Egypt, Morocco, and Jordan remain regional leaders in the development of solar power, the Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA) says in its 2020 Middle East Solar Outlook (pdf). Despite Egypt being a top solar developer and having excess generation capacity today, the report says Egypt still needs “substantial additional power capacity” to accommodate an anticipated increase in electricity demand to 67 GW in 2030 from 27.6 GW in 2019.

Renewables are accounting for a larger share of the regional energy mix, bringing new challenges: As more projects come online, MENA countries’ biggest challenge in accommodating the shift towards solar and other renewable sources of energy will be maintaining grid stability and flexibility, according to MESIA. The report also highlights the importance of scrapping fossil fuel subsidies and introducing regulatory frameworks that are more favorable for renewables. “In addition to setting high renewable energy targets, stable tariff regimes, clear permitting rules, net metering, wheeling and grid connections conditions are required.”