The revolutions that have been taking place in the Arab world since December 2010 have had a significant impact on the economy, not only in the countries involved, but also the rest of the World. How is the Arab Spring, which has caused massive financial losses on one side, also able to influence growth and […]
It has no uranium, but lots of solar – yet Saudi Arabia plans to double down on nuclear capacity. As we covered previously, working with China, Saudi Arabia will spend more than $100 billion to build 16 nuclear energy plants within the next few years, as part of ramping up its electric capacity. But the […]
We keep harping on about making the most out of solar energy, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa where we have more than our fair share of sun, but have any of us really thought about what such a future might look like? As much as we Green Prophets would love to see […]
We showcase two wet clean tech ideas, have any more? Fresh water constitutes less than 3 percent of the world’s water, yet supplies have been adequate to meet global needs – until now. The United Nations estimates that 20% of the world’s population lives in regions of water scarcity, with another 20% facing chronic undersupply. […]
Thousands of Emirati families have been clearing space for their brand new recycling bins, distributed as part of a new waste management program started this month. Dubai Municipality is growing a culture of recycling in both national and expat residents by providing almost 4,000 families with bins for separating household waste. Bin recipients were taught basic recycling […]
I speak to Elad Orian of Comet-ME, who is campaigning to prevent the demolition of solar panels providing electricity to remote Palestinian communities Elad Orian is clearly a man on mission. It’s just gone 8pm and he is busy telling me about his work with Comet-ME, which provides renewable energy to Palestinian villagers living in […]
Israeli students won a prestigious award for designing a portable, solar-powered water treatment system that anyone can use. Confronted with dire shortages that are shared by Jordan, the Palestinian territories, and just about every other nation in the MENA region, Israeli scientists are considered to be among the top producers of water treatment and saving […]
Dubai’s electric utilities are considering buying back power generated from solar panels on the roofs of houses and office buildings. Last year, the city carried out its first ever study to see how much solar power is being produced outside the grid and it found that local businesses and other private owners were producing around 5 […]
One year after they were trained as solar engineers, two illiterate women from Jordan are still waiting for funding to connect their villages to solar power “I have no doubt that we are going to achieve a lot. I’m hoping that my life and that of my village will change forever.” Those were the words […]
The Showcase is a prototype stadium used to demonstrate the technology that will cool the 2022 World Cup in Qatar We had our doubts when we first heard that Qatar wanted to host the 2022 Soccer World Cup in the desert, in the middle of the summer. And we became even more suspicious when whispers […]
Not content with their ambitious achievements in Abu Dhabi, now Masdar is spreading clean energy worldwide. A small 6 MW wind farm in the Seychelles has broken ground and will start start providing 11 percent of the languorous tropical resort islands’ modest electricity needs, thanks to Abu Dhabi’s Fund for Development (ADFD) and Masdar, the […]
Masdar expands its solar ambitions to the South Pacific The tiny kingdom of Tonga in the south pacific has just signed a memorandum of understanding with the Abu Dhabi based company Masdar for a 500 KW solar project to be built on the island of Vava’ in Tonga. This will add to the 1 MW […]
PlanetSolar’s solar yacht in Abu Dhabi. After spending some time in Qatar, Tûranor PlanetSolar crossed the Persian Gulf into the United Arab Emirates. It overcame some bad weather and a severe technical problem with the pitch controller for one of its steering propellers to arrive in time for the World Future Energy Summit at the ANDEC […]
Two fertilizer companies are funding R&D of cutting edge agricultural and energy innovations at a new pilot plant in Qatar. The Sahara Forest Project was borne out of a dire necessity to ensure the long term survival of residents living in the Middle East’s desert regions. 60 People from 12 countries have contributed research to […]
Every year thousands of Europeans head to Morocco for a cheap trip; hopefully more will travel the eco-friendly way. British tour operator Specialist Morocco recently announced that they are opening up their ecologically-friendly tented camp in Morocco’s Southern Draa Valley for another season. And though we are particularly sensitive to greenwashing after witnessing first hand […]