farms approved and going through planning permission in the UK are likely to be severely delayed or cancelled undermining any hopes of achieving a government target of a fivefold increase to 70GW by 2035.

A new study by Huw Evans, an Energy Consultant and former Head of Global Economics for BG Group suggests that under the current macro-Economic conditions and impasse at obtaining connection to the National Grid, any chance of these solar farms being viable in the near future is negligible.

The UK government has gambled heavily on promoting solar energy to achieve its stated goal to be carbon neutral by 2035, he says.

In his report, Evans goes on to say that despite greatly increased prices offered by the Government in their Contract for Difference (CfD) allocation round, to encourage Renewable Energy, where prices have been increased by 30% for Solar Energy, solar developers will still struggle to make any return on their investment.

That is before you take into any account delays in connecting to the national grid. “The UK Government has vastly underestimated the increasing costs to develop solar farms, where their assumptions suggest the UK can develop Solar Energy cheaper than anywhere else in the world; based on published data, which is clearly unrealistic!” he says.

The UK not ideal for solar power

Within the report, Evans points to International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) data that shows that given the UK’s climate, solar energy is within the worst 5% areas in the world to develop solar electricity, as only 10%-11% of the capacity of Solar Farms will ever be generated annually compared to double that in places such as Spain, Australia and parts of the US.

For Grid connection, as of November 2023, there are 1,300 projects that are awaiting connection to the grid which amounts to 400 Giga Watts (GW) of Grid access requirements. Companies applying for Grid access have been told they have to wait 15 years before any electricity they produce can be sold.

New rules issued by The National Grid to alleviate the backlog of connections which effectively are “get on, get back or get out of the energy queue” are in danger of creating thousands of acres of White Elephants, as grid connections continue to be delayed with diggers tearing up the landscape and then being suspended as projects are put on hold pending a grid connection date.

Evans points out that this as already happened in Torquay Devon where diggers have already cleared the site only to be told that Grid connection will be at least 5 years and there are indications that that could slip into the mid 2030s.

He further notes that Centrica have said that approximately 80% of the 300 substations across England and Wales need upgrading and “supergrid transformers are huge bits of kit that weigh several hundred tonnes, and it takes years to install them.

“We’re talking five to eight years for each one of these.”

For projects to progress they will probably need an allocation of a Contract for Difference (CfD) in the auction rounds, which come with a deadline of when the project needs to come on stream, a date from The National Grid to be connected which may or may not be in line with the deadline set by the CfD and provide the investor and financiers with a viable return on their investment which in the current climate is very doubtful.

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Mária Telkes, a solar energy pioneer. The Hungarian-American biophysicist and inventor Mária Telkes pioneered solar energy by inventing a solar oven, a solar desalination kit and, in the late 1940s, she helped design one of the first solar-heated houses.

Mária Telkes, born on December 12, 1900, in Budapest, Hungary, emerged as a solar energy pioneer long before the world would turn to renewable energy. She invented a solar oven, a solar desalination kit and, in the late 1940s, she helped design one of the first solar-heated houses. She is known as the Sun Queen.

Telkes, who came from a Jewish family that converted to Christianity, studied at the University of Budapest and then later in Switzerland at the University of Geneva where she mastered chemistry and physics, and earned a Ph.D. in 1924.

In 1925, while visiting her uncle in Cleveland, USA, she worked along the renowned surgeon George Washington Crile who performed the first successful blood transfusion.

Telkes dedicated the next 12 years of her life to researching the energy changes cells undergo during death or cancer, resulting in the publication of their findings in a collaborative book.

Upon becoming an American in 1937, Telkes joined Westinghouse Electric, where her focus shifted towards solar energy in 1939 upon becoming a member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Solar Energy Conversion project.

As the world grappled with the Second World War, Telkes was enlisted by the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), which worked on the Manhattan Project. Her task was to leverage solar energy to transform salty water into drinkable water, addressing the critical issue of dehydration faced by soldiers at sea.

In response, Telkes invented the first solar water distillation device, capable of producing one liter of drinkable water per day using seawater. This innovation quickly became a standard component in every soldier’s pack, earning her a merit from OSRD for her invaluable contribution.

However, Telkes’ most renowned invention was the creation of the first solar house in 1948, the Dover Sun House, near Boston, designed by Eleanor Raymond and tested by the Némethy family, Telkes’ relatives.

To tackle the challenge of storing solar energy for use on cloudy days, Telkes ingeniously employed a glauber salt solution (natrium sulfuricium) with a low melting point (32 °C) and high enthalpy of fusion, capable of storing solar energy for up to ten days.

