Solar Energy as a Key for Power and Water in the Middle East and North Africa

Abstract

This chapter argues that a strategy for energy and water security in the Southern European Union, the Middle East, and North Africa (MENA) can be based on a combination of rational use of energy, renewable energy sources, and international cooperation. A well balanced mix of renewable and fossil energy sources is a prerequisite not only for environmental stability, but also for economic development, in fact being the least cost option for energy and water in the medium-term future. Renewables require no long-term subsidies like nuclear or fossil energies, but they need startup investments that must be provided now by sound energy policies based on a Trans-Mediterranean partnership for energy, water, and development (Nitsch/Staiß 1997; Brauch 1997c, 1997d, 2000a, 2001a, 2006a). The perspectives given here are the result of a study about the Mediterranean region that had the scope of evaluating the technical, economic, and environmental feasibility of a sustainable electricity supply system based on renewable sources, and give policy-makers a data basis for acting accordingly within their specific environment. As the MENA region is very heterogeneous, the scope was not to propose specific policies or strategies, but give local decision-makers a basis for acting according to their specific needs and frame conditions. The authors are well aware of the present activities, policies, and problems in the MENA region. The perspective given here cannot be interpreted as prognostic. A scenario like the one presented here is a consistent pathway to the future leading to a certain goal, e.g. sustainability. There may be many variations of that scenario or different scenarios leading to the same or to other goals. Their achievement will in any case require effort, political will, and technical skills. The scenario presented here will not happen spontaneously, but it shows a viable path to the future for those who want to take that route. (...)