AL-wesabi2022 Article AReviewOfYemenSCurrentEnergySi

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A review of Yemen’s current energy situation, challenges, strategies, and

prospects for using renewable energy systems
Article in Environmental Science and Pollution Research · June 2022

DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-21369-6
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Environmental Science and Pollution Research
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21369-6
TREND EDITORIAL
A review of Yemen’s current energy situation, challenges, strategies,

and prospects for using renewable energy systems
Ibrahim AL‑wesabi1,2 · Fang Zhijian1,2 · Chukwunonso Philip Bosah3 · Hanlin Dong1,2
Received: 24 September 2021 / Accepted: 5 June 2022

© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2022
Introduction government is committed to economic reform, hoping that

it will lead to further economic stability and recovery in the
Yemen’s Republic is located in the Middle East, between upcoming future. The energy sector is one of the key ele-
13 N–16 N latitude and 43.2–53.2 longitude in southwest ments of these improvements (The Republic of Yemen 2013).
Asia. Its south and west are covered by mountains and Besides, Yemen’s power industry is currently witnessing the
coastal plains. It borders Saudi Arabia in the north, the Red worst crisis in the nation’s history. It is burdened with over-
Sea in the west, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea in the loaded infrastructure and a considerable capacity gap and is
south, and Oman in the east. Sana’a is the capital and largest affected by unprecedented load reduction, excessive transmis-
city of Yemen. The territory of Yemen includes more than sion and distribution losses, and huge revolving debt. Accord-
200 islands, the largest of which is Socotra Island, about ing to the statistics of the Yemeni public power company
354 km2 south of the Yemeni mainland. Yemen is the sec- (YPEC), in 2020, the national power generation gap exceeds
ond-largest country on the peninsula, covering an area of 2444 MW, the demand was 3102 MW, and the supply was
527,970 km2 as seen in Fig. 1. Yemen is divided into three 658 MW. It was reported that so far, some rural areas have
regions: mountainous, desert, and coastal. Yemen’s Repub- experienced load-shedding and blackouts, while the blackout
lic has one of the highest levels of sunshine in the world, time in cities has increased to 20 h a day, and some cities
and the weather is divided into two seasons in almost every have experienced complete blackouts (Economic Consulting
part of the country: spring and summer (McSweeney 2010). Associates Limited 2009; Arab Union of Electricity 2016).
Yemen, in addition to being located in a sunny belt with long One of the most serious developments in Yemen is the
sunshine hours and high isolation levels, offers many solar increase in power shortages. It has become a major politi-
energy and solar technology benefits (Bank 2014). cal issue, undermining the government’s credibility and
On May 22, 1990, the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR) and legitimacy. Some observers believe that the power crisis
the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY) were in the country has the potential to further aggravate the
united to the Republic of Yemen (ROY). This unification country’s social structure and may eventually overshadow
led to dramatic political and economic reforms in Yemen. the threat of terrorism (OCHA 2017). The lack of electric-
However, since 1990, it has repeatedly led to serious retro- ity has caused severe damage to Yemen’s economy and
gression of the national economy up to now. The Yemeni constituted a binding and powerful constraint on the coun-
try’s growth. This situation has limited the growth of the
nation’s GDP in the past and has had an adverse impact on
Responsible Editor: Philippe Garrigues
employment, international competitiveness, and exports,
* Fang Zhijian and has aided in promoting poverty. For ordinary citizens,
fzjwhu@foxmail.com the load-shedding is causing serious interference to their
1 daily life and for industrial, commercial, and agricultural
School of Automation, China University of Geoscience,
Wuhan 430074, China users, the price of the surge in power shortages is huge.
2 In Yemen, the power industry has been weakened because
Hubei Key Laboratory of Marine Geological Resources,
China University of Geosciences and Engineering Research of the rash and reckless energy policies over the past three
Center of Intelligent Technology for Geo-Exploration, decades, hindering the development of cheap and abun-
Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430074, China dant domestic energy sources like solar and wind. The
3
School of Economics and Management, China University task of restructuring Yemen’s power sector and designing
of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
13
Vol.:(0123456789)
Fig. 1 Location of the Republic

