Does Yemen have solar energy?

Yemen is a sunbelt country with one of the highest levels of solar irradiation and an annual daily sunshine exceeding eight hours. This means that the different solar energy technologies for heating (e.g., Solar Water Heaters (SWHs)) and for electricity production (e.g., solar photovoltaic (PV)) have considerable potential in Yemen.

Will a 120 MW solar plant be built in Yemen?

Masdar has signed a joint cooperation agreement with Yemen’s Ministry of Electricity and Energy to build a 120 MW solar plant in Aden. It will be the country’s first large-scale renewable energy project. Image: IFC, Al Kuraimi. Masdar, an Abu Dhabi-based renewables developer, is set to build a 120 MW solar plant in Yemen.

Why is distributed solar PV important in Yemen?

As most of the population in Yemen live in rural areas and are geographically dispersed, it is costly to connect them to the main grid, making distributed solar PV solutions a critical part of any electrification strategy in Yemen. Figure 1 shows the photovoltaic power potential in Yemen. Figure 1: Photovoltaic (PV) Power Potential

What is a solar project in Yemen?

The deal includes the construction of transmission lines and transformer stations. The solar project will be built in Aden. The 120 MW plant will be the “first and the largest strategic project to generate electricity through clean and renewable energy” in Yemen, according to the Yemeni Energy Minister Manea bin Yameen.

Can the private sector scale up solar power generation in Yemen?

As evident in the previous section, the private sector can play a critical role in scaling up solar power generation in Yemen, especially in the utility-scale and mini-grids sectors.

Who owns a solar power plant in Yemen?

They can be owned and operated by the government (or its public utility), or by a private sector company via a Power Purchase Agreement that typically lasts between 5 and 20 years. In Yemen, there are currently no utility-scale solar power plants in existence.