8 LEVANT: WHERE POLITICS DEFEAT ALTERNATIVE …
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the West Bank has 24-hour supply, any conflict threatens to put the area
in the dark. The supply of electricity or lack thereof serves as a tool for
political pressure, and is aggravated by Palestine’s inability to fully pay its
electricity bills to IEC.
Current Status of Alternative Energy
The three countries are investing in alternative technologies at different
paces and success rates. Yet, all three are lagging behind on their 2020
renewable energy targets, namely, 20% of the primary energy mix for
Jordan, 14 12% for Lebanon, and 5% for Palestine. For the year 2030,
Lebanon has pledged to meet 30% of the total electricity generation from
renewable energy sources, a target that Jordan is also considering. Located
on the global Sun Belt, the three countries have significant solar irradiance
ranging between 1,800 and 2,000 kWh per m 2 per year, and relatively
moderate temperatures, creating favorable conditions for solar energy.
Jordan is considered one of the most developed countries in renewable
energy deployment in the Middle East, with 7.9% renewable energy of the
total electricity generation in the year 2018, 15 up from 2% in 2013. In
2017, the share stood at 6.9% with solar accounting for 4.5% of electricity
generation, wind for 2.2%, and biogas and hydropower for 0.2%. 16
In addition to high insolation, Jordan has significant wind potential
showcased in the kingdom’s mapping for wind resources conducted first
in 1988 and updated by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources
(MEMR) in 2007 and identifying six regions comprising potential wind
sites, 17 with wind speeds exceeding 7 m/s, considered economically
viable. Therefore, Jordan has remarkable renewable energy potential that
can drastically change its energy scene.
Lebanon followed the lead and in 2011, Beirut-based CEDRO project
by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), published
a thorough wind atlas identifying potential sites and estimating the
country’s onshore wind potential at 6.1 GW. 18
There are currently several streams for the implementation of renewable energy projects, with Jordan providing the most diverse options.
These include direct unsolicited proposals, auctions, and competitive
tenders for the state’s projects, and net-metering 19 and power wheeling
policies 20 for distributed generation. Palestine offers the same options,
with the exception of the wheeling policy which is restrained by the segregated grid design and its weak status. In Lebanon, both direct unsolicited
215
the West Bank has 24-hour supply, any conflict threatens to put the area
in the dark. The supply of electricity or lack thereof serves as a tool for
political pressure, and is aggravated by Palestine’s inability to fully pay its
electricity bills to IEC.
Current Status of Alternative Energy
The three countries are investing in alternative technologies at different
paces and success rates. Yet, all three are lagging behind on their 2020
renewable energy targets, namely, 20% of the primary energy mix for
Jordan, 14 12% for Lebanon, and 5% for Palestine. For the year 2030,
Lebanon has pledged to meet 30% of the total electricity generation from
renewable energy sources, a target that Jordan is also considering. Located
on the global Sun Belt, the three countries have significant solar irradiance
ranging between 1,800 and 2,000 kWh per m 2 per year, and relatively
moderate temperatures, creating favorable conditions for solar energy.
Jordan is considered one of the most developed countries in renewable
energy deployment in the Middle East, with 7.9% renewable energy of the
total electricity generation in the year 2018, 15 up from 2% in 2013. In
2017, the share stood at 6.9% with solar accounting for 4.5% of electricity
generation, wind for 2.2%, and biogas and hydropower for 0.2%. 16
In addition to high insolation, Jordan has significant wind potential
showcased in the kingdom’s mapping for wind resources conducted first
in 1988 and updated by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources
(MEMR) in 2007 and identifying six regions comprising potential wind
sites, 17 with wind speeds exceeding 7 m/s, considered economically
viable. Therefore, Jordan has remarkable renewable energy potential that
can drastically change its energy scene.
Lebanon followed the lead and in 2011, Beirut-based CEDRO project
by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), published
a thorough wind atlas identifying potential sites and estimating the
country’s onshore wind potential at 6.1 GW. 18
There are currently several streams for the implementation of renewable energy projects, with Jordan providing the most diverse options.
These include direct unsolicited proposals, auctions, and competitive
tenders for the state’s projects, and net-metering 19 and power wheeling
policies 20 for distributed generation. Palestine offers the same options,
with the exception of the wheeling policy which is restrained by the segregated grid design and its weak status. In Lebanon, both direct unsolicited