of Yemen
an appropriate policy framework to attract large-scale pri- Under the influence of global warming and climate
vate investors and improve its performance is complex and change, a large number of renewable energy potential
arduous. There are, of course, several important factors assessment studies have been carried out all over the world
in other countries’ sector reforms that can provide use- (El-katiri 2014; Nematollahi et al. 2016; Akuru et al. 2017;
ful benchmarks. However, the unique disadvantage con- Nugroho et al. 2017; Singh et al. 2017; Kaya et al. 2017;
fronted by Yemen is to improve government performance Bulut and Muratoglu 2018; Islam et al. 2018; Aguirre-
which has been a major obstacle to the restructuring efforts Mendoza et al. 2019; Ocon and Bertheau 2019; Fodhil et al.
and this has led to Yemen’s energy bankruptcy which is 2019; Kougias et al. 2019; Mubaarak et al. 2021). These
caused by massive institutional and governance failures studies can be used in a variety of applications that can
(JIC 2010). electrify remote areas (Mandal et al. 2018; Al-Dousari et al.
Renewable energy is the alternative method for achieving 2019), islands (Mekonnen and Sarwat 2017; Surroop and
clean energy production in many countries. Due to environ- Raghoo 2018), telecommunications (Weir 2018), and water
mental problems, restrictions on fossil fuel supply, changes desalination (Khan et al. 2017). The USA (Padrón et al.
in prices, and technologies, many developing countries, 2019) studied the potential of renewable energy while taking
including Yemen, are considering using renewable energy socioeconomic factors into account. This study found that
sources like solar and wind to address power shortages by 2050, greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 40%
and distribution while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. and 17%, respectively, as the proportion of renewable energy
Renewable energy in the form of solar or wind energy has increases. China is the country with the largest energy con-
proved to be cost-effective and profitable for a long time sumption and carbon dioxide emissions in the world, and
(Timmons et al. 2018; Alkipsy et al. 2020). It is estimated its renewable energy potential has been reassessed in Kelly
that by 2050, renewable energy will account for 63% of the et al. (2019). Research shows that wind power and hydro-
total global energy supply, and combining renewable energy power technology is relatively mature and low cost, which
with high energy efficiency can reduce greenhouse gas emis- makes them the priority of development in present and near
sions by 94% (Gielen et al. 2019). The International Energy future. With the support of the national strategy, solar energy
Agency (IEG) sustainable development scenario (SDS) will develop rapidly, while biomass energy and geothermal
in 2018 points out that to achieve the long-term climate energy are expected to develop rapidly with a good resource
goals, the average capacity of renewable energy needs to guarantee.
increase by more than 300 GW per year up to 2030. The Kumar et al. (2022) discussed the accomplishments, poli-
total installed capacity of renewable energy power genera- cies, efforts, and future potential of the agricultural industry
tion reached 181GW by 2018 and 200 GW by 2019. By the based on solar technology. In addition, the article elabo-
end of 2019, the proportion of renewable energy in global rately elucidated each solar-based agricultural system with
power generation has increased to 27.3%, which is expected its challenges and opportunities in the current scenario,
to increase to 85% by 2050, and the carbon dioxide emis- while Afrane et al. (2022) conducted a bibliometric analysis
sions of the whole power generation industry will decrease on research documents collected from the Web of Science
by 85% (Alganahi et al. 2009; IEA 2018; IRENA 2018; Core Collection to discover trends and characteristics of the
Gielen et al. 2019; REN21. 2020). renewable energy knowledge area in Africa from 1999 to
13
2021. However, the study in Solaymani (2021) examined hybrid renewable energy systems” covered the various con-
trends in energy consumption, policies, and development figurations of renewable micro-grid energy systems includ-
of renewable energies, as well as the causal link between ing PV and wind turbine (WT) for electrifying a diverse
renewable and non-renewable energies and economic growth range of consumers. “Conclusions and recommendations”
utilizing two techniques. In addition, the study in Shahzad summarizes the conclusions and recommendations.
et al. (2022) aimed to identify and prioritize the obstacles
that entrepreneurs face in developing RE projects in Paki-
stan. Finally, the review in Yoro et al. (2021) critically The energy in Yemen
assessed current achievements in energy modeling and sim-
ulation, with limited insights into its methodologies, prob- According to the literature, the development of renewable
lems, and opportunities in a few renewable and sustainable energy at the national level involves at least the four key
energy systems (RSES). In addition, the idea of model vali- categories listed as follows: (A) energy consumption; (B) the
dation in RSES is thoroughly examined using both in-sample current situation of power plants, transmission, and distribu-
and out-of-sample techniques, with prospective data sources tion networks; (C) the current energy types and proportion
for model validation in RSES being emphasized. of power supply in Yemen; (D) heavy fossil fuel costs; every
This research contributes to previous knowledge in four category comprises some aspects, which are discussed in
distinctive ways as follows: detail below.
1. This study reviews Yemen’s electricity and energy sector Energy consumption
before and after the onset of the conflict that began in
2015 and presents the current state of power generation, Yemen has recently experienced a severe power shortage,
transmission, and distribution systems in the country by unable to meet the power needs of its population and infra-
assessing the negative impact in the electricity sector structure. In 2009, the installed power capacity was about
caused by the ongoing conflict. 1.6 GW, while, in fact, the power supply gap was about 0.25
2. This study investigates the factors that promote the GW. The power development plan (PDP) forecasts and esti-
expansion of renewable energy technologies at the rural mates the capacity demand of 3.5 GW in 2020. In 2011,
and national levels in Yemen, as well as the challenges electricity capacity fell to less than 70% of total capacity
that impede the development of renewable energy tech- due to anti-government demonstrations, oil pipeline strikes,
niques and recommends modern tools to meet Yemen’s and the evacuation of foreign workers. This was the worst
current and future needs. in 2015 when the situation in Yemen turned into internal
3. This study provides detailed discussion of the various and external conflict (Al-Shetwi 2021). Now, it is speculated
strategic scenarios appropriate for achieving adequate that the situation in Yemen will not improve, so the country
electrification for the Yemeni population, with a particu- needs to plan alternative energy infrastructure (Al Asbahi
lar focus on the proposed strategy to electrify the entire et al. 2020). The sustainable transition from fossil fuels can
urban and rural Yemeni population by 2050. be achieved by installing clean energy projects in the State
4. Finally, this study connects renewable energy to sus- Grid, such as wind power, hydropower, solar photovoltaic,
tainable rural expansion by examining whether current and biomass systems. Yemen is facing serious energy prob-
renewable energy resources can meet the future energy lems, such as circulation obligations, line losses, obsolete
needs. transmission lines, and electricity theft among the rural pop-
ulation (71%), resulting in 8–10 h of power shortage. If we
The remainder of the paper is organized as follows: “The set aside wars and conflicts, which we hope will end soon,
energy in Yemen” represents the energy in Yemen. “The and focus on the real obstacles to Yemen’s power generation,
development prospect of potential renewable energy in we will encounter how to find the best solution to this prob-
Yemen, Middle East, and Africa region” addresses the devel- lem (Xiaohui 2016). One of the great challenges and hal-
opment prospect of potential renewable energy in Yemen, lows of Yemen’s electricity is its total dependence on fossil
Middle East, and Africa region. “Challenges of energy and fuels, including diesel, heavy crude oil (mazot), and lique-
renewable energy development in Yemen” addresses the fied natural gas (LNG). Due to environmental and economic
challenges encountered in the energy and renewable energy considerations, these resources have attracted much attention
development in Yemen. “Proposed strategy and solutions to (Energy and Renewable Profile 2004; Ministry of Electricity
electrify the population of Yemen using RES by 2050” intro- 2012; Jahangiri et al. 2016). Besides, Yemen’s geographical
duces the proposed strategy and solutions to electrify the composition of rural areas poses other challenges to power
entire Yemeni population using RES (renewable energy sys- distribution. The rural population makes up about 75% of the
tem) by 2050, while “Configuration and design of proposed total population, but only 23% of the population has access
13
Electricity consumption by household 3.90% Electricity consumption by sectors

