In the last ten years, the North African Countries (NAC) have reached remarkable rates of the development of renewable energy in last ten years, with an overall growth of the EU’s renewable generation up to 40%. This can be attributed to 4. 5 GW of new onshore and offshore wind, PV and solar thermal capacity that has been added to the system. If we take hydropower out of the mix, capacity from renewable sources is up by nearly 560% (with the overall total growing just 80%). This has happened, incredibly enough, at a time of seismic activity from socio-political earthquakes in the area. The purpose of this article is to provide full overview of renewable energy in NAC, assessing its resource potential, deployment, investment, and policies. By assessing key drivers, challenges, and opportunities, the article will provide strategic suggestions and policy recommendations that could help to accelerate renewable energy growth and long-term sustainability in the region. With respect to data collection, this study primarily investigates the adoption trajectory and current status of renewable energy deployment across the NAC, drawing on evidence synthesized from IRENA, the IEA, and the World Bank. In addition, the article incorporates an assessment of the region’s prospective capacity for renewable energy installations, contextualizing deployment patterns against the underlying resource potential and enabling conditions. The region, statistically, has considerable renewable energy potential, with estimates of annual generation of 147, 729, 181, 718, and 168, 205 TWh for CSP, PV, and wind, respectively. By 2040, Algeria's solar PV could achieve a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of only €0. 019/kWh and wind energy in Morocco could come in at a range of €0. 077 - €0. 111/kWh. Energy efficiency measures could also save a total of 35 TWh of electricity consumption per year by 2040, amounting to an 8. 6%, or 35 TWh less than the current demand. The total consumption savings would be a total of 437 TWh and savings of 39. 7 billion in electricity bills. In addition, these savings will amount to emissions • Mapping the technical potential of solar, wind, green hydrogen, and storage technologies across North Africa. • Assessing investment requirements and financial feasibility for large-scale deployment. • Presenting transition scenarios from 2025–2040 based on realistic energy demand, CO 2 reduction pathways, and grid integration constraints. • Identifying key opportunities and challenges for accelerating the clean energy transition. • Providing strategic policy recommendations for regional decision-makers and international partners.
Khaleel et al. (Sun,) studied this question.