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Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries posted a sharp rise in renewable energy output in 2024, driven by explosive growth in solar and wind capacity, even as the region experienced notably higher rainfall amid broader climate shifts, according to the GCC Statistical Center’s “Climate Statistics 2024” report.The findings, released Saturday, highlight the GCC’s accelerating transition toward sustainability while documenting measurable changes in key climate indicators across the six member states.Solar capacity recorded an average annual growth rate of 88.1% between 2013 and 2024, with electricity generation surging from just 0.13 GWh in 2013 to 23.5 TWh in 2023. Wind capacity expanded significantly over the same period, rising from 4.8 MW in 2015 to 567 MW in 2024.Rainfall across the GCC jumped 49.4% in 2024 compared with the long-term 1980–2010 average, pointing to evolving weather patterns in the arid region. At the same time, temperature readings from 23 approved monitoring stations remained relatively stable, with no recorded extremes exceeding 49°C between 2012 and 2024. The report also notes progress in climate resilience measures. All GCC states now operate advanced mobile-based early warning systems using cell broadcast technology, and climate change adaptation and awareness topics have been integrated into national school curricula.The data underscores the dual reality facing the Gulf: a determined push to diversify the energy mix and build resilience, even as climate variables show signs of change. Solar and wind expansion reflects ambitious national visions aimed at reducing reliance on hydrocarbons while capitalising on the region’s abundant natural resources.Analysts view the rapid renewable growth as a positive step toward the GCC’s collective sustainability goals, though overall renewable penetration remains modest relative to the region’s total energy needs.The GCC Statistical Center, based in Oman, compiles the report using national, regional, and international data to support evidence-based policymaking on climate adaptation and mitigation.This latest edition arrives as Gulf nations continue to balance economic diversification with environmental stewardship amid global calls for cleaner energy. 

Tesla is looking to buy equipment worth $2.9bn for manufacturing solar panels and cells from Chinese suppliers including Suzhou Maxwell Technologies, two people familiar with the matter said, ‌as CEO Elon Musk aims to add 100 gigawatts of solar capacity in the United States.Musk said in ​January that solar power could meet ‌all of the electricity needs of the United States - including the ever-increasing demand from a growing number of ‌data centres. Job postings on the ⁠Tesla website said it aims ‌to deploy 100 GW of "solar manufacturing from raw materials on ‌American soil before the end of 2028".Suzhou Maxwell Technologies, the world's biggest producer of screen-printing equipment used to make solar cells, is ⁠among the leading candidates to supply machinery for the project and has been seeking export approval from China's commerce ministry, according to the two people and a third person. The sources declined to be named because the information is not public.Other potential suppliers include Shenzhen SC New Energy Technology and Laplace Renewable Energy Technology , the first two people said.Some of the estimated 20bn yuan ($2.9bn) worth of equipment, including screen-printing production lines, will require export approval from Chinese regulators, according to the people. It wasn't immediately clear how much of the equipment would require approval or how long it would take.The Chinese companies were told ​to deliver the equipment before this autumn, the three people said, with two saying it would be shipped to Texas. Musk plans to build the solar capacity mainly for use by Tesla, although some will be used to power SpaceX satellites, the people said.The potential order highlights one ‌issue for the United States as it looks to ⁠reduce its dependence on ​China - reviving US manufacturing still requires some degree of trade with the world's second-largest economy.Chinese media reported last month ​that Tesla has visited several solar companies in China. The details of the companies in advanced talks, the estimated size of potential purchases, the delivery timeline, and regulatory requirements are reported here for the first time.Tesla, China's commerce ministry, Suzhou Maxwell, Shenzhen SC New Energy and Laplace Renewable Energy did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.An order from Tesla would mark a big boost for Chinese producers of solar manufacturing equipment, which have struggled with weak demand because of a domestic production glut.The US solar market, meanwhile, is heavily protected by tariffs aimed at curbing imports of cheaper panels and cells from China and Southeast Asia, where many Chinese producers operate subsidiaries.However, solar manufacturing equipment was excluded from tariffs by the Biden administration in 2024 at the urging of US solar panel makers who argued they had nowhere else to buy the ‌machines needed to set up domestic factories. That ‌exemption has been extended by the Trump administration, and ⁠the United States has been pushing to create its own solar supply chain to reduce its dependence on Chinese companies.Musk has criticised ⁠tariff barriers as making the economics of deploying solar in ⁠the United States "artificially high", when the country is facing a critical power shortage driven by a surge in demand from AI data centres and manufacturing.His solar ambitions cut a stark contrast with the energy policies of his former employer, President Donald Trump, who seeks to maximise U.S. fossil fuel production and has slashed federal subsidies for solar and wind projects, which he calls costly and unreliable.Musk briefly worked for the Trump administration running the Department of Government Efficiency, which oversaw mass layoffs of federal workers to save money.US power consumption hit its ​second straight record high in 2025 and will rise further in 2026 and 2027, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).Setting up 100 GW of solar manufacturing in a couple of years would be a staggering feat, and Musk is known for making big promises on ambitious timelines that often do not pan out.Overall, the U.S. had 1,300 GW of capacity to generate electricity as of 2024, according to a report published last year by the American Public Power Association. Out of that, only 10%, or 135 GW, was solar-powered.Tesla has been on a push to source more components locally in different regions. However, it remains dependent on 400 China-based suppliers to keep its costs down. Sixty of them also supply Tesla globally, including for its US EV plants.Production preparations for Tesla's Cybertruck ‌and Semi models in the US ​encountered setbacks last year after component shipments from China were suspended, following a significant tariff hike on Chinese goods imposed by the Trump administration, Reuters previously reported. 