1.80% 0.30% transport
11% 4.70%
14% Industry & Agriculture residential
3% industry
17% Commercial
14.20% 39.50% commercial and public
Urban House hold services
35.60% unspecified
Rural House Hold
55% agriculture and forestry
Others
non-energy use
Fig. 2 The main electricity consumption is household Fig. 3 The main electricity consumption by sectors
to electricity. Due to the lack of continuous power supply, energy supply in Yemen, while in 2017, oil made up about
industrial activities are very weak, and the main electricity 76% of the total primary energy supply, and natural gas
consumption is household, as shown in Fig. 2. about 16%. Oil and gas are the largest suppliers of fuel for
The sustainability of the energy system can be assessed power plants (Sufian 2019). However, given the recent lack
using macroeconomic energy indicators, such as average of oil due to the situation in Yemen, as well as the scarcity
annual energy consumption and energy intensity. Accord- of natural gas during the cold season, the primary difficulty
ing to the International Energy Agency, in 2000, oil made of power generation during these seasons is to provide fuel
up 98.4% of the total primary energy supply in Yemen with for power plants. The power generation industry has been
the remainder comprising biofuels and waste (International severely harmed by this reliance on oil and natural gas, and
Energy Agency). Natural gas and coal were introduced into the development of the power grid has been stifled. As a
the energy mix around 2008, and wind and solar energies result, these issues are the primary motivations for shifting
were added around 2015. In 2017, oil made up about 76% energy production to renewable sources.
of the total primary energy supply, natural gas about 16%,
biofuels and waste about 3.7%, wind and solar energies etc. The main generating power plants of electricity
about 1.9%, and coal about 2.4%. According to the Inter-
national Energy Agency report, the final consumption of Currently, the power plant and transmission lines in Yemen
electricity in Yemen in 2017 was 4.14 TWh. This figure have suffered from severe losses, and the power supply has
was also broken down by sectors, with transport consum- become a national power grid constantly threatened by a
ing 891 kiloton of oil equivalent (ktoe) (39.5%), residential total collapse due to the destruction of factories and trans-
804 ktoe (35.6%), industry 320 ktoe (14.2%), commercial mission lines. Some of the power plants are prone to col-
and public services 105 ktoe (4.7%), agriculture and forestry lapse completely due to continuous attacks, and the other
41 ktoe (1.8%), and non-energy use 7 ktoe (0.3%), and 88 reason is lack of maintenance (Al-Shabi Mohammed 2014).
ktoe (3.9%) unspecified. Electricity consumption was 0.15 Yemen is experiencing a severe shortage of several gigawatts
MWh/capita in 2017 (Sufian 2019). Figure 3 depicts the of electricity, according to the Yemen Public Electricity Cor-
major electricity consumption by sectors. This demonstrates poration (YPEC), which is a semi-independent arm of the
Yemen’s significant challenges in optimizing the use of oil Yemen Ministry of Electricity and Energy (YMEE) (World
and gas resources, raising concerns about unbalanced and Bank 2009). As shown in Fig. 4, Yemen also has four major
unsustainable energy systems that could lead to unsustain- energy production stations, according to the same source: (1)
able development. As a result, it has an impact on a wide Ma’rib gas station in Marib being the largest with a power
range of social, economic, and environmental development, generation capacity of 350–400 MW, (2) Alhuso gas station
such as livelihoods, water use, agricultural productivity, in Aden, (3) Mokha gas station in Taiz, and (4) Alkaseb gas
health, population levels, education, and gender-related station in Hodeida, as well as Yemen has a 132 kV main
issues (Afsharzade et al. 2016). grid, as shown in Fig. 4. In Ma’rib, east of Sana’a, a new
gas-fired power plant was completed in 2010 and connected
Current situation of the power system in Yemen to the main grid via Bani Hoshish’s 400 kV double circuit
transmission line, and a second 400 kV transmission line
As mentioned earlier, according to the International Energy from Ma’rib to the 132 kV substation at Damar, south of
Agency, in 2000, oil made up 98.4% of the total primary Sana’a, is proposed and there is also a smaller grid in the
13
Fig. 4 Yemen’s electrical transmission network system
Middle East of the country, with an isolated grid around Rural and urban households have unequal access to elec-
Sada city (Arab Union of Electricity 2015). tricity. Although the rural population accounts for about
Yemen’s electricity mainly depends on oil-fired power 75% of the total population, only about 23% of the popu-
plants: 684 MW of diesel power, 495 MW of steam power, lation has access to electricity, while the urban population
and 340 MW of natural gas power. In 2015, the total accounts for about 85%. Although the electricity supply
installed capacity of the state grid was 1519 MW. The power rate is low, only about half of these people are connected
plant generates power at different voltages of 10.5 kV, 11kv, to the public grid, and the other half are supplied from
13.8 kV, and 15 kV, and then improves the voltage level to other private sources, including diesel generators (which
33 kV, 132 kV, and 400 kV. The medium voltage level of usually operate for several hours for lighting) and low-
33 kV is used to transfer power from the substation to the intensity appliances. Non-grid electrified rural house-
demand site. The distribution network uses 11 kV power holds are using alternative lighting, including kerosene
transmission to the distribution transformer. The nominal lamps (about 67%) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
frequency of the grid is 50 Hz. Figure 4 shows Yemen’s lamps (about 5%), which have a serious impact on the
transmission network with all power stations and substations environment (NECRA. Lmt. 2010).
(Sufian 2010). In August 2013, Yemen began construction Figure 5 depicts the power supply and demand balance,
of a new 400 MW (Ma’rib II) gas-fired power generation and the balance of the reserve fund is 20%. The goal of
facility, which is scheduled to start operation at the end of system reliability is to assume that 48 h of the load is
2014, but was delayed to the recent years due to the recent lost per hour. The gap between supply and demand was
security turmoil (Economic Consulting Associates Limited estimated to be about 500 MW in 2013. The latest power
2009; Arab Union of Electricity 2015; U.S. 2017; Rawea development plan (2009–2020) predicted that the total
and Urooj 2018). Table 1 shows the capacity of Yemen’s capacity demand will reach 3102 MW in the next decade,
main power plants. with an annual growth rate of 10%. Yemen relies on fossil
fuels for most of its electricity supply, including mazot,
Power supply and demand balance forecast diesel, and most recently LPG, 79.91% of electricity from
oil fuels of installed capacity, 20% of electricity from
Yemen has the lowest electricity access rate (40% of the natural gas fuel, and 0.09% of electricity from renewable
population), compared with about 85% in the region. energy (Sufian et al. 2017).
13
Table 1 Electrical power generation capacity existing in Yemen (2018)

