Toward a sustainable energy future in the Gulf region: Overcoming barriers and enhancing renewable energy strategies

The countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have about one-third of the world's proven oil reserves and one-fifth of the world's proven natural gas reserves. GCC countries are also abundantly bestowed with renewable energy resources (RES) in the form of wind and solar energy. Despite strong renewable resource potential, hydrocarbons still meet about 99% of local energy needs in the GCC, while renewable energy contributes less than 1% of the energy mix; even though installed renewable electricity capacity increased by approximately 60 to 71% between 2011 and 2020, the region had only 3271 MW of renewable capacity out of 146 GW total installed capacity by 2020. By utilizing a range of secondary materials, such as scholarly publications, official government and corporate web pages, as well as reports and articles from the press, this study explores the underutilization of sustainable energy sources in the GCC. Although technological and economic barriers have previously been seen as the main hindrances to the take-up of the region's renewable energy technologies, this research finds that a wider range of factors has played a key role in the delay. These encompass expensive fossil fuel subsidies, a reduced tariff cost framework for electricity, uneven energy policy, the non-existence of a dedicated regulator and regulatory structure for renewable energy, and a highly regulated power sector. The main contribution of this review is a comparative and policy-oriented synthesis, country-level experience, and shared structural barriers across the GCC. The review concludes by producing a set of policy choices to enhance the utilization of renewable energy in the GCC's energy mix.