ABSTRACT
Africa has tremendous potential for utilization of biomass energy, its oldest and most widely used source of energy. The Middle East is a transcontinental region centered on Western Asia and Egypt in North Africa. The energy ministers from 14 Arab countries also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish an Arab Common Market for electricity, confirming their commitment to the development of an integrated electricity supply system for the Middle East. According to the African Energy Policy Research Network, Africa is third in terms of world crude oil reserves, third in natural gas resources, and second in uranium resources. The trend toward greater investment in solar energy is MENA-wide but is particularly noticeable in a few countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Jordan, Algeria, and Israel. With large indigenous solar and wind resources, and with the costs of both technologies heading steadily downward, many governments in the region have set ambitious renewable energy goals.
