Renewables in GCC can cut water use 16% through 2030 - IRENA

Scaling up renewables in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries would bring numerous benefits through 2030, including a 16% reduction in water use, a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) shows.

IRENA found that GCC nations could save 11 trillion litres (2.9 trillion gallons) of water withdrawal, which is a significant achievement for the water-scarce region. The reason for the projected reduction is the fact that renewables such as solar photovoltaics (PVs) are less water intensive than fossil fuels, the agency explains.

At the same time, boosting renewable energy capacity in the GCC region would help save 400 million barrels of oil in the power sector, equal to a 25% reduction in use. Almost 210,000 direct jobs would be created, mostly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia’s solar PV sectors.

These benefits would be achieved in the event that all GCC plans and targets are reached. Doing so would lower fuel use in the power and water industries by 50% in the UAE, 23% in Saudi Arabia and 21% in Kuwait, according to the report. In turn, the per capita carbon footprint for the whole region would be reduced by 8% in 2030.

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