Station No. of units No. of Type of Fuel used Fuel’s trans- Total Total avail- Manufacturer Date of
available genera- port installed able capacity installation
units tion capacity (MW)
(MW)
Marib 1 3 3 GT Gas Pipeline 340.5 340.5 SIEMENS 2010

Ras Katnib 5 5 ST RFO + LFO Ship and 150 0 ANSANDO 1981
truck
Al Mukah 4 3 ST RFO + LFO Ship and 160 0 ANSALDO 1987
truck
Hiswah 1 5 3 ST RFO + LFO Pipeline 125 50 RUSSIA 1986
1 1 ST 60 30 CHINA 2008
Hiswah 2 2 2 GT Diesel Gas Pipeline 60 50 CHINA 2016
Almanso- 8 2 DG RFO Diesel Pipeline and 64 5 MITSUBISI 1982
rah 1 LFO truck MAN
B&W
Almanso- 7 7 DG RFO + LFO Pipe line and 70 45 WARTSILA 2007
rah 2 truck
Khormaksar 5 1 DG Diesel Truck 15 3 CEMTPIES- 1970
TIC
2 2 DG 10 10 WARTSILA 2003
Twahi 5 0 DG Diesel Truck 7.5 0 CATERPIL- 2016
LAR
3 0 DG 6.6 0 SKL 2004
Shenaz 8 4 DG Diesel Truck 10 30 CATERPIL- 2016
LAR
26 13 DG 30 CATERPIL- 2016
LAR
Hedjuff 2 6 0 DG Diesel Truck 6 0 CATERPIL- 2016
5 0 DG 5 0 LAR
8 6 DG 9.6 8
Stadium 52 26 DG Diesel Truck 40 25 CUMMINS 2016
Dahban 1 4 2 DG Diesel Truck 21 10.5 GMT 1980
Dahban 2 5 1 DG Diesel Truck 25.5 5 WARTSILA 2000
Hiziaz 1 6 6 DG Diesel Truck 30 30 WARTSILA 2003
Hiziaz 2 7 5 DG RFO + LFO Truck 70 50 WARTSILA 2004
Hiziaz 3 6 3 DG RFO + LFO Truck 30 30 WARTSILA 2007
Taiz 4 1 DG Diesel Truck 16 13 2 DEUTZ 1979
2 WART- 2003
SILA
Al Hali 5 5 DG Diesel Truck 27.75 20 3 GMT 1980
2 WART- 2003
SILA
AlKormish 3 2 DG Diesel Truck 7.5 5 DEUTZ 1979
Sana’a 6 3 DG Diesel Truck 19.7 12.5 3 DEUTZ 1972
3 WART- 2004
SILA
Jaar 5 3 DG Diesel Truck 10.2 2.1 1 DEUTZ 1985
2 NIGATA 2006
Ryan 7 7 DG RFO + LFO Truck 70 54 WARTSILA 1998–2007
Khulf 4 4 DG Diesel Truck 13 3.4 DEUTZ 1980–1984
Monsawrah 9 9 DG Diesel Truck 16 1982 4.9 5DIHATSU 1995
2GM 1999
2 WARTSI
LA
13
Table 1 (continued)
Station No. of units No. of Type of Fuel used Fuel’s trans- Total Total avail- Manufacturer Date of
available genera- port installed able capacity installation
units tion capacity (MW)
(MW)
Shehr 5 5 DG Diesel Truck 13 2 3 MAK 1987

