From fossil flows to renewable cooperation - tripling renewables in the Med

The Mediterranean region's renewable power capacity is projected to double from 315 GW in 2023 to 626 GW by 2030, primarily driven by solar and wind. However, this trajectory falls 374 GW short of the TeraMed Initiative's 1 TW goal. To bridge this gap, the region would need to install an additional 54 GW of wind and solar annually beyond current plans, totaling 98 GW per year, which significantly exceeds the historical maximum annual deployment of 45 GW.

• As of 2023, the Mediterranean's installed renewable power capacity reached 315 GW, which is higher than the 293 GW of fossil fuel-based generation capacity. The renewable mix is led by hydropower (108 GW), solar (107 GW), and wind (88 GW).
• Renewable capacity is expected to double by 2030, increasing from 315 GW to 626 GW. This growth is mainly attributed to solar (+204 GW) and wind (+89 GW). While Southern European countries will provide the largest absolute increases, North African nations are expected to see the most significant relative growth.
• The region is projected to miss the TeraMed Initiative's 1 TW target by 374 GW. To achieve this goal, the average annual renewable capacity increase must rise from the planned 44 GW per year to 98 GW, requiring an extra 54 GW of wind and solar annually.
• Current national 2030 targets are considered feasible because the required average annual deployment of 44 GW is nearly identical to the historical maximum annual deployment of 45 GW recorded between 2000 and 2023.
• Renewable capacity distribution is highly uneven; in 2023, Southern European countries held 73% (230 GW) of the region's capacity, while North African countries held only 4% (12 GW). Morocco is a regional leader, with renewables accounting for 40% of its total power generation capacity in 2023, targeting 52% by 2030.
• Algeria's Renewable Energy Development Programme targets 16 GW of solar, 5 GW of wind, and 1 GW of other renewables, which would be nearly a 40-fold increase from its 2023 capacity of 0.6 GW.
• Integrating the projected surge in renewables will require significant investments in grids, storage, and flexibility. OMEC projections suggest energy storage will need to rise from 1-2% of total power generation by 2030 to 10% by 2050 for a net-zero transition.

APA

Cremona, E., & Brown, S. (2025). From fossil flows to renewable cooperation - tripling renewables in the Med. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/04/Ember-2025-Tripling-renewables-in-the-mediterrenean-1.pdf

Chicago

Cremona, Elisabeth, and Sarah Brown. From fossil flows to renewable cooperation - tripling renewables in the Med. Ember, 2025. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/04/Ember-2025-Tripling-renewables-in-the-mediterrenean-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cremona |first1=Elisabeth |last2=Brown |first2=Sarah |title=From fossil flows to renewable cooperation - tripling renewables in the Med |publisher=Ember |date=2 April 2025 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/04/Ember-2025-Tripling-renewables-in-the-mediterrenean-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cremona2025from, author = {Cremona, Elisabeth and Brown, Sarah}, title = {{From fossil flows to renewable cooperation - tripling renewables in the Med}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2025}, month = apr, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2025/04/Ember-2025-Tripling-renewables-in-the-mediterrenean-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }