Arab states can achieve sustainable energy goals just like that The Arab League, consisting of 22 countries, set a sustainable energy target in 2013: 80 gigawatts of installed capacity by 2030. The cooperative alliance seems well on its way to actually achieving that target. When all solar and wind projects that are now planned are completed, the counter will already be at 73 gigawatts. This is evident from figures from the American NGO Global Energy Monitor. So the Arab League is well on its way, but at the same time it still has a long way to go. Currently, only 12.1 gigawatts of renewable energy projects can be found in the Arab countries. And 7.66 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity is currently under construction. Incidentally, the goal of the Arab League is not particularly ambitious. By comparison, in 2021 the European Union already had 166 gigawatts of installed solar energy capacity (source: Bloomberg). Egypt in the lead Of all the countries that are members of the Arab League, Egypt leads the way. The country currently has 3.5 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity installed. In addition, it has big plans in the field of green hydrogen. The United Arab Emirates and Morocco complete the top 3, with 2.66 and 1.9 gigawatts respectively. Ambitious plans Morocco is also one of the countries with the most ambitious plans for the next eight years. Renewable energy must make up 52 percent of the total energy mix by 2030. By 2050, that percentage must have increased to 80 percent. But Oman also has ambitious plans: up to and including 2027, an additional 2.66 gigawatts of solar and wind energy must be added. Renewable energy in Europe In the meantime, countries in Europe will have to step up their game to achieve the sustainable energy targets for 2030. The European Council decided this week to increase the (binding) ambition: from 32% to 40% of the total energy mix. In 2020, renewable energy sources still accounted for 22.1 percent of total energy consumption.