Belaïd, Fateh

Renewable Energy in the MENA Region: Key Challenges and Lessons Learned

Many pieces of evidence showing that investments in energy transition can boost GDP and create jobs. Further, national and regional energy transitions can help build resilient economies and societies. Therefore, linking short-term actions to medium- and long-term strategies is vital to achieving the Paris agreement on climate change the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this context, this analysis aims to explore the key challenges and lessons learned regarding the development of renewable energy. The setting of the current study is the MENA countries, as examples of growing economies, most of them experiencing extensive economic and energy reforms. First, we briefly review the demand for renewable energy and the resources available, before examining some of the challenges that need to be addressed to meet deployment targets. Second, we present some case studies to show what is at stake in some countries, the challenges, and the lessons learned. Aggressive RE policies seem to be vital to achieving key energy-policy goals, and the so-called “multiple benefits” of RE in the MENA region, such as addressing climate change and air pollution, improving energy security, and increasing energy access. Policies should be more ambitious to address national challenges and targets and strengthen climate commitments. However, securing strategic financing, investing in transition-related infrastructure, diverting investment from fossil fuels, and making bailouts conditional on climate action should be a cornerstone of national strategies. Read Full Book Chapter Here

22nd April 2021

In Eco-Design of Buildings and Infrastructure

This chapter looks at different models and approaches concerning the energy consumption of households and buildings. The modelling of building energy consumption falls completely within this context. The field of building energy consumption modelling is therefore vast, diverse and involves many disciplines spanning the social sciences, engineering, physics, economics and ecology, to name just a few. The statistical approach attempts to establish a causal relationship between the energy consumption of buildings, users and different contextual variables, such as climatic conditions or urban density. The co-construction of new concepts and methods integrating causality into numerical modelling, to theorise, simplify and experiment with models of building energy consumption is a field that is more necessary than ever, but which is still largely open. The development of these constructive measures generally relies on models integrating variables related to materials, orientations and sometimes the life cycle of buildings. Read Full Book Chapter Here

1st January 2021

Why Should Saudi Arabia Diversify Its Economy?

Climate change is a global issue. According to an IPCC special report (IPCC, Global warming of 1.5 °C. An IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty. World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 32 p, 2018), if global warming is 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, this will increase the threat of climate change, challenge sustainable development and increase poverty in the world. All countries must reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The attention paid to countries that produce fossil fuels and export them to the rest of the world is evident in this context. Like other oil-producing countries, KSA faces two challenges for the 2020s: the consequences of the world’s low carbon energy transition and the changes associated with economic diversification and the growth of the low carbon economy at home. The country should diversify its economy and develop sustainable projects, like smart cities and sustainable tourism, in order to achieve the Agenda 30 aims and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Read Full Book Chapter Here

21st October 2020

Chapter 2 – Role of Economy and Income to Fall in Energy Poverty: Policy Act

Fuel poverty is a complex and multi-scale issue, which relating the household-level to the country-level and the demand-side to the supply-side. The fuel poverty situation is shaped by various factors, including household social and economic conditions. This study aims to examine the role of income in shaping the fuel poverty phenomenon. It focuses mainly on an important question, which has risen in the last few years both in policy and the economic literature; that is, the role of income to fall in energy poverty. We use data from 2013 French Housing survey to illustrate the extent of the problem and to highlight the important role of both income and energy expenditure in increasing the probability of being fuel poor. The empirical analysis in this article relies on a binary logit regression model. Our empirical approach enables us to explore the drivers of the income and energy-cost-induced dimension of fuel poverty. This study provides an overview of the fuel poverty definitions and extent, and puts forward an empirical strategy which can help to identify and target the households most in need of financial and energy-related support. Read Full Book Chapter Here

1st January 2019

Implications of Climate Policy on Energy Poverty

This article examines the complex issue of energy poverty and its various dimensions, including energy access and affordability. It explores the challenges of addressing energy poverty and the trade-offs that may exist between energy poverty and climate change policy.

13th November 2023

Closing the Investment Gap to Achieve Paris Agreement Goals

This study aims to assess the alignment of global sustainable financial flows with transition investment priorities. First, we identify investment gaps based on the difference between the required annual investment to meet global net-zero emissions (NZE) targets and current investment flows. Our assessment reveals that nearly all countries must significantly accelerate their efforts, as their current investment levels fall short of what is required. Second, and perhaps more importantly, investment gaps are particularly large for non-Annex I (developing) countries. Financing these large-scale investments continues to be a major global challenge. The size of global environmental, social and governance (ESG) finance remains low. Specifically, despite their large investment gaps, developing countries receive only a minor share of global ESG funds, where access to conventional finance is already limited.