2 GMT 1996
Sayoon 7 4 DG Diesel Truck 31.92 24.93 10.5 15.5 4 NIGATA 1982
4 3 DG Diesel Truck 4 DEUTZ 1990–1996–
2 GMT 2006
1 MAN
Petro-Mas- 3 3 GT Diesel Pipeline 75 33.5 GE 2018
selah
Total generated power in (MW) 1670. 7 898.4
The planned generating capacity and actual electricity

Electricity Supply-Demand Balance for Yemen production
4
Planned Generating Capacity
4,000 3 Actual Electricity production
Power (MW)
2,000 2
1
0
2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
0
Years
Demand (MW) Demand + 20% (MW)
Installed Capacity (MW) Investment required (MW)
Fig. 5 Electricity supply–demand balance for Yemen Fig. 6 Peak demand forecast for main interconnected grid GW
Status of energy type and proportion of power

supply in Yemen from 2009 to 2021 Extensive military operations began in Yemen in mid-
2015 and continued until the time of writing this article.
Yemen had a strategy to develop and improve its electrical The power business has been severely impacted, with public
potential before the events of 2011. The Public Electricity energy availability plummeting from 60% in 2014 to 10%
Corporation is responsible for developing this strategy, at the end of 2017. The consequences are disastrous. Some
which is overseen by a group of power engineers. It seeks power plants have been completely destroyed, while oth-
to treble the capacity of power generation from 2009. It ers have been partially wrecked, resulting in a significant
is the equivalent of 3 GW, and it includes services for reduction in power generation capacity and even making
new locations and residences that are not connected to the fuel delivery problematic for power plants (Al-ashwal 2005).
public grid, as well as providing access to factories and Currently, the average electricity supply is between 200
service providers. It was created between 2009 and 2020. and 250 MW. Sana’a, the capital, for example, has a power
The impact of the events of 2011 on power output, how- requirement of roughly 500 MW but only receives 40 MW
ever, was so enormous that the power plant was shut down of power for a few hours each day. Aden province was like-
in 2015. Figure 6 depicts the planned generating capac- wise experiencing a power crisis, with 390 MW required
ity and actual electricity production. In 2011, the decline but just 190 MW was available. Alburaydah and IBB prov-
of electric energy production began to appear obviously. inces both have a total demand of 280 MW, which they do
Power generation was about 0.75GW in 2009, compared not meet. Taiz, Yemen’s most populous province, requires
with 1GW in 2010. The incident continued to take place 111 MW of electricity, but the public infrastructure appears
in the country, thereby undermining the behavior of the to be unable to provide it (Sufian 2019).
power sector. Transportation lines and power plants were Transmission lines will be attacked on a regular basis
completely shut down in 2015 (Bank. 2005). if the conflict continues, negating the need to operate
power plants. The World Bank (World Bank 2013) has
13
Table 2 Generation investment plan, Yemen

CO2 emissions (Mton)
Plant Type Capacity (MW) Year
Ma’rib II OCGT to CCGT 352 to 528 2013 to 2019

30
Ma’rib III OCGT to CCGT 264 to 396 2014 to 2020
Mton CO2
20
Wind Wind turbines 180 2012 to 2014
10
0
recommended a viable solution: moving the electrical sec-
tor away from centralization and toward decentralization.
First, technically and institutionally, the power system Year
is rebuilt from the ground (solar energy). Then, the solu-

