IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v28y2013icp340-375.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Solar energy in the United Arab Emirates: A review

Author

Listed:
  • Mokri, Alaeddine
  • Aal Ali, Mona
  • Emziane, Mahieddine

Abstract

The primary goal of this work is to assess the potential of solar energy as an essential future energy source in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates. The findings of this study are based on the national energy production and consumption portfolios, detailed quantitative analysis of the solar energy resource, the local operating conditions of solar installations and the current status of technology. This study also offers an extensive literature review on the development of solar energy in the UAE to investigate: (i) methods for evaluating the solar resource, (ii) the effect of the local environmental operating conditions on the performance of different technologies, (iii) strategies for financing projects and encouraging home-owners to install PV, (iv) and benefits of solar energy to the electricity generation, water production and transportation sectors.

Suggested Citation

  • Mokri, Alaeddine & Aal Ali, Mona & Emziane, Mahieddine, 2013. "Solar energy in the United Arab Emirates: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 340-375.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:28:y:2013:i:c:p:340-375
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2013.07.038
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032113004838
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2013.07.038?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Islam, M.D. & Kubo, I. & Ohadi, M. & Alili, A.A., 2009. "Measurement of solar energy radiation in Abu Dhabi, UAE," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(4), pages 511-515, April.
    2. Islam, M.D. & Alili, A.A. & Kubo, I. & Ohadi, M., 2010. "Measurement of solar-energy (direct beam radiation) in Abu Dhabi, UAE," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 515-519.
    3. Alnaser, W.E. & Eliagoubi, B. & Al-Kalak, A. & Trabelsi, H. & Al-Maalej, M. & El-Sayed, H.M. & Alloush, M., 2004. "First solar radiation atlas for the Arab world," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 29(7), pages 1085-1107.
    4. Khalil, A. & Alnajjar, A., 1995. "Experimental and theoretical investigation of global and diffuse solar radiation in the United Arab Emirates," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 6(5), pages 537-543.
    5. Mezher, Toufic & Dawelbait, Gihan & Abbas, Zeina, 2012. "Renewable energy policy options for Abu Dhabi: Drivers and barriers," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 315-328.
    6. Harder, Elizabeth & Gibson, Jacqueline MacDonald, 2011. "The costs and benefits of large-scale solar photovoltaic power production in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 789-796.
    7. Alnaser, W.E. & Alnaser, N.W., 2011. "The status of renewable energy in the GCC countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 3074-3098, August.
    8. Coers, Robin & Sanders, Mark, 2013. "The energy–GDP nexus; addressing an old question with new methods," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 708-715.
    9. Kazim, A & Veziroglu, T.N, 2001. "Utilization of solar–hydrogen energy in the UAE to maintain its share in the world energy market for the 21st century," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 259-274.
    10. Ahmed Murad & Hind Nuaimi & Muna Hammadi, 2007. "Comprehensive Assessment of Water Resources in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 21(9), pages 1449-1463, September.
    11. Al-Alili, A. & Islam, M.D. & Kubo, I. & Hwang, Y. & Radermacher, R., 2012. "Modeling of a solar powered absorption cycle for Abu Dhabi," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 160-167.
    12. El-Nashar, Ali M. & Samad, M., 1998. "The solar desalination plant in Abu Dhabi: 13 years of performance and operation history," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 263-274.
    13. Radhi, Hassan, 2012. "Trade-off between environmental and economic implications of PV systems integrated into the UAE residential sector," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 2468-2474.
    14. Global Energy Assessment Writing Team,, 2012. "Global Energy Assessment," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521182935.
    15. Janajreh, Isam & Su, Liu & Alan, Fathi, 2013. "Wind energy assessment: Masdar City case study," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 8-15.
    16. Reiche, Danyel, 2010. "Energy Policies of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries--possibilities and limitations of ecological modernization in rentier states," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(5), pages 2395-2403, May.
    17. Kazim, Ayoub, 2010. "Strategy for a sustainable development in the UAE through hydrogen energy," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(10), pages 2257-2269.
    18. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Chang, Chun-Ping, 2007. "Energy consumption and GDP revisited: A panel analysis of developed and developing countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 1206-1223, November.
    19. Kazim, Ayoub M., 2007. "Assessments of primary energy consumption and its environmental consequences in the United Arab Emirates," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 426-446, April.
    20. Radhi, Hassan, 2011. "On the value of decentralised PV systems for the GCC residential sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 2020-2027, April.
    21. Dorvlo, Atsu S. S. & Jervase, Joseph A. & Al-Lawati, Ali, 2002. "Solar radiation estimation using artificial neural networks," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 71(4), pages 307-319, April.
    22. El Chaar, Lana & Lamont, Lisa A., 2010. "Global solar radiation: Multiple on-site assessments in Abu Dhabi, UAE," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1596-1601.
    23. Mokhtar, Marwan & Ali, Muhammad Tauha & Bräuniger, Simon & Afshari, Afshin & Sgouridis, Sgouris & Armstrong, Peter & Chiesa, Matteo, 2010. "Systematic comprehensive techno-economic assessment of solar cooling technologies using location-specific climate data," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(12), pages 3766-3778, December.
    24. Ali, Muhammad Tauha & Fath, Hassan E.S. & Armstrong, Peter R., 2011. "A comprehensive techno-economical review of indirect solar desalination," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(8), pages 4187-4199.