9th October 2023

The Crisis in Electricity Prices in Europe: Context and Key Insights

The cost of electric power in Europe is soaring. After a steady rise in 2021, prices spiked in the first half of 2022 following the post-COVID-19 economic recovery. Day-ahead wholesale electricity prices increased more than threefold on average in 2021 compared to 2020, reaching an average of €194 per megawatthour (MWh) in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2021. The daily standard deviation of day-ahead electricity prices more than doubled on average in 2021 compared to 2020. At the start of July 2022, electricity prices were heading toward their 2021 peak. They are expected to reach new highs based on current market dynamics. Here, we discuss the drivers and implications of current European electricity prices.

17th January 2023

Why is the EU Carbon Price at a Record €60 per Tonne?

Carbon prices soared above €60/tonne for the first time on August 30, 2021, with the expectation of tightened environmental legislation. These prices made a new record on the European Union Emission Trading System (EU ETS), the European Union’s carbon market. The stressed gas market and expectations of a tighter gas supply in Europe are also behind rising carbon prices. These factors spilled over into electricity prices, which also broke highs, hitting €140 per megawatt hour (MWh) in real-time trading on September 1, 2021.

1st March 2022

Why are European Wholesale Electricity Prices Soaring?

Since the beginning of summer 2021, European wholesale electricity prices have been soaring to historic highs. The average day-ahead price of electricity for central European countries more than doubled between June and September, reaching 170 euros per megawatthour (e/MWh) on September 15. This data insight discusses this unprecedented increase in wholesale electricity prices and their key drivers.

23rd November 2021

Natural Gas Price Surge: Implications for International Energy Markets and the Way Forward

What Are the Reasons Behind the Soaring Gas Prices? As the Northern Hemisphere has moved into winter, the current worldwide surge in energy prices has raised fears of an energy crisis with serious implications. The focus of this brief Instant Insight is twofold. First, we provide a brief overview of the current energy market. We then discuss the potential short- and long-term implications for users of natural gas, both residential and industrial. The analysis highlights that, although the world debated reducing investment in fossil fuels at COP26 in Glasgow, OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) and its partners have had to deal with calls from major energy consumers to increase production to curb the current price trend.

24th January 2022

The Implications of Soaring Gas and Coal Prices on Europe’s Energy Poverty Trap

With the recovery of the world economy following the easing of restrictions designed to contain COVID-19, energy demand has surged even as natural gas stocks were dangerously low. This triggered one of the first significant energy shocks of the green era and exposed the fragilities of the ongoing process to green the energy system.

15th December 2021

Energy Transition Amid Converging Global Energy Crises

In this commentary, we provide a discussion of the factors that have led to the ongoing spike in natural gas prices. We then discuss the potential short- and long-term implications for the global energy transition and for users of natural gas, both residential and industrial. The analysis highlights that although the world has debated reducing investment in fossil fuels to meet the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global warming below 1.5° C, major energy consumers have been calling for an increase in oil and gas production to meet immediate energy needs and curb the current price trend. While renewables have promise for enhancing energy security, the current energy crisis has revealed that at the present-day scale, renewable energy investments are not able to meet ongoing energy needs, forcing countries to again unlock hydrocarbon fuel sources, such as coal, and putting the global energy transition on hold. The paper concludes with recommendations for policies that enable clean energy developments to be unlocked amid strained geopolitical contexts to avoid future vulnerability to similar crises.

4th June 2023

The Rebound Effect in Residential Energy Demand: The Case of Saudi Arabia

A Bird’s-Eye View of the Rebound Effect Although the rebound effect phenomenon has sparked heightened policy and academic debate in recent years, the topic is not new. The concept of rebound – and its extreme form, “backfire”, where energy efficiency leads to higher energy consumption – emerged in the work of 19th-century economist Stanley Jevons (Jevons, 1865). Jevons, in his book The Coal Question (1865), postulated that energy consumption would increase with increasing industrial efficiency as individuals produce and consume more goods.

8th May 2023

The Role of Building Energy Efficiency in Shaping the Energy Transition in Saudi Arabia: Key challenges and initiatives

This commentary discusses a crucial topic that has emerged in the policy and economic literature in recent years: the potential role of energy efficiency in the current energy transition. It provides a straightforward analysis of the prominent role that residential energy efficiency may play in shaping the energy transition and the pathway to sustainability. The primary focus is the energy efficiency initiatives in Saudi Arabia, as an example of a country that is very concerned by the transformation of the energy landscape.

8th February 2022