Despite initial challenges – the unusually cold winter of 1948 and subsequent leakage in the solution tanks in 1953 – the solar house laid the groundwork for the acceptance of solar energy as a viable heating source.

“It was a proof of premise, a radical idea for her to be thinking that broadly and to think that far ahead and actually create a liveable house as an experiment,” says Andrew Nemethy, who was a boy who lived in the Dover Sun House growing up. “She needed astronauts, and I guess we were the lucky ones,” he said in a PBS documentary.

This marked a significant shift, considering that sustainable development was not yet a recognized term. People began incorporating solar panels into house designs, often complemented by traditional heating systems in areas with insufficient sunny days.

The Dover Sun House was demolished in 2010. A PBS documentary explores the contribution of Telkers and the Dover Sun House that would be heated only by the sun in a New England winter.

Telkes received the Society of Women Engineers Award in 1952, earning the moniker “The Sun Queen” in the United States.

In 1953, when Telkes was at New York University, she received a Ford Foundation grant to develop a solar stove that could be used in developing countries. Like the designs previous, she took a simple approach.

The stove was constructed as an insulated metal box equipped with doors on both ends, topped with glass over the food placement area. Harnessing the sun’s rays, the glass amplified their intensity, aided by four metal plates strategically angled at 60 degrees.

Triangular mirrors positioned between the plates further enhanced the amplification of solar wavelengths. Remarkably, the stove could reach temperatures of 400 degrees, requiring no specialized materials for its construction and boasting an affordable price tag of merely four dollars.

Its user-friendly design (you can download the instructions here) found a welcoming market in midcentury India, precisely the tropical climate its inventor had envisioned. Telkes enthusiastically praised its merits to a reporter during a cooking demonstration, expressing, “Everything seems to taste so much better when it is cooked by the sun.”

In 1977, the American Solar Energy Society honored her with the Charles Greeley Abbot Award. At the age of 90 in 1990, Telkes submitted her last invention, leaving an indelible mark on the field.

Returning to her hometown, Budapest, after 70 years, Telkes passed away on December 2, 1995, at the age of 94. In recognition of her unparalleled contributions, she was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2012, alongside physicist Dénes Gábor.

Mária Telkes’ legacy endures as an inspiration for future innovators and a testament to the transformative power of solar energy in shaping a sustainable future.

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The Institute clocks 2013 a record year for solar energy growth for solar electricity generation as both the photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar thermal power (CSP) markets continued to grow.

Some 39 gigawatts were installed worldwide, and the PV solar market represented one third of all newly-added renewable energy capacity.

Solar PV installations nearly matched those of hydropower and, for the first time, outpaced wind.

Even though photovoltaics still continue to dwarf CSP capacity, the CSP market also had another year of impressive growth. By the end of 2013, a total of 19 countries had CSP plants installed or under construction.

This is matched with consumption of power from PV and CSP plants which increased by 30 percent globally in 2013 to reach 124.8 terawatt-hours.

Who’s using solar power?

Europe accounted for the majority of global solar power consumption (67 percent), followed by Asia (23.9 percent) and North America (8.1 percent).

However, despite the record growth in installations, global investments were down 20 percent (from $142.9 billion in 2012 to $113.7 billion in 2013), reflecting a significant decrease in costs to build solar installations. Not necessarily interest in the area.

This month a global PV module spot price reached an all-time low of $0.63 per watt. For the first time, Asia overtook Europe as the largest regional market.

Prospects are bright, say experts. And in some countries solar power on roofs is less expensive than buying power retail. Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Italy, and Germany lead the way in this regard.

This year 2014 is expected to bring 40-51 gigawatts online.

Below are the country highlights showing the miserable representation from Middle East countries – countries that have the power and capital potential to lead the way. Clearly crisis management, and carbon based fuels of the last 100 years are still the number one priority for most leaders in the Middle East region.

Prove us otherwise!

Country highlights to compare to the sorry state of the MidEast MENA region:

China installed 12.9 gigawatts of PV, the most ever installed in one year by any country.

Europe installed close to 11 GW of PV.

North America added 5.2 GW of PV.

In Central and South America, solar development has been sluggish.

The Middle East and Africa had little PV activity, with the exception of Israel and South Africa, which added 420 MW and 75 MW, respectively.

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“We designed the SOCCKET for children and families who could use a product that addresses an issue in their lives in a positive way,” Jessica Matthews, CEO and co-founder of Uncharted Play, told Latitude News.