Egypt began a public live restoration of King Khufu’s ancient solar boat at the newly-opened Grand Egyptian Museum Tuesday, more than 4,000 years after the vessel was first built. Egyptian conservators used a small crane to carefully lift a fragile, decayed plank into the Solar Boats Museum hall — the first of 1,650 wooden pieces that make up the ceremonial boat of the Old Kingdom pharaoh. The 4,600-year-old boat was built during the reign of King Khufu, the pharaoh who also commissioned the Great Pyramid of Giza. The vessel was discovered in 1954 in a sealed pit near the pyramids, but its excavation did not begin until 2011 due to the fragile condition of the wood. “You are witnessing today one of the most important restoration projects in the 21st century,” Egyptian Tourism Minister Sherif Fathy told reporters. “It is important for the museum, and it is important for humanity and the history and the heritage.” The restoration will take place in full view of visitors to the Grand Egyptian Museum over the coming four years. The project is funded by a $3.5mn grant from the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), with Japanese archaeologists working alongside Egyptian specialists.Eissa Zidan, head of conservation projects at the museum, said the wooden planks were “thermally degraded and in a very weak condition”. “For this reason, archaeological missions had long avoided working on this project,” he told AFP. Egyptian and Japanese archeologists have been treating the boat’s planks and oars using organic materials, including nano-cellulose and Klucel E, that Zidan said met international restoration standards. The museum also houses a second solar boat from the same era, discovered in significantly better archaeological condition and previously exhibited next to the pyramids of Giza. Visitors have been flocking to the Grand Egyptian Museum since it opened in early November. Fathy said the museum receives an average of 15,000 daily visitors, and on some days even draws as many as 27,000 people. The government hopes the museum will help revive the tourism sector, which accounts for around 9% of Egypt’s gross domestic product and employs nearly 2mn people. After years of struggle due to political instability and the Covid-19 pandemic, Egypt hopes to increase tourist numbers by about 7% in 2026, from 19mn visitors this year, according to Fathy. 

A delegation representing the Gulf Cooperation Council’s Interconnection Authority (GCCIA), along with participants in the "Assessing of Reliability of Renewable Energy Sources in the Cooperation Council Countries" workshop, visited the Al-Kharsaah solar power plant. The plant, which was developed and is operated by Siraj (1), a subsidiary of QatarEnergy Renewable Solutions, is wholly owned by QatarEnergy.The visit came on the sidelines of the workshop organised in Doha by the GCCIA, where participants were given the opportunity to learn about the latest operation, maintenance, and production technologies adopted by Al-Kharsaah solar power plant, the first solar plant in Qatar.The 800-megawatt (MW) Al-Kharsaah solar power plant began supplying electricity to Qatar’s national grid in June 2022. Since then, QatarEnergy has built and operated the Ras Laffan and Mesaieed solar power plants with a combined capacity of 875 MW, doubling Qatar's production capacity to 1,675 MW of renewable electricity. QatarEnergy is currently building the Dukhan solar power plant, which will double Qatar's solar power generation capacity to more than 4,000 MW of renewable energy.QatarEnergy established QatarEnergy Renewable Solutions in 2017 with the purpose of financing, building, operating, and maintaining solar power facilities, and selling electricity generated from solar power within the State of Qatar. QatarEnergy Renewable Solutions owns 60% of Siraj (1) Company.The Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) is the body responsible for the electricity interconnection project among the GCC countries.

