I promised last week to take a deeper look at the 0%ers, countries with no wind or solar installations—until now. Here they are, taking baby steps or massive strides, but none can ignore the future any more. Next week: Peak Carbon is Here!
The Former 0%ers
United Arab Emirates
The UAE is implementing groundbreaking renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. With a clear understanding about the impacts of climate change, the UAE is pursuing alternative means for producing the power needed to fuel its economy. The UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative – the first of any country in the Middle East – aligns with the goals of the Paris Agreement and with the UAE’s development vision to create new knowledge along with green industries, skills and jobs.
The UAE has taken aggressive action to diversify the UAE energy mix and economy. In 2022, state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Taqa and holding company Mubadala entered a partnership to become shareholders of renewable energy company Masdar, to advance efforts to create a world-leading portfolio in clean energy. This strategic partnership will launch with over 23GW of current committed, and exclusive renewable energy capacity. Today, oil and gas exports account for only about 30 percent of the UAE’s economic activity.
Renewable energy in Benin: current situation and future prospects
Benin is one of the least-developed countries in West Africa, struggling to satisfy the energy needs of its 12.2 million inhabitants. With a total surface area of 114 763 km2, the country is endowed with a high potential for energy resources [12]. However, almost 59% of Benin’s population currently lacks access to electricity [13] and the country is heavily dependent on external energy importation. The cost of importing electricity is >$130 million annually and energy is primarily imported from Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Ghana [14].
The theoretical wind potential of Benin is estimated to be 322 MW, with a wind speed at 10 m ranging from 3 to 6.1 m/s in the coastal zone and from 1 to 2 m/s in the country’s north.
To provide access to clean energy services to its communities, the government of Benin has recently inaugurated a 25-MW solar PV system. The solar power plant of Illoulofin is the first solar plant integrated into the grid with a generation capacity of 25 MW.
Baby steps.
Bahrain - Country Commercial Guide
Endorsed by Bahrain’s Cabinet and monitored by SEA, the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) and the National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) set national energy efficiency and national renewable energy 2025 targets of 6 and 5 percent, respectively, with the NREAP target increasing to 10 percent by 2035.
Bahrain will have to produce 280 megawatts of electricity from renewables by 2025, increasing to 710 megawatts by 2035, to meet the country’s renewable energy targets. According to official sources, Bahrain will rely primarily on solar, wind, and waste to energy power generation to reduce carbon emissions and achieve national renewable energy targets.
Bahrain is planning a heat waste recovery pilot program, where excess heat generated by Aluminum Bahrain (Alba), the world’s largest single-site smelter outside of mainland China, can be captured and converted to electricity. Like other GCC states, over half of Bahrain’s annual electricity consumption is due to the extensive use of air conditioning because of the warm Gulf climate. As a result, Bahrain is looking to utilize the practice of “district cooling” to increase the efficiency of air conditioning by as much as 50 percent.
IRENA: Renewables Readiness Assessment: Botswana
The RRA report presents clear and practical steps to maximise the country’s use of renewables in driving sustainable socio-economic growth.
Botswana announced at the end of 2020 that renewable energy would account for at least 15% of the country’s energy mix by 2030, with 50% renewable energy contribution to the energy mix by March 2036.
The country’s total energy supply of 2.9 Mtoe in 2017 consists of oil products (35%), coal (44%), (traditional) biofuels and waste (19%) and imported electricity (2%). Electricity is mainly produced from coal, or from petroleum products imported mainly from South Africa.
As is the case in most countries of the region, Botswana’s power system is characterised by unreliable power supply, lack of investment, poor maintenance and high service costs. To meet its peak power demand, Botswana imports power from the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP) – mainly from South Africa – and when imports are not available, resorts to the use of costly backup diesel power plants.
The Government of Botswana has adopted an Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) in order to boost economic growth, promote economic diversification and job creation. Launched in 2015, the ESP aims to expand the economy through a development agenda that includes energy (Government of Botswana, 2015 a). Specifically, the ESP seeks to accelerate the electrification of urban and rural areas, and intends for the country to become an energy surplus nation. Moreover, after a decade of efforts to diversify the economy the share of mining sector in the GDP has decreased from 25% to 20% (Ministry of Finance, 2018). Yet, despite a reduction in GDP share, diamonds alone are accounted for 90% of exports (BoB, 2019).
