SOMA Newsletter

Author

Soma Mater
September 01, 2025

Welcome to the SOMA MATER weekly newsletter.

At SOMA MATER, we specialize in delivering comprehensive research and advisory services with a focus on Food & Water Security and Net Zero Transition in the MENA Region. In order to support our subscribing clients in navigating these topics and understanding the regional narrative, we produce monthly Food and Water Security and Net Zero Transition Intelligence Reports, along with our in-depth analysis and insights.

This weekly newsletter highlights the top 3 stories from the past week in Food and Water Security and Net Zero transition, along with SOMA MATER's analysis and perspective.

How has the MENA region evolved in distributed renewable energy policies, particularly net metering, over the past 15 years?

How could data centers address sustainability challenges through renewable energy integration?

How are Saudi Arabia and Egypt implementing circular economy principles to address agricultural waste in the MENA region?

Sustainably yours,

The SOMA team

Metering the Future: MENA's 15-Year Solar Power Plot

#NetZeroTransition

The MENA region has made significant progress in distributed renewable energy policies, with net metering and net billing systems now in approximately eleven countries. Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan led the way (2010-2013), creating frameworks for electricity self-generation and grid feedback. Egypt followed in 2013 with small-scale renewable schemes, since then expanding to accommodate systems up to 20MW. These early adopters established the regional foundation for distributed generation.

The Gulf states joined in the mid-2010s, with the UAE implementing net metering around 2015. Saudi Arabia (2017), Bahrain (2017-2018), and Oman (2017) followed suit with net metering schemes and rooftop PV systems. Saudi Arabia's scheme targets solar producers under 2MW, while Bahrain's initiative falls under its National Renewable Energy Action Plan. Most recently, Qatar has launched the "BeSolar Service," allowing residents, businesses, and farms to install rooftop solar panels, generate their own power, and feed excess electricity back to the grid through net metering. Figure 1 provides a timeline.

Figure 1

A new Public Electricity Law of 2025 has come into effect in Jordan this past week. This represents the latest advancement in this regional trend, introducing comprehensive reforms that promote self-generation, allow for electricity storage facilities, and permit private power networks - all previously prohibited practices. This 15-year evolution from Syria's 2010 framework to Jordan's 2025 legislation demonstrates a consistent regional commitment to distributed renewable energy systems.

SOMA’s Perspective:

This brings light to the evolution of energy policy in the MENA region, with countries like Jordan emerging as a regional leader and testing ground for innovative approaches. Jordan's policy progress reflects a regional shift toward distributed energy systems. By enabling consumers to become energy producers, these policies foster more resilient and sustainable energy infrastructure across MENA, reducing reliance on expensive imports while maximizing resource efficiency through advanced grid integration techniques. This is becoming a growing necessity in the region as demonstrated by SOMA research.

Sources:

https://www.ecomena.org/renewable-energy-in-bahrain/#:~:text=The net-metering system enables,of Industry%2C Commerce and Tourism.

https://www.almoayyedintl.com/almoayyed-solar-commissions-bahrains-first-net-metered-rooftop-pv-systems/#:~:text=Almoayyed International Group-,Almoayyed Solar Commissions Bahrain's First Net-metered rooftop PV,May 21%2C 2018

https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=54287eff-b5e5-45d5-833e-9c43c65b3be8#:~:text=In 2013%2C Egypt introduced a net metering,feed electricity into the low voltage grid.

From Sun to Server: Data Centers Going Green

#FoodandWaterSecurity #NetZeroTransition

Data centers are rapidly increasing, and with them, the demand for sustainable power options. Oman Data Park (ODP) exemplifies this through their most recent partnership with Solar Wadi to develop a solar power project generating 1.4 megawatts (MW) of clean energy. This will power ODP's data centers and push toward establishing Oman's first Green Energy Data Center, where renewables now comprise 11.5% of electricity.

Renewable energy offers promising solutions for data centers, yet face challenges. Power supply variability threatens continuous uptime, high initial infrastructure costs, misalignment between energy generation and demand (data centers run 24/7 while renewable generation fluctuates), and the excessive water consumption (one-megawatt facility can use 26 million liters annually for cooling, with drinking water representing 47.5% of data center water use in 2024).

Regional success stories demonstrate feasibility: Moro Hub created the world's largest solar-powered data center (33,000 square meters), fully powered by renewable energy from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park. Other regional organizations are now leveraging similar renewable energy partnerships. Emirates Group's 2025 Moro Hub partnership will deliver 3,000 MW of clean energy yearly. Companies in this sector continue to report growth. Masdar recently announced having reached 51GW capacity across 40+ countries per their 12th Annual Sustainability Report, with 62% growth in 2024.

SOMA’s Perspective:

The escalating energy demands of data centers make renewable energy sources and energy storage solutions imperative. Organizations can adopt several green data center strategies including investments in cutting-edge energy storage systems, strategic implementation of diversified energy mixes that leverage renewables alongside traditional sources, and direct procurement of clean energy through power purchase agreements to drive impact.

Sources:

The Date-onomics of Recycling: MENA Circular Success Stories

#FoodandWaterSecurity #NetZeroTransition

The Qassim region in Saudi Arabia exemplifies circular economy principles in agriculture. With 11 million palm trees producing 528,000 tonnes of dates annually (35% of Saudi's total production), it cultivated 80 date varieties in 2024. The "Qassim Land" initiative promotes sustainable production methods and recycles agricultural waste. Known as the "Arab Silk Road," the date industry has launched the "International Date Route" as the first global pathway connecting with the historic Silk Road, with a target of 578,000 tons in annual exports.

Egypt has also taken concrete steps to improve its waste management system. In 2020, the Egyptian Government had already allocated EGP 12.35 billion to reduce pollution in waterways and construct waste landfills. Recently, the Waste Management Regulatory Authority approved new measures to strengthen the country's waste management system under Waste Law No. 202 of 2020. This included regulatory amendments governing licenses and permits, new mechanisms for appeals, and the introduction of independent licenses for companies handling construction and demolition waste.

Egypt's council also approved reducing license fees for rice straw collection (discussed in SOMA’s previous newsletter) to encourage contractors to collect crop residue and prevent harmful open-air burning. This included integration of data systems with the agriculture and planning ministries to improve monitoring and management. These two regional examples show how circular economy principles are increasingly recognized not as optional frameworks but as necessities for ensuring food security and environmental sustainability.

SOMA’s Perspective:

SOMA champions initiatives that transform waste streams into valuable resources rather than resorting to burning practices. A critical roadblock remains: numerous agricultural systems produce waste that markets fail to recognize as valuable. Saudi Arabia and Egypt, in this example, show how governments can create direct incentives and try to implement solutions to address environmental challenges that would otherwise persist.

Sources:

SOMA MATER is writing Intelligence Reports on the topics of Food and Water Security and Net Zero Transition. If you’d like to know more, contact us through the link below:

https://wkf.ms/3BmPiPo