QatarEnergy signed an agreement with Samsung C&T's Engineering & Construction Group (Samsung C&T) for the construction of a world-scale solar power plant in Dukhan, about 80 kilometers west of Doha.The Dukhan solar power plant, one of the largest in the world, will be developed in two phases, reaching a total electricity generation capacity of 2,000 megawatts (MW) by mid-2029. Once completed, it will double Qatar’s solar power production capacity, contributing significantly to the country’s renewable energy goals.The agreement was signed by HE the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, who is also the President and CEO of QatarEnergy, and Sechul Oh, President & CEO of Samsung C&T during a special ceremony held at QatarEnergy’s Headquarters in Doha. The event was attended by Abdulla bin Ali Al-Theyab, President of Kahramaa, and senior executives from both companies.Commenting on this occasion, Minister al-Kaabi said: “This agreement is an important milestone in our effort to manage the environment in a manner that balances economic and social development with environmental protection, as stipulated by Qatar National Vision 2030. It also supports one of the key goals of QatarEnergy’s Sustainability Strategy, which is to generate more than 4,000 megawatts of renewable energy by 2030.”Al-Kaabi added: “When completed, the Dukhan solar power plant, along with Al-Kharsaah, Mesaieed, Ras Laffan solar power plants will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 4.7mn tons annually, while contributing up to 30% of Qatar’s total peak electricity demand. “We are pleased to collaborate with Samsung C&T to help achieve this vision.”The Dukhan solar power plant will begin the first phase of production by dispatching 1,000MW of power to the KAHRAMAA grid towards the end of 2028. The new plant will utilise a solar tracker system and will enhance efficiency by installing inverters capable of operating flawlessly in a high-temperature environment.

President Donald Trump has launched an unprecedented attack on wind and solar power as he seeks to reshape the US energy landscape and reverse the green agenda put forward by his predecessor.Since Trump returned to office in January, his administration has taken aim at projects on federal lands and oceans, stopping work on wind farms, revoking permits, and making it more difficult for new renewable energy developments to secure approval. He’s also weakened the economics of wind and solar projects more broadly, pushing legislation through Congress that phases out key tax breaks and moving to tighten access to these incentives.The broadsides have thrown the US clean energy industry into crisis, putting billions of dollars of investment at risk and threatening thousands of jobs. It’s a sharp reversal from just three years ago, when the sector hailed the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act under then-President Joe Biden as the most significant piece of climate legislation in US history.Why does Trump dislike renewables?Trump has criticised solar and wind as being unreliable and expensive. He’s called for more power to be generated from fossil fuels, namely natural gas and coal, as well as nuclear.Renewables generation is intermittent as the sun isn’t always shining nor the wind blowing. But developers are increasingly turning to batteries to store surplus power and discharge it to the grid when needed.Trump also isn’t a fan of how renewable power installations look, describing solar projects as “big ugly patches of black plastic that come from China” and mar farmland.He’s been a vehement critic of wind turbines for years, falsely claiming they cause cancer and deriding them as bird-killing eyesores. Before his first presidential term, Trump lost a legal challenge in the UK to prevent an offshore wind project from being built within sight of a golf course he owns in Aberdeen, Scotland.“Windmills are a disgrace,” he said in July after a visit to the course. “They hurt everything they touch. They’re ugly. They’re very inefficient. It’s the most expensive form of energy there is.” Looking at the levelised cost of electricity the long-term price a power plant needs to break even offshore wind is much more expensive than a new gas-fired facility, but it’s cost-competitive with coal and cheaper than nuclear, according to BloombergNEF’s assessment published in February. Meanwhile, onshore wind, as well as solar, is cheap enough to compete with a new-build gas plant.How has Trump sought to curb wind and solar developments?The Trump administration has harnessed its oversight of millions of acres of federal land and waters, where developers need government authorisation to build. While these areas are being made easier to explore for the oil and gas industry as part of Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” agenda, the government is imposing standards that would essentially prevent new renewables installations.On Trump’s first day back in office, he froze permitting for all wind projects on federal land and oceans, and indefinitely halted the sale of new leases for offshore wind development. He also directed the Interior Department to review the “necessity of terminating or amending any existing wind energy leases” and to identify “any legal bases for such removal.” Since then, a number of wind projects have been upended. This includes the Revolution Wind development off the coast of Rhode Island. The government issued an order halting construction of the project which is already 80% complete citing national security concerns. This sent shares of developer Orsted A/S to record lows and added to the Danish company’s mounting troubles. Orsted’s Revolution Wind LLC unit filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in early September, seeking to overturn the stop-work order so that it can finish the project.For developers hoping to get past the planning stage, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum has ordered that all solar and wind projects on federal lands require his personal sign-off, which could mire the approval