Enrolled in an engineering class for non-engineers, the duo was tasked with designing a multiplayer game that also addressed a world development issue.  They popped a shake-to-charge flashlight inside a soccer ball, booted it around campus, and soon had a prototype energy source. SOCCKET is only about an ounce heavier than a standard soccer ball.  Filled with specialized foam, it won’t deflate.

Children in developing countries without reliable power can play soccer, then afterwards use the light to read, do homework and illuminate their homes. The lamp is currently the only appliance it can charge, but the product website shows ambitions of increasing functionality, allowing the ball to also power cell phones, fire up hot plates, and run fans.

SOCCKET is one item in a growing group of eco-products that turns an everyday activity into an opportunity for clean energy generation. There’s something immediately appealing about turning play into power.

However, it’s not free from critics. There are more efficiently powered LED lamps available. Cranky Aaron Ausland, of the blog Staying for Tea, pointed out that the SOCCKET’s generative powers are roughly the equivalent of “four rechargeable AA batteries.”

Silverman responded on that blog, emphasizing that company is continuing product evaluation, keeping the focus on fun for children.  She said the cap on the SOCCKET’s power-making ability was an intended design feature, so play for kids doesn’t become work for power.

A Kickstarter campaign exceeded founders’ expectations and the balls are in commercial production. Check out the company website (link here) for details on pre-ordering. Their funding partners sponsored an order which will be distributed to communities in need.  Is there someone out there who would donate a few thousand to the refugee kids in Jordan’s overflowing camps?

The green dream is a future powered by low energy, high efficiency gizmos juiced with 100% renewable energy and zero emissions.  SOCCKET ticks those boxes, and adds fun.

Images from Uncharted Play

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Hasan Istaytiyyah was lucky to have six hours of state-run energy a day before he decided to install a solar photovoltaic system and ditch his dirty generator. Now he tells Daily Star that he has energy all the time, and finally feels connected with the rest of the world through internet access and satellite TV despite his remote location in the Bekaa Valley near the border of Syria.

Istaytiyyah’s story is a familiar one. Although Lebanon has strong northerly winds and piles of sunshine, the country’s leadership has failed to incorporate renewable energy to help meet the 2,400 MW daily demand. With a 900MW shortfall, many residents – particularly in rural areas – are without power for up to 18 hours a day.

Eco Friendly Solar Panels

Istaytiyyah’s goat farm in Qaa was plagued by the state’s energy shortages until 2010 when he saw an advertisement for solar energy listed by Eco Friendly, an environmental consultancy started by Patrick Ardahalian, Daily Star reports.

The entire system cost $9,372, which includes installation and VAT, according to a comment left on Eco Friendly’s Facebook page.

Not only does he have access to energy all the time, but Istaytiyyah was also able to get rid of his noisy, polluting generator when the PV system was installed.

“My farm became more friendly to my family and friends and closer to the civilized way of life despite its remoteness,” he said.

Wasted potential

Even though Lebanon has sun for roughly 300 days a year and the government pledged to provide at least 12% of its energy by using renewable sources by 2020, National Secretary of the Green Part Samir Skaf told Daily Star that the recently published National Energy Plan shows that the government will only provide 6.6% of the country’s needs using renewable sources.

Pierre Koury, Manager at the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation disagrees, saying that natural gas is part of the plan, and therefore accounts for the rest of the country’s renewable energy source.

George Abboud, founder of Earth Technologies, blames the government’s shortsightedness, claiming that “the customs fees for his energy-efficient LED bulbs are 15 percent, while those for regular bulbs are 5 percent. And last year he was unable to import electric cars for a taxi company he wanted to establish, because he was told that all cars imported into Lebanon are required to run on fuel,” Daily Star reports.

While government stays stuck in the status quo, citizens dissatisfied with their poor living conditions are taking power into their own hands. And as more do so, installation costs will drop.

