CHAPTER 9
Governance Amid the Transition
to Renewable Energy in the Middle East
and North Africa
Paasha Mahdavi and Noosha Uddin
Introduction
Despite its status and reputation as a region dominated by petro-states,
the Middle East and North Africa is making strides toward the transition to renewable energy. At the forefront among the oil-exporting states
is the United Arab Emirates, which has emphasized the need to reduce
reliance on petroleum by adopting new energy technologies that can spur
growth and employment. The UAE hosts 79% of the solar photovoltaic
capacity in the Gulf and has done so largely without offering subsidies
to developers and investors. 1 Its national energy strategy aims to increase
the share of clean energy in the country’s electricity generation capacity
P. Mahdavi (B) · N. Uddin
UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
e-mail: paasha@ucsb.edu
N. Uddin
e-mail: noosha@ucsb.edu
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature
Switzerland AG 2021
R. Mills and L.-C. Sim (eds.), Low Carbon Energy in the Middle East
and North Africa, International Political Economy Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59554-8_9
237
Governance Amid the Transition
to Renewable Energy in the Middle East
and North Africa
Paasha Mahdavi and Noosha Uddin
Introduction
Despite its status and reputation as a region dominated by petro-states,
the Middle East and North Africa is making strides toward the transition to renewable energy. At the forefront among the oil-exporting states
is the United Arab Emirates, which has emphasized the need to reduce
reliance on petroleum by adopting new energy technologies that can spur
growth and employment. The UAE hosts 79% of the solar photovoltaic
capacity in the Gulf and has done so largely without offering subsidies
to developers and investors. 1 Its national energy strategy aims to increase
the share of clean energy in the country’s electricity generation capacity
P. Mahdavi (B) · N. Uddin
UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
e-mail: paasha@ucsb.edu
N. Uddin
e-mail: noosha@ucsb.edu
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature
Switzerland AG 2021
R. Mills and L.-C. Sim (eds.), Low Carbon Energy in the Middle East
and North Africa, International Political Economy Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59554-8_9
237