Yet every single nation in the Mena region — including Iran, Iraq, Syria and the Palestinian Territories — now has renewables targets in place, with 50GW of installations expected by 2020, rising to 107GW by 2030, according to the International Renewable Energy Association (Irena).
Saudi Arabia, which is almost entirely dependent on oil for its electricity, is expected to unveil a 1GW renewables tender and a long-term programme in the coming months, after announcing that it intends to spend $109bn on solar projects by 2032 to meet at least a third of its electricity demand.