Botswana commits to achieve 15% GHG emission reduction by 2030.
The Phakalane solar plant has a capacity of 1.3 MW.
IEA: Energy system of Kuwait
Kuwait is wholly reliant on fossil fuels for energy generation and by 2030, its energy demand will triple. In order to diversify its energy mix, the country targets to increase the share of renewable generation to 15% by 2030.
Libya sets 4 GW renewable energy target by 2035
Libya aims to deploy 1.7 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity from 2023 to 2025, with a subsequent target of reaching 3.3 GW by 2035. An additional 600 MW is planned from wind power, with the first 50 MW set to be operational within the next two years. Concentrating solar power (CSP) technology is anticipated to contribute 100 MW by 2035.
The strategy includes also an initiative aimed at supporting the installation of solar panels on the roofs of public and private buildings with a total capacity of 500 MW.
Mongolia's Clean Energy Transition: A Pathway to Sustainable and Inclusive Development
The Government of Mongolia’s target, as outlined in the State Policy on Energy 2015–2030, aims for a renewable energy share of 20% by 2023 and 30% by 2030 of its installed capacity. The country is also committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 22.7% by 2030 while energy sector accounts for 44.78% the total as of 2020 according to Mongolia’s Second Biennial Update report.
Furthermore, barely 50% of the population has access to clean cooking fuels on average, a percentage that comes down to less than 20% in rural areas.
As of 2023, Mongolia has 3 wind farms, 9 solar farms, and small hydropower plants, accounting for 18.3% of the total installed capacity and only 9.6% of total electricity production. Which means that the action has to be accelerated if the ambition of 30% renewable energy share is to be reached in six years period.
Oman has committed to net zero emissions by 2050. The government is looking to expand its electricity-generation capacities through renewable independent power projects (IPP), with plans to derive at least 30 percent of electricity from renewables by 2030, mainly through onshore wind and solar projects. State-owned PDO which aims to slash its emissions to 50 percent of 2019 levels by 2030, is an early pioneer in large-scale solar power projects in Oman. Oman’s integrated oil and gas company OQ is also seeking international partners to replace 40 percent of its three-gigawatt power consumption with renewable energy projects.
Commercial operations of Oman’s largest utility-scale solar photovoltaic, independent power project, Ibri 2, started in January 2022. Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) awarded the project to a consortium of Saudi and Kuwaiti firms, for which Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) loaned $60 million. The project is AIIB’s first renewable energy financing project in Oman and the region.
Another solar project, led by French developer EDF Renewables and its consortium partner Korea Western Power (KOWEPO), broke ground September 2023 for 500-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant. Oman has embarked on several other projects in line with targets for 2030, including a wind farm in Dhofar, a solar IPP in Manah, 11 solar-diesel hybrid facilities, and the Sahim (Contribute) initiative to install small-scale solar panels on residential and commercial buildings.
Qatar unveils energy strategy, aims for 4 GW of new renewable capacity by 2030
The Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) has unveiled Qatar’s National Energy Strategy, under which the country targets 18% of renewable energy in the power mix by 2030 (from the current 5%). The new energy strategy targets the addition of 4 GW of new large-scale renewable energy capacity by 2030, with a focus on solar PV.
The strategy also aims to add up to around 200 MW of distributed solar generation by 2030 to enable more localized power generation and reduce strain on centralized grid infrastructure. In addition, under the strategy, the share of CCGT thermal generation is planned to decrease from the current 80% to about 72%. The remaining 10% would come from interconnection capacity, small-scale conventional and small-scale renewables.
As of end-2022, Qatar had about 805 MW of installed solar capacity but had not yet started to produce electricity from solar, as the entirety of the country’s power generation still originated from gas-fired power plants. The country has over 800 MW of solar projects under development.
