Rome, 28th June 2023 - RES4Africa is glad to announce the release of the reports Powering Desalination with Renewable Energies in Morocco and Agrivoltaics: Harvesting Solar Energy in the Mediterranean. The two publications shed new light on integrated renewable energy solutions that, up to this day, were still widely unexplored in the MENA region, despite the growing need of data-based evidence to further develop desalination and agrivoltaics solutions.

In the past decade, the MENA area xperienced significant social and economic growth, leading to a 40% population increase. This demographic shift leads to increased urbanization and higher energy demand. While countries in the region have historically relied heavily on oil and gas, they have also committed to transitioning to renewable energy. However, related investments in the region are still in their early stages. To bridge this gap, RES4Africa, particularly through its strategical programme RES4Med, acts to facilitate private-public dialogue and conducts strategic analyses.

Powering Desalination with Renewable Energies in Morocco, developed by RES4Africa and AFRY, addresses Morocco's water shortage, highlighting how wind and solar power can support the country's efforts to provide clean water to its citizens through desalination technologies.

Agrivoltaics: Harvesting Solar Energy in the Mediterranean analyses how Mediterranean countries can succesfully merge their access to energy needs with food security and water provision,  thanks to integrated solutions between solar photovoltaic systems and agriculture. With ENEL Foundation, ENEA, NeoruraleHub, and IPVF as knowledge partners, the paper offers six practical steps to establish agrivoltaics in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. This integrated approach improves land use, water stress, and regional renewable energy goals.

Download Powering Desalination with Renewable Energies in Morocco

Download Agrivoltaics: Harvesting Solar Energy in the Mediterranean