    25. Fallahi, Firouz, 2011. "Causal relationship between energy consumption (EC) and GDP: A Markov-switching (MS) causality," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(7), pages 4165-4170.
    26. AlFarra, Hasan Jamil & Abu-Hijleh, Bassam, 2012. "The potential role of nuclear energy in mitigating CO2 emissions in the United Arab Emirates," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 272-285.
    27. Global Energy Assessment Writing Team,, 2012. "Global Energy Assessment," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107005198.
    28. Al Mahdi, N. & Al Baharna, N.S. & Zaki, F.F., 1992. "Assessment of solar radiation models for the Gulf Arabian countries," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 2(1), pages 65-71.
    29. Sharples, Steve & Radhi, Hassan, 2013. "Assessing the technical and economic performance of building integrated photovoltaics and their value to the GCC society," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 150-159.
    30. Zawilska, E. & Brooks, M.J., 2011. "An assessment of the solar resource for Durban, South Africa," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 3433-3438.
    31. Lamei, A. & van der Zaag, P. & von Münch, E., 2008. "Impact of solar energy cost on water production cost of seawater desalination plants in Egypt," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 1748-1756, May.
    32. Jafarkazemi, Farzad & Saadabadi, S. Ali, 2013. "Optimum tilt angle and orientation of solar surfaces in Abu Dhabi, UAE," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 44-49.
    33. Li, Chennan & Goswami, Yogi & Stefanakos, Elias, 2013. "Solar assisted sea water desalination: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 19(C), pages 136-163.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Juaidi, Adel & Montoya, Francisco G. & Gázquez, Jose A. & Manzano-Agugliaro, Francisco, 2016. "An overview of energy balance compared to sustainable energy in United Arab Emirates," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 1195-1209.
    2. Jamil, M. & Ahmad, Farzana & Jeon, Y.J., 2016. "Renewable energy technologies adopted by the UAE: Prospects and challenges – A comprehensive overview," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 1181-1194.
    3. Almansoori, Ali & Betancourt-Torcat, Alberto, 2015. "Design optimization model for the integration of renewable and nuclear energy in the United Arab Emirates’ power system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 234-251.
    4. Eveloy, Valerie & Gebreegziabher, Tesfaldet, 2019. "Excess electricity and power-to-gas storage potential in the future renewable-based power generation sector in the United Arab Emirates," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 426-450.
    5. Mondal, Md. Alam Hossain & Hawila, Diala & Kennedy, Scott & Mezher, Toufic, 2016. "The GCC countries RE-readiness: Strengths and gaps for development of renewable energy technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 1114-1128.
    6. Alhammami, Hasan & An, Heungjo, 2021. "Techno-economic analysis and policy implications for promoting residential rooftop solar photovoltaics in Abu Dhabi, UAE," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 359-368.
    7. Ihsan Ullah & Mohammad G. Rasul, 2018. "Recent Developments in Solar Thermal Desalination Technologies: A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-31, December.
    8. Sgouridis, Sgouris & Abdullah, Ayu & Griffiths, Steve & Saygin, Deger & Wagner, Nicholas & Gielen, Dolf & Reinisch, Hannes & McQueen, Dane, 2016. "RE-mapping the UAE’s energy transition: An economy-wide assessment of renewable energy options and their policy implications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 1166-1180.
    9. Mondal, Md. Alam Hossain & Kennedy, Scott & Mezher, Toufic, 2014. "Long-term optimization of United Arab Emirates energy future: Policy implications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 466-474.
    10. Jafarkazemi, Farzad & Saadabadi, S. Ali, 2013. "Optimum tilt angle and orientation of solar surfaces in Abu Dhabi, UAE," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 44-49.
    11. Hernández-Escobedo, Q. & Rodríguez-García, E. & Saldaña-Flores, R. & Fernández-García, A. & Manzano-Agugliaro, F., 2015. "Solar energy resource assessment in Mexican states along the Gulf of Mexico," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 216-238.
    12. Griffiths, Steven, 2017. "A review and assessment of energy policy in the Middle East and North Africa region," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 249-269.
    13. Sharples, Steve & Radhi, Hassan, 2013. "Assessing the technical and economic performance of building integrated photovoltaics and their value to the GCC society," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 150-159.
    14. Shalaby, S.M., 2017. "Reverse osmosis desalination powered by photovoltaic and solar Rankine cycle power systems: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 789-797.
    15. Omar, Amr & Nashed, Amir & Li, Qiyuan & Leslie, Greg & Taylor, Robert A., 2020. "Pathways for integrated concentrated solar power - Desalination: A critical review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    16. Pablo-Romero, María del P. & Sánchez-Braza, Antonio, 2015. "Productive energy use and economic growth: Energy, physical and human capital relationships," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 420-429.
    17. Treyer, Karin & Bauer, Christian, 2016. "The environmental footprint of UAE׳s electricity sector: Combining life cycle assessment and scenario modeling," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 1234-1247.
    18. Bachour, D. & Perez-Astudillo, D., 2014. "Ground measurements of Global Horizontal Irradiation in Doha, Qatar," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 32-36.
    19. Okampo, Ewaoche John & Nwulu, Nnamdi, 2021. "Optimisation of renewable energy powered reverse osmosis desalination systems: A state-of-the-art review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    20. Tsai, Sang-Bing & Xue, Youzhi & Zhang, Jianyu & Chen, Quan & Liu, Yubin & Zhou, Jie & Dong, Weiwei, 2017. "Models for forecasting growth trends in renewable energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 1169-1178.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:28:y:2013:i:c:p:340-375. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.