Seawater Desalination – A Better Choice for MENA

Water scarcity is a major problem in many parts of the world affecting quality of life, the environment, industry, and the economies of developing nations. The MENA region is considered as one of the most water-scarce regions of the world. Large scale water management problems are already apparent in the region. While the MENA region’s population is growing steadily, per capita water availability is expected to fall by more than 40-50% by the year 2050. Also, climate change is likely to affect weather and precipitation patterns, and the consequences of which may force the MENA region to more frequent and … Continue reading

Things You Should Know About the Energy Mix in the UK

We take fuel in our home for granted, rarely contemplating how the energy that lights our rooms, charges our smartphones, and heats our dinners arrives at those switches, sockets, and hobs. But with the world facing a climate crisis, the sources of our power are moving from the coal-smoky shadows into the sunlight, and into the centre of politics. The energy infrastructure in UK is rapidly evolving to use more renewable resources and emit fewer pollutants, a transformation that is impacting every sector of our economy and that some have compared in its scale to the Industrial Revolution that first … Continue reading

Everything You Should Know About Landfill Gas

Landfill gas is generated during the natural process of bacterial decomposition of organic material contained in municipal solid waste landfills or garbage dumps. The waste is covered and compressed mechanically as well as by the weight of the material that is deposited above. This material prevents oxygen from accessing the waste thus producing ideal conditions for anaerobic microorganism to flourish. This gas builds up and is slowly released into the atmosphere if the landfill site has not been engineered to capture the gas. The rate of production is affected by waste composition and landfill geometry, which in turn influence the … Continue reading

Hydrogen Economy for Arab Countries: Perspectives

Arab world is facing major sustainability challenges in achieving social, economic and environmental goals. Hydrogen economy can help Arab governments, companies, and citizens to save billions of dollars each year from reduced energy bills and sustainable waste management, while at the same time reducing carbon footprints – a win-win solution. Extremely arid climate, acute water scarcity, high energy consumption and polluting oil and gas industry present a unique challenge in Arab countries. Almost one-fifth of the Arab population is dependent on non-commercial fuels for different energy uses. All sectors of the economy — residential, commercial, transport, service and agriculture — demands … Continue reading

Biofuels in Jordan: Perspectives

Jordan has good biofuels production potential in the form of crop residues, agro-industrial wastes and urban wastes. Biomass energy sector in Jordan is slowly, but steadily, developing. As per a recent World Bank report, the country is currently generating 3.5MW of power from biomass resources which represent 0.1% of the total energy demand in the country. However there is no available data on the amount of biofuels produced in Jordan. Jordan produces significant amount of biofuel feedstock in the form of lignocellulosic biomass, used cooking oil, animal tallow, agro-industrial wastes, industrial effluents etc.  In Jordan, transportation sector alone is responsible of 51% of final … Continue reading

Rationale for Solar Energy in MENA

The world is rife with news snippets concerning the development of solar power. The sun provides an infinite source of energy that takes off the burden on the renewable sources for power generation. In doing so, there are increased chances of conserving the limited energy reserves. Already about 50% of the earth’s natural resources are in use. If this usage rate continues, we will run out of finite sources in no time. For instance, there is only enough oil left for the coming 46.2 years. Luckily, the development of solar energy serves as the light at the end of the tunnel. … Continue reading

Switching Energy Suppliers When Moving Into a New Home

There’s an endless to-do list when moving into a new home. For many homeowners going through this process, switching energy suppliers often gets put on the backburner. However, this is a prime opportunity to re-evaluate your usage and choose a new energy supplier that better meets your needs. Don’t know where to start? Here’s everything you need to know about switching energy suppliers when moving into a new home. 1. Understand Your Consumption Before you make a change, it’s essential to understand your current consumption. This information will help you make informed assumptions about finding the best plan for your … Continue reading

Solar Energy in Jordan

The solar energy potential in Jordan is enormous as it lies within the solar belt of the world with average solar radiation ranging between 5 and 7 KWh/m2, which implies a potential of at least 1000GWh per year annually. Solar energy, like other forms of alternative energy, remains underutilized in Jordan. Decentralized photovoltaic units in rural and remote villages are currently used for lighting, water pumping and other social services (1000KW of peak capacity). In addition, about 15% of all households are equipped with solar water heating systems. Portable solar generators can be helpful in transforming the renewable energy landscape … Continue reading

What Type of Waste Can Be Converted into Renewable Energy?

There is, no doubt, an obvious need to reduce, reuse and recycle wastes but recovery of energy from wastes is also gaining ground as a vital method for managing wastes and Middle East should not be an exception. Wastes can be transformed into clean and efficient energy and fuel by a variety of technologies, ranging from conventional combustion process to state-of-the-art plasma gasification technology. Besides recovery of energy, such technologies leads to substantial reduction in the overall waste quantities requiring final disposal. Waste-to-energy projects provide major business opportunities, environmental benefits, and energy security.  There are many types of waste that can … Continue reading

Debunking 4 Most Common Solar Panel System Myths

Solar panel systems’ sales have increased over the last few years. But there are still many who are yet to make the transition. One of the reasons for people resisting the change is the myths surrounding solar panel systems. And the sad part is that people believe these myths without even checking with a solar expert or reading about solar panel systems from a relevant source. So to clear the air, in this post, we talk about some of the most common solar panel myths and the facts behind them. Come let’s find out. Myth 1 – They are way … Continue reading

Solar Energy in Qatar

Qatar’s solar energy future is steadily developing. With average daily sunshine of around 9.5 hours, low-cloud cover conditions and plentiful space, there is great scope for small, medium as well as large-scale solar power projects in the country. Qatar’s global horizontal irradiance is 2,140 kWh per m2 per year which makes it well-suited for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The country is geographically well-positioned to tap its tremendous solar energy potential and has set an ambitious target of 2 percent renewable energy contribution in the national energy mix by 2022. Solar energy has multiple advantages for Qatar in the form of energy … Continue reading

الطحالب – معمل وقود حيوي

اتجهت أبحاث الخبراء والمتخصصين فى الفترة الأخيرة إلى التركيز علي إنتاج الوقود الحيوى من الطحالب الخضراء، خاصة بعد إقرار بدء مرحلة نضوب النفط فى فترة زمنية قريبة، وأنه سينضب أكثر من 95% من مصادر البترول الموجودة على سطح الأرض.   وايضا مشكله الغذاء المحتمل حدوثها في حاله استخدام المنتجات الزراعيه او مخلفاتها في الوقود الحيوي لانتاج منتجات الوقود مثل وقود الديزل الحيوي, الايثانول, الجازولين الحيوي و غيرهم من منتجات الوقود الحيوي. وقد اشارت االعديد من الدراسات الحديثه الي ان الطحالب الخضراء كمصدر للوقود تندرج تحت لواء مصادر الطاقه المتجددة وخاصا بعد التزايد المستمر في سعر الوقود الاحفوري. فهي تنمو بسرعة ولها … Continue reading