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The Qur'an (12:13) tells us that, "He hath constrained the night and the day and the sun and the moon to be of service unto you..."
Nowhere is this more evident than in the case of solar energy. In fact, in the Middle East in particular, where sunny days are abundant, the sun is the ideal renewable energy source of the future. The manner by which the sun provides energy to the earth and the non-polluting nature of that energy are key factors in its popularity in some Middle Eastern countries.
Recently, countries such as Qatar and organizations such as UNESCO have initiated numerous solar energy projects although the history of large-scale solar energy use dates back to the first solar power station connected to a national grid in Adrawo, Sicily.
Solar energy provides electricity via photovoltaic cells. Sunlight reaching the land surface of our planet can produce the equivalence of 1,600 times the total energy consumption of the world; the amount of solar energy derived from the sun's radiation on just one square kilometer is about 4,000 megawatts, enough to light a small town. Yet, solar energy produces none of the byproducts associated with crude oil and natural gas.
Deep in the core of the sun, hydrogen nuclei combine to form helium; then releasing the perpetual energy that has been contained by man and used for fuel energy, to grow food, and in the making of many man-made products that would not exist without the sun.
Shell Petroleum Group predicted as far back as 1995 that, by the year 2050, solar power would be our main source of electricity. Several projects have been slowly developing along this timeline. The World Solar Program from 1996 to 2000 coordinated efforts such as the Arab Solar Energy Programs of Morocco and Oman, the Clean Energy Fund, and promoted the role of private banks in financing renewable energy sources.
Although passive heating of water by solar energy for domestic purposes has provided only 2% of total energy use in Jordan and 3.5% in Israel, the savings incurred in the initial phases of its use has already allowed these countries to pay back their investment costs in the project. Last year, Oman hosted another international forum on solar energy to promote investment in projects using renewable energy.
Four projects by Friends of the Earth in the Middle East are seeking to provide solar power facilities to communities that lack power and water resources such as Arab Ka'abneh, Al Maleh, Ammoriah, and Qairout in Palestine. They aim to supply similar assistance to the Kibbutz Samar in the Jewish community, Qatar Village in Jordan, and New Basaisa Village in Egypt. In Palestine, the system will include a desalination plant and generators to power reverse osmosis water with a peak power of 250kwp. Being able to pump water from rural springs will allow the population of 4,420 to have solar electricity supply and desalinated water for domestic and communal use.
In Qatar village, 250 people will have a PV power generator, a PV powered water pump unit and desalinated water. The new Basis Village in Egypt of 600 people will have 70 solar housing systems, street lights, communal use, and facilities to provide electricity for their local capacity.
The Middle East is joined by others in its efforts to benefit from solar energy. The Mir space station has received partial and sometimes total power through solar cells; one Japanese manufacture provides a "kit" complete with PV roofs. A joint venture in France has resulted in the completion of a 50w wind-farm that will be the first in Africa and the Middle East. Solar power is also being developed in Morocco.
The interest and growth in the use of solar energy should increase in the next few years as relations improve between countries, and awareness of the blessings in our physical environment expands among mankind. In the near future, Insha'Allah, many more people around the world will be enlightened by the meaning of the Qur'anic verses (1-6) found in Sura Al-Shams: "I swear by the sun and its brilliance and the moon when it follows the sun, and the day when it shows it and the night when it draws a veil over it, and the heaven and Him who extended it.
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