“The numbers speak for themselves and point to the fact that we’re in the midst of a tipping point for solar in the region, and that we can only expect the market to grow from here,” said Imitiaz Mahtab, president of the Middle East Solar Industry Association.

MESIA anticipates two gigawatts of solar procurement in Algeria, 1.15 GW in the United Arab Emirates, 250 megawatts in Egypt, and 245 MW in Morocco, with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Kuwait planning more modest purchases.

“It is incorrect to assume that solar growth will need to be subsidized by petro-dollars, when all the evidence points to solar being cost-competitive with every conventional energy generation resource, on an unsubsidized basis,” said MESIA Research Director Raed Bkayrat. As the region begins to reduce its fossil subsidies, he told SeeNews Renewables, solar will become the leading option for electricity production.