process in red tape. The department said it’s acting in accordance with Trump’s order to end “preferential treatment” for these technologies.As part of this mandate, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management rescinded Biden-era decisions that earmarked coastal waters for future wind turbines. This covers more than 3.5mn acres, including in the Gulf of Mexico, the New York Bight, and off the coast of California and Oregon.How has the Trump administration targeted renewables beyond federal land and waters?Only 4% of operational US renewables capacity is located on federal land. While the government doesn’t have direct control over clean energy developments on private property, many of those projects still need federal approvals that are being held up. In addition, the Trump administration has been trying to make the economics of wind and solar less attractive.Trump has branded efforts to combat climate change as the “Green New Scam” and vowed to do away with subsidies for these activities. The tax-and-spending law he helped push through Congress known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act phases out the tax credits for wind and solar projects years before they were due to expire. On top of this, the Treasury Department has issued guidance making it harder for developments to qualify for the incentives.There could be bad news to come on the tariff front, too. Wind turbines and parts are already subject to the 50% duties Trump imposed on imported steel and aluminium products. But the Commerce Department has opened a so-called Section 232 investigation into the national security implications of importing wind energy components, which could lead to sector-specific levies.It also opened a Section 232 probe into imports of polysilicon a key raw material for solar modules which could result in additional duties on imports.How have these actions impacted the US clean energy industry?The industry had been building momentum as solar and wind power almost tripled their share of US electricity generation over the past decade, topping 15%. But it’s now in a tough spot. Billions of dollars of new factories and clean energy projects have been cancelled, delayed or scaled back since the start of the year.Clean energy advocacy group E2 estimates that $22bn worth of projects were scrapped or downsized from January to June, and more than half of the investment lost was in congressional districts represented by Republicans.Trump’s crackdown on renewables will likely hit smaller and medium-sized companies harder because they lack the financial moat needed to survive the instability. Larger solar developers have expressed more cautious optimism, saying they’ve been able to start enough projects that qualify for the expiring tax credits in order to continue their projects for the next several years.The nascent US offshore wind industry is perhaps in the most precarious position given it was just starting to take off before Trump re-entered the White House.How is this affecting energy prices?That’s a subject of huge debate and has become a hot-button political issue. Electricity prices nationally rose at more than twice the rate of overall inflation in the past year and remained at a record high in June.While the Trump administration says that adding wind and solar to the grid has been pushing up the cost of electricity, data shows that increased spending on power lines and poles has been the biggest driver of utility bill hikes.Utilities have been upgrading their grids to accommodate new sources of generation and demand, and network operators are also trying to improve resilience to extreme weather events and modernise infrastructure that was built in the 1960s and 1970s.Higher electricity costs are a reflection of tight supply as well, as aging coal- and gas-fired plants retire and power consumption rises after years of relatively tepid growth. Demand is being propelled by industrial users and the power-hungry data centres behind artificial intelligence. Slowing the deployment of renewables could exacerbate the situation.The phaseout of wind and solar incentives under Trump’s tax-and-spending law could raise average US household energy bills by $78 to $192 in 2035, and increase annual industrial energy expenditure by $7bn to $11bn, according to the Rhodium Group.Where does this leave the outlook for US renewables?The threat of the federal government pulling the plug on fully permitted and nearly complete assets could make renewables developers and project financiers more wary of making long-term investments in the US, even after Trump has left office. It could also create uncertainty for states such as Massachusetts and Rhode Island that are relying on offshore wind to meet growing power demand and decarbonise their grids.Blue states won’t be the only ones facing challenges. In red Texas the top US state for wind generation and number two for solar behind California all but 6% of new capacity added to the grid since 2020 has come from renewables or batteries, fuelling the power needs of its growing economy. That momentum is at risk of slowing as the accelerated phaseout of tax credits makes wind and solar projects more expensive.Despite the Trump administration’s roadblocks, the US clean energy buildout is expected to continue, albeit more slowly. Solar and batteries are faster to deploy than Trump’s favoured energy sources. There’s currently a multiyear manufacturing backlog for the combined-cycle turbines used in gas plants, while new nuclear capacity whether based on conventional or next-generation reactors is many years away.And onshore wind and solar are expected to be cost-competitive even without subsidies, according to BloombergNEF. In addition, blue states including California and New York are still pushing to expand their clean power fleets.But the outlook for the sector has certainly dimmed. Following the passage of Trump’s tax-and-spending law, BloombergNEF’s revised estimate for new wind, solar and energy storage additions in the US through 2035 is 26% lower than previously projected.