IRENA: ENERGY PROFILE, August 2023
3% hydro
0% wind
0% solar
Asian Development Bank: Turkmenistan Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Project
Turkmenistan has not been able to join this global rush for renewable energy, despite this unprecedented decline in cost and technology development, mainly because of its ready access to abundant cheap gas, and the dominance of fossil fuel in the economy. Renewable energy is not seen as a viable alternative, and is not part of any priority investment plan. Turkmenenergo, the vertically-integrated power utility, has no renewable energy power generation in operation.
With the world targeting carbon neutrality by 2050, relying on a single source of energy has exposed Turkmenistan to the risk of losing export revenues. The government has realized this challenge. The National Programme for Socio-Economic Development of Turkmenistan, 2011-2030, adopted in May 2010, aims to achieve a strong and sustainable economic growth on the basis of efficient integration of the country into the world economy, with maximum diversification of its export potential yet keeping the fuel and energy industry as the priority.
The proposed project will showcase the merits of solar power to key policy makers through its technical study tours in fossil fuel-rich countries where large scale renewable energy projects are operational, and finance a solar pilot project. It will also engage senior policy makers in a renewable energy dialogue, with a plan to develop an alternative fossil fuel-free pathway and a renewable energy roadmap.
The Stanford Solutions Project recommends 36% solar and 43% wind for Turkmenistan.
Corporation “Turkmenenergo” will build solar power plants in remote areas of Turkmenistan
In remote settlements of Turkmenistan, the Turkmenenergo energy corporation plans to build solar power plants with a total capacity of more than 6 MW at the first stage. This was announced by the head of the service for the development of renewable energy sources “Turkmenenergo” Dovlet Allayarov at the International Scientific and Practical Conference: «Energy Prospects, New Technologies for the Development of Hydrocarbon Deposits”, which took place on June 15, 2023, in Ashgabat.
Renewable energy electricity generation
With a target of 30% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030, Trinidad and Tobago has placed a focus on solar PV and wind (offshore and onshore) energy electricity generation. Trinidad and Tobago has favourable solar irradiation levels and being an island there is particular interest in offshore wind energy technology deployment.
Trinidad and Tobago is positioned to become a manufacturing centre for renewable energy components for the solar and wind energy industry which would support the growing demand in the Caribbean and other end markets in the Americas. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) forecasts that Latin America and the Caribbean will grow their installed solar capacity by a factor of 40 by 2050. To service this demand, Trinidad and Tobago proposes a manufacturing cluster to ensure synergies and cost efficiencies.
Our Business: Renewable Energy
In 2010, Trinidad and Tobago generated 8.5 TWh of electricity with CO2 emissions of 700g for every kWh generated. When compared to international benchmarks for 2010, these figures demonstrate a high electricity consumption and CO2 emissions per capita from energy-related activities at nearly 2.5 times the world average.
Plans are identified to improve the efficiency of the existing electricity generating plants as well as an intention to incorporate a small percentage of RE-based generation over the coming years.
The electricity generation is to almost 100% based on natural gas. The contribution of RE generation is negligible with only a few residential and commercial micro-scale systems connected to the grid or operating as stand-alone systems.
A Unique Approach for Sustainable Energy in Trinidad and Tobago, 2015
To date, wind power is not used in T&T. However, the main RE choice for bulk electricity generation for the national grid is wind power and a target of 5% of the present peak demand (or 60 MW) by 2020 is assumed to be realistic and achievable, according to the National Renewable Energy Committee.
In the past, only one experimental 10 kW wind turbine was installed in 1994/95 in Bacolet, Tobago by T&TEC. It revealed some favourable results, but the project was short-lived.
RE investment plan 2014–2020
Project |
Implementation Period |
Installed Capacity (MW) or units |
Total investment costs (million US$) |
Electricity generation at end of implementation period (MWh/a) |
reduction at end of implementation period (tons/a) |
100 PV roofs |
2014–2015 |
0.3 MW |
1.05 |
4,350 |
3,045 |
Wind Power |
2015–2020 |
100 MW |
200.00 |
306,600 |
214,620 |
Solar PV |
2016–2020 |
100 MW |
200.00 |
306,600 |
214,620 |
Total RE power in 2020 |
160.3 MW |
397,950 |
Solar Water Heaters |
2014–2020 |
60,000 units |
132.00 |
120,000 |
Total |
2014–2020 |
453.05 |
398,565 |
Republic of Yemen
Energy system of Yemen
In Yemen, less than half of the population has access to electricity. In 2010, the government launched a National Strategy for renewable energy and energy efficiency, which aims to develop grid and off-grid renewable energy and targets a 15% share of renewable electricity generation by 2025.