:: Daily Star

image via Eco Friendly

More Environmental News from Lebanon:

Sleek Prefab LoftCube in Lebanon is the Ultimate Home for Nomads

Thousands of Endangered Fruit Bats Were Gunned Down in Lebanon

Greenpeace Lebanon Rocks the Boat with Underwater Expose

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From food shortages in Syria to green energy in Jordan, this news round-up will help keep you in the know

It’s been busy here at GreenProphet HQ and the stories that have got us talking this week include the wind-powered minesweeper, shocking seal killing revelations as well the upcoming first anniversary of the Fukushima disaster.  These major stories may have stolen the limelight but I’ve scoured the internet for interesting tidbits on all the latest green news from the region. This includes a petition for Green energy in Jordan, food shortages in Syria and also the dangers of equating climate change to security- especially in the Middle East. So read on and tell us what stories have caught your eye this week.Syria faces more food shortage worries

Political conflict, price hikes and import challenges are adding up to an increasingly precarious food situation for Syrians. IRIN reports that unrest has also made it difficult for aid workers to provide support to the estimated 1.4 million who have become food insecure since March 2011.
::IRIN News

Support Green Energy in Jordan
Ayah Alfawaris has created a petition to ask the ministry of energy and mineral resource in Jordan to pursue green energy. Titled as the ‘wake up call’, it states it wants to send a loud and clear message to world leaders and decision makers to take a significant step towards clean energy. The demands are listed below- if you like what you read you can sign the petition here.

We demand the minister of energy and mineral resources to start three major renewable energy projects (solar, wind, geothermal, etc) in the south, north and the middle of Jordan and they must be nationally and independently planned, supervised and worked for.
We demand that these projects exploit Jordan’s natural renewable resources to produce a minimum of 500kWh in the south, north, and middle regions of Jordan, offsetting the demands of the less fortunate areas, towns, and villages.
:: Change.org

Dangers of Framing Climate Change as a Security in MENA
Kate Harris has an interesting piece at Alternet highlighting the dangers of linking climate change issues to security:

In many ways, framing climate change as a security issue has helped to raise awareness of its critical importance. It may even have contributed to increased policy traction.

But it is a dangerous tactic to gain popular attention. First, for those who want to identify the possible connections between a changing climate and the potential for increased violent conflict, nuance is key (as un-sexy as that may be). Second, it is unwise to promote such a narrative, given the role of perceptions in conflict. It is not, as conflict and security folk would say, “conflict sensitive”.

Take the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and the occupied Palestinian territory) as an example. Evidence shows that perceptions matter. As an International Institute for Sustainable Development report argues, “in the context of continuing distrust and political tension it is possible to imagine that allocations of resources could become increasingly tense. Control over them may become perceived as an increasingly key dimension of national security, and resource scarcity could be a pretext for their greater militarisation”.

::Alternet

: Image via GreenProphet/flickr.

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The western-led sanctions against Iran have crippled the country’s ability to provide for its 74 million strong population, Reuters reports. Food prices have skyrocketed and many ships holding supplies are waiting for payment before allowing Iran to collect inventory. Meanwhile, sanctions have made conducting financial transactions virtually impossible. While the government’s failure to act could be disastrous for Iranian nationals, one potential upside is that the Energy Minister has recently admitted the importance of beefing up the country’s renewable energy sector.

Fledgling renewable sector

At present, Iran has a fledgling renewable sector. The 250kw solar power plant in Shiraz that is being upgraded to a 500 kW plant will be online by 2015 and the country launched a 484 MW solar thermal combined cycle power plant in Yazd  last May.

But these plants alone are not robust enough to replace the oil and gas industry at a moment’s notice.

According to Reuters, Iran is the world’s fifth largest oil producer and the second largest gas holder, so it’s no surprise that the nation has been beset by what some refer to as a natural resource curse. But the glory days of fossil fuels are over.

At the end of 2010, Iran was the first country in the Middle East to cut its energy subsidies in order to stay excess domestic consumption of its own resource, which means that long before the United States stepped up the severity of its economic sanctions, it was understood that fossil fuels are finite resources.

Incentive to go green

But the hardship caused in the last few months may have given the Energy Ministry in particular additional incentive to establish a twofold strategy to maintain its energy security: enliven the renewable energy sector as soon as possible and improve energy efficiency and conservation.

Leaving aside political rhetoric for one second, Iran has long maintained that a nuclear energy industry would create an alternative to fossil fuels, but nuclear energy is not the most viable solution – especially since the country enjoys plenty of sunshine that could feed a stronger solar industry.

Rostam Qaserie, the Iranian Energy Minister, explained at a recent National Energy Conference that “Reliance on hydrocarbon resources in the long run is neither possible nor meets national interests,” according to Reuters.

In the meantime, many of its main customers, including China, are seeking out alternative suppliers.

:: Reuters

image via Ali Reza, Flickr

Read more about Iran’s green energy sector:

Iran’s Islamic Regime Aims to be Solar Supreme by 2015

Iran Quit Dirty Energy Subsidies and Survived

Green Building in Iran: The Bagdir Windcatchers of Iran

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