Sahara Arab Democratic Republic New Energy Battery Power

Saudi Arabia, for example, targets to generate 50 per cent of its electricity from renewables by 2030, requiring it to install 130GW of renewables in just a few years, enough to power about 25mn homes. “They will have to ramp up their efforts quite substantially,” said Vollset. “2030 is quite soon.

Until this month, the oil-rich United Arab Emirates had modest ambitions when it came to renewable energy: to install roughly as many solar panels each year as the UK. But then Masdar, the country's state-owned renewable energy company, decided to make a splash at a huge trade fair in Abu Dhabi.

“It is a first step that could become a giant leap.” As the UAE was revealing its new solar project, Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil company, announced a joint venture that would start producing lithium, a key ingredient for batteries, as early as 2027.

As the UAE was revealing its new solar project, Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil company, announced a joint venture that would start producing lithium, a key ingredient for batteries, as early as 2027. New solar panels are set to drive electricity generation in the Gulf

“Our batteries can withstand temperatures of over 60C, and they are sand, water and wind resistant,” said Yong Liu, a marketing executive at BYD, one of China's leading battery and electric car companies. BYD provided the batteries for Saudi Arabia's Bisha plant, which until the UAE's announcement, was the world's largest solar and battery project.

With a series of huge projects, the Gulf is rapidly changing its energy mix. In five years' time, renewables will make 30 per cent of the total capacity across Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, according to data from Rystad, an energy consultancy.