They seem to be a bit confused, but to be fair, the war is a huge distraction.
Renewables share of electricity generation in Yemen
Total, 2021 16.8%
Trend 16 700% change 2013-2021
Saudi Arabia announces qualified bidders for 3.7GW solar projects
23 bidders have been selected for the development of four solar plants across the country.
The Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC), a company responsible for procuring power in Saudi Arabia, has disclosed a list of qualified bidders for a fifth round of solar projects totalling 3.7GW capacity.
Key Government Renewable Energy Projects
Regarding solar energy, the Water Supplies Department (WSD) has installed floating solar energy generation systems of 100 kilowatts (kW) each at Shek Pik Reservoir, Plover Cove Reservoir and Tai Lam Chung Reservoir to explore the potential of installing floating solar systems at reservoirs for electricity generation; whereas the Drainage Services Department (DSD) has installed in phases high-efficiency thin-film solar energy generation systems on the curved sedimentation tank covers at Stonecutters Island Sewage Treatment Works which occupy an area of about 30 000 m² to supply electricity for the plant. Besides, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) commissioned a 150 kW solar system at Jordan Valley Landfill in February 2023. The system is the first of its kind on a restored land-fill in Hong Kong with a view to making better use of vacant land and promoting the sustainability of restored landfills.
Crude oil and natural gas production account for about 90% of its GDP.[92] About 167,000 barrels (26,600 m3) of oil are produced every day, making Brunei the fourth-largest producer of oil in Southeast Asia.[92] It also produces approximately 25.3 million cubic metres (890 million cubic feet) of liquified natural gas per day, making Brunei the ninth-largest gas exporter in the world.[92] Forbes also ranks Brunei as the fifth-richest nation out of 182, based on its petroleum and natural gas fields.[149] Brunei was ranked 87th in the Global Innovation Index in 2023.
In 2014, Brunei adopted a strategic plan to achieve 10% share of renewables in the national energy mix by 2035. The plan provides the outline to introduce renewable energy policy and regulatory frameworks and to scale-up market deployment of solar PV.
So far, next to nothing, which is, to be fair, more than nothing at all.
Renewable energy in Brunei
Only 0.05% of Brunei's power was generated using renewable energy, with the remaining 99.95% coming from fossil fuels. The nation established a 10% renewable energy target in the electricity generating mix by 2035 in 2014. When it comes to renewable energy, Brunei has yet to significantly advance and establish itself as a desirable location for investment. From 2020 to 2035, the percentage of renewables must rise by 0.66% year in order to reach the aim. To further the growth of renewable energy, particularly solar energy, which is more plentiful than wind energy, the nation still has to implement a regulatory framework.[1]
Brunei opened its first solar power plant, the 1.2 MW Tenaga Suria Brunei photovoltaic power plant, on 26 May 2011 by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. The plant powers up around 200 houses in the nation.[4][5]
The 3.3MW BSP Flagship Solar PV plant at Jalan Tengah, Seria, is Brunei's second solar power plant. It was completed in 2021 and started to produce electricity on 30 March 2021. With almost 7,000 solar panels, it is capable of generating power equivalent to 600 houses.[7][8]
Singapore
Energy Reset
Today, Singapore is one of the most solar-dense cities in the world. We even have a 60 megawatt-peak inland floating solar photovoltaic system at Tengeh Reservoir, which is about the size of 45 football fields.
We will continue to maximise solar panel deployment, including on rooftops, reservoirs and other open spaces. Our aim is at least 2 gigawatt-peak of solar energy deployment by 2030, which can generate enough energy to meet the annual electricity needs of around 350,000 households.
A New Source
Added to our list this week.
We’ll get back to our other regular sources next week.