The latest report from energy think tank Dii Desert Energy states that with the project pipeline of renewables in the Middle East and North Africa now at 202 GW, solar is likely to take the region past its joint national renewable energy ambitions of 235 GW by 2030.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region will have 12.2 GW of solar installed by 2025, according to a new report from the energy transition think tank Dii Desert energy.
The Developments in renewable energy, hydrogen and energy storage in the MENA region According to the report, the 17 countries that make up the MENA region now have a cumulative solar capacity of 34.5 GW. With total renewable energy capacity currently at 43.7 GW, up from 30.3 GW by the end of 2024, solar is the dominant renewable energy technology in the region.
Saudi Arabia has become the country in the region with the largest operational solar capacity. The kingdom has inaugurated several huge solar projects in 2025, taking the combined capacity past 11 GW.
The UAE now ranks second regionally with more than 6.5 GW of solar energy expanding the largest solar park in the world. Egypt and Jordan rank third and fourth, with 2.5 GW and 2.1 GW of operational solar power respectively. Last year, Oman became the fifth country in the region to cross the 1 GW threshold, switching on Mana I and II projects where the capacity exceeds 1.6 GW.
According to the report, the MENA region’s transition to sustainable energy is now accelerating faster than previous expectations.
The pipeline of renewable energy projects in the region has increased from 131 GW a year ago to 202 GW. Solar energy continues to take the lead and accounts for 130 GW of the total. Of the total 202 GW, 43.7 GW is operational, 38 GW is under construction, 34 GW is under development and 87 GW is classified as announced or with a signed memorandum of understanding.
The pipeline now comes close to the MENA region’s joint national ambitions for renewable energy by 2030, which currently stands at 235 GW. “If current momentum continues, solar deployment will likely propel the region to exceed its collective goals,” the report predicts.
As a result, Dii Desert Energy has updated its scenario framework for the projection trajectories until 2030, establishing a conservative baseline of 165 GW of renewable energy, corresponding to the cumulative national targets of 235 GW under a ‘balanced’ scenario and a ‘green revolution’ scenario of 290 GW, which, according to the report, represents the full potential of the region.
“The gap to this goal has narrowed significantly, but closing it will still require sustained momentum, supply chain resilience and the continued mobilization of capital,” the report said.
Dii Desert Energy also highlighted that the MENA region saw solid growth in its utility-scale energy storage market by 2025, with an operational capacity of around 25 GWh expected to increase sixfold to 156 GWh by the end of the decade.
It notes that the storage market is shifting from thermal energy storage systems combined with concentrated solar power plants, to battery energy storage systems (BESS) which now account for 50% of operational capacity.
BESS projects are developed both independently and in combination with solar energy. “The market inflection point was when BESS costs fell by approximately 80% or more compared to a decade ago, and demand for MENA storage increased due to increased renewables within the grid,” the report explains.
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