tion is extended from a small off-grid system to an urban
power grid, and municipal power grid (sub-national), and Fig. 7 The total C
O2 emissions in Yemen up to 2019
continues gradually to the national power grid. The pro-
posed solution will take a long time; in parallel the conflict emission source, accounting for about 69.3% of the total
is expected to come to an end. Table 2 summarizes recent national emissions.
proposals for modernization and the building of new power Yemen is not an industrialized country. As a result, indus-
plants. Some power plants using the Open Cycle Gas Tur- trial activities do not produce a lot of greenhouse gases.
bine (OCGT) technology have been installed and will be Energy-related greenhouse gas emissions made up 69.3%
converted to power plants using the Combined Cycle Gas of all greenhouse gas emissions. Non-energy sectors such
Turbine (CCGT) system (Al-Shabi Mohammed 2014). This as agricultural activities, waste recovery, and industrial
adjustment occurred as a result of a revised gas valuation at processing accounted for the remaining 30.7%, account-
a higher price. It is, however, contingent on the supply of ing for 23.1%, 3.7%, and 2.9%, respectively. Although the
natural gas. energy sector produces greenhouse gas emissions, fossil
Yemen also struck an agreement with China’s National fuel combustion in power generation, transportation, and
Corporation for Overseas Economic Cooperation in Septem- other sectors accounts for the majority of emissions (19.3%,
ber 2012 to build three natural gas–fueled power facilities. 19.2%, and 16.6%, respectively). The rest is due to domes-
Each will have a generating capacity of more than 400 MW. tic, agricultural, and commercial use of kerosene and diesel.
Furthermore, in late 2012, the Turkish government com- The total amount of greenhouse gas emissions has not had
mitted to assist Yemen in the construction of a 263-MW a significant impact on the global climate. In 2019, CO2
electric plant capable of burning both petroleum and natural emissions per capita for Yemen were 0.37 tons of C O2 per
gas. Unfortunately, due to the onset of the 2015 war (Sufian capita. Though Yemen C O2 emissions per capita fluctuated
2019), none of the above ideas came to fruition. substantially in recent years, they tended to increase through
the 1970–2019 period ending at 0.37 tons of C O2 per capita
in 2019, ranking 151st among 181 countries with per capita
Heavy fossil fuel costs greenhouse gas emissions as shown in Fig. 8 (Emission
Database for Global Atmospheric Research 2021).
According to the latest report of the World Energy Statistics The wide pollution recently in Yemen from the random
Review 2020, 84% of the world’s energy is still supplied by use of the energy sectors as well as the pollution from the
fossil fuels, while renewable energy accounts for only 11% conflict leads to a lot of the extensive economic, social,
of global primary energy consumption. Burning fossil fuels and environmental consequences which include the costs
to produce energy leads to a large number of greenhouse gas of environmental degradation of the GDP and death toll
emissions, which is harmful to the environment and leads caused by air pollution. It is also predicted that in 2025, the
to global warming, while the greenhouse gas emissions of cost of C O2 emission and environmental degradation will
renewable energy are less (Al-Shetwi 2021; Ansari et al. increase if the country lasts using random energy as well
2019; Energy 2020). The wide pollution is one of the by- as the continuous conflict. In its efforts to alleviate GHG
products of the country’s uncontrolled energy consumption. emissions, Yemen is implementing several mitigation inter-
Yemen’s CO2 emissions were at the level of 10.9 million ventions such as the promotion of LPG in replacement of
tons in 2019, up from 10.5 million tons the previous year; biomass energy in rural areas, shifting towards natural gas
this is a change of 3.25% which ranked the country as 97th in transportation and energy production, promotion of solar
in the world in 2019 as shown in Fig. 7 (REN21. 2019). It is energy for household use, among others (Emission Database
worth noting that the power plant is the largest centralized for Global Atmospheric Research 2021).
13
Yemen is dealing with the dilemma of energy networks

CO2 emissions per capita Ton/cap
that are unstable and indefensible. Due to the fighting, cer-
tain energy systems have been completely damaged, while
1.5
others have been partially devastated, resulting in a drop in
ton CO2/cap
1 generation capacity and even fuel delivery challenges from

power generation plants. As a result, new energy structure
0.5
design is required for a secure, cheap, and sustainable envi-
0 ronment (Al-Shetwi 2021).
Year The development prospect of potential

renewable energy in Yemen, Middle East,
and Africa region
Fig. 8 The greenhouse gas emissions per capita in Yemen
Many small renewable energy projects have been carried out
by some companies or individuals to generate and sell elec-
Environmental performance index (EPI) tricity instead of the electrical governmental sectors, some
of which have already ceased to operate. According to the
The EPI 2016 ranks countries on more than 20 performance Yemen Public Electrical Corporation (YPEC), there have
indicators covering both environmental public health and been too many visions for introducing renewable energy to
ecosystem vitality. The main environmental indicators help Yemen’s electricity sector, but nothing has been done
include health impact, climate and energy, water resources, so far. This paper promises to present solutions based on a
air pollution, and biodiversity. According to Yale University study of Yemen’s renewable energy potentials, as well as a
(Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and Envi- knowledge of the most common renewable energy exploita-
ronmental 2020), based on the EPI, Yemen was ranked 150th tion sites based on location, as well as a proposed strategy
among 180 countries in 2016. According to data, Yemen is for using and optimizing renewable energy and energy effi-
dealing with a growing environmental crisis; one of them ciency (REN and EE), which is pending the availability of
is a water scarcity, since natural freshwater resources are funds to begin implementation; Yemen has a high potential
limited and drinking water supplies are insufficient. Yemen of renewable energy sources, which are solar, wind, geother-
has long been experiencing water-shortage because of mal, and biomass resources that have a brief description as
atmospheric conditions, years of poor water management, follows (IEA 2016; ESMAP. 2020).
and population growth. Sana’a, the country’s capital, has Renewable energy generation in the Middle East and
been experiencing a water crisis since 2017, and 84% of the Africa region was set to reach a percentage of total gen-
population in the southern province is attempting to find or eration capacity in the coming years. Djibouti, on the other
purchase enough clean water to drink, cook, and produce hand, has set a target of obtaining100% of its energy from
food on a daily basis (ACTED 2016). On an average, each renewable sources by 2035. The Middle East and Africa
Yemeni can only access about 140 m 3 of water a year for all region’s renewable energy business has been growing as a
purposes. Apart from coastal waters, Yemen has no perma- result of measures taken by countries in the region to accel-
nent open waters. erate the implementation of renewable energy solutions.
Figure 9 depicts renewable energy capacity targets for the
Energy architecture performance index (EAPI) Middle East and Africa region from 2020 to 2050. Further-
more, Fig. 10 depicts Yemen’s primary renewable energy
The EAPI is a global process for creating a set of indicators supply in 2018 when compared to some other Middle East-
that help to highlight the efficiency of energy systems of ern countries that use renewable energy.
various countries. According to the World Economic Forum
2017 (Crisis in the Arabian Peninsula), EAPI measures the Overview of Yemen’s renewable energy potential
specific contribution of the energy system in three compo-
nents of the energy output: security supply, environmental There are four main renewable energy sources available in
sustainability, and economic growth and development. It Yemen. A recent “renewable energy strategy” study con-
consists of 18 indicators collected into three baskets related ducted by the Ministry of Electric Power and the PEC for
to these three imperatives; in the EAPI ranking in 2017, Yemen shows that Yemen has a great potential for renewable
Yemen was ranked 126th among 127 countries followed energy. The average solar radiation is between 18 and 26 MJ/
only by one country which is Bahrain. m2 per day over 3000 h of clear blue sky each year, and
13
the theoretical solar electricity potential using concentrated

Yemen (2025) 15% solar power (CSP) is at 2,446,000 MW. Wind energy has a
Palestine (2020) 10% capacity of 308,722 MW, whereas geothermal energy has a
Bahrain (2035) 10%
potential of around 304,000 MW. The following is a sum-
Kuwait (2030) 15%
Jordan (2025) 15%
mary of Yemen’s renewable energy potential (LAHMEYER
Qater (2030) 20% and International GmbH 2008; NECRA. Lmt. 2010; Alkho-
Syria (2030) 30% lidi 2013).
Saudi Arabia (2030) 30%
Lebanon (2030) 30% Theoretical potential
UAE (2050) 44%
Algeria (2030) 27%
Egypt (2035) 42%
The theoretical potential describes the amount of physical,
Tunisia (2030) 30% climatic, or biological energy accessible in each location
Libya (2030) 22% at a certain time or period. It refers to energy derived from
Sudan (2031) 50% renewable sources that can be converted from their natural
Morocco (2030) 52%
state into a form that is beneficial to humans. It is dependent
Djibouti (2035) 100%
on the earth’s inherent energy flow. These energy flows are
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120%
connected to naturally occurring physical phenomena that
have always been in our physical world and come in a variety
Fig. 9 Renewable energy capacity targets for the Middle East and of forms, including wind, solar energy, geothermal energy,
Africa region from 2020 to 2050 and ocean energy. Table 3 depicts the Republic of Yemen’s
renewable energy flows (Al-Shabi Mohammed 2014; Sufian
2019).
Renewable energy supply, 2018 Technical potentials

Iran 47
Iraq 5 This is a potential (geographic potential) to extract energy
Yemen 39 from nature using specific technologies, depending on the
Kuwait 7 type of energy extracted, such as solar energy, but not lim-
Jordan 400 ited to photovoltaic systems—solar hot water, passive solar
Saudi Arabia 13
heating, and solar lighting, etc., and wind power, considering
Lebanon 68
UAE 153 the amount of power lost during the transformation from
natural to useful form. The technical potential is divided into
0 100 200 300 400 500
gross technical potential and practical technical potential as
The primary renewable energy supply (ktoe)
shown in Table 3. The gross technical potential refers to
the potential that can be realized by using known technolo-
gies, taking into account various technological factors (such
Fig. 10 The primary renewable energy supply in the Middle East
2018. ( Source: IEA World Energy Balances) as resource recovery, the efficiency of technologies used in
resource development, and land use). The accessibility of
the grid is considered in the practicable potential. The actual
technological potential takes into account the accessibility
of the electricity grid (Sufian 2010).
Table 3 Yemen’s renewable Renewable energy resources The theoretical poten- The technical potential
energy resource tial (MW)
Gross technical poten- Practical techni-
tials (MW) cal potentials
(MW)
Wind energy 308,722 123,429 34,286

Solar electricity (CSP) 2,446,000 1,426,000 18,600
Geothermal 304,000 29,000 2900
Biomass-landfills 10 8 6
Ministry of Electricity and Energy “Renewable Energy Strategy and Action Plan Study Report,” 2008
13
Yemen’s future renewable energy mix up to 2025 Solar energy resources
Even before the conflict in 2015, most of Yemen’s popula- Yemen belongs to the global sun-belt with average sunshine
tion was deprived of basic electricity services. Yemen has 9–11 h/day throughout the year, that is, equal to more than
the lowest electricity access rate in the Middle East and 4000 h yearly, and the peak sun hour (PSH) reaches 5–6 h,
North Africa. The power obtained from the grid or off-grid that is, equal to 2000–2200 h yearly, which makes the less
sources is estimated to be 40 to 60% (MOEE). In 2014, cost of power than any other country with less PSH, with
Yemen’s per capita electricity consumption was 217 kWh, also average solar radiation being between 450 and 550 cal/
less than one-sixth of the regional average. The power sup- cm2/day. That equals 5.2–6.8 kW/m2/day or 18.9–23.1 MJ/
ply is estimated to be 1520 MW in 2015. The demand is m2/day. According to a study of the solar energy potential in
seriously unbalanced and the supply capacity is 20% lower several cities in the Republic of Yemen (Sana’a, Hodeidah,
than the peak demand. Most grid-connected users suffer Bayhan, and Lahaj) (Alganahi et al. 2009; Alkholidi 2013)
from frequent load-shedding every day. Despite substantial and the maximum and minimum temperatures measured in
direct and indirect subsidies, the sector is unable to produce Yemen shown in Figs. 12 and 13, the findings suggested
the affordable, reliable, and adequate electricity needed to that Yemen’s favorable geographic location could encourage
sustain economic growth and to sustainably increase the Yemenis to use solar energy applications. On the other hand,
coverage of electricity services in rural areas (Sufian and the compatibility of potentials and demands, such as solar
Barra 2016). energy, is the most encouraging factor for implementing
As previously stated, solar energy has the highest total
technical potential of the four renewable energy sources in
Yemen, but it is only second to wind energy in terms of
total practical potential. For over 3000 h of clear blue sky
per year, average solar radiation is around 18–26 MJ/m2/ 35 31.6 30.1 30.3
28.5 27.2 29.8 28.8
day, and the theoretical potential of concentrated solar power 30 25.3 25.9 25.5
23.9 24.1
25
(CSP) generation is about 2.5 million MW. Wind energy has
Temperature (oC)
20
a potential of 308,000 MW, while geothermal energy has a 11.9
14.1 14.8 15.2 13.4
15 9.6 11.1 11
potential of around 304,000 MW. However, Yemen’s current 10 6.2 7.2
energy mix is dominated by fossil fuels (about 99.91%), with 5
3.4 2
renewable energy accounting for only about 0.009%. The 0
national renewable energy and energy efficiency strategy,
on the other hand, sets goals, including a 15% increase in
renewable energy contribution to the power sector by 2025
Av Max Temp Av Min Temp
(Fig. 11).
Fig. 12 The average temperature of mountainous areas
Current Installed Capacity

100% Solar
0.09% Energy
99.91%
Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy
(a) (b)
Fig. 11 Share of renewable energy in energy mix in Yemen. a Current installed capacity in Yemen 2021. b Renewable energy strategy target for
Yemen 2025
13
All of these obstacles motivate us to show that decentralized

40
32 34
37 36 36 36
34 power demand has a lot of potential for rural electrification
35 28 28 30 27 28 29 28 28 30 28
(A-TK. 2014). The map in Fig. 14 shows the distribution of
30 25
22 23 24 24 23 22
Temperature (oC)
25 solar energy resources in the Republic of Yemen (Annual

20
15
sunshine hours map of the world 2016; Al-Shetwi 2016),
10 whereas the installed capacity and the electricity generation
5
0
by the solar system from 2010 to 2019 are shown in Fig. 15
(Saleh Qasem 2018).
Wind energy resources

Av Max Temp Av Min Temp
Under the Yemeni Ministry of Electricity’s Renewable
Energy Strategy and Action Plan, renewable energy sources
Fig. 13 The average temperature of coastal areas were studied, including wind. In that respect, a wind resource
map was developed based on data from the Civil Aviation
projects in the field of renewable energy in Yemen to sup- and Meteorological Service, the Global Upper-Air Climatic
plement the electricity sector (Tummuru et al. 2015). Atlas, and an ongoing wind measurement campaign. Yemen
It is possible for Yemen to use one of two types of solar has a long coastal zone with a length of more than 2500 km
power supply: centralized (on-grid) for larger farms or and an average width of 45 km along the Red Sea and the
decentralized (off-grid) for small-scale power generation. Arabian Sea. The average annual wind speed in these coastal
The latter application can be used for rural electrification, areas is more than 8 m/s. There is a great potential to build
which affects three-quarters of Yemen’s population but wind farms in coastal and offshore areas. These studies
receives only a quarter of the country’s total power. Connect- show that the most promising areas of this kind of energy
ing rural areas to the main grid is difficult due to high trans- are mountains and valleys (Sana’a, Damar, and Sayan) and
mission costs and increased power loss due to transmission. the coastal areas (Aden, Hodeida, and Mokha). Al Mokha
Fig. 14 The distribution of solar energy resources in Yemen
13
The install capacity and the electricity generation by the

Yemen, exceeded 18.9 km/h in September, and the minimum
solar system wind speed in the same city reached 14.8 km/h in May and
800 December. In Aden, the maximum wind speed recorded is
600
21.3 km/h in July and 21 km/h in March. In May, the lowest
wind speed in the city reached 13.3 km/h. The city of Taiz
400 is one of the windiest areas in Yemen, namely the coastal
area of Mocha and the Arrows Mountains surrounding the
200
city of Taiz. The maximum wind speed in July can reach
0 21.7 km/h, and the minimum wind speed is in December
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 (The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)).
Install capacity (MW) Electricity Generation (GWh)
Geothermal energy resources
Fig. 15 The installed capacity and the electricity generation by the An investigation assessed that 2900 MW of force may be
solar system from 2010 to 2019 in Yemen accessible from geothermal sources. A fundamental over-
view in 1984 by the World Bank distinguished that there is
some geothermal potential toward the south of Sana’a; the
area in Taiz has good wind conditions in Yemen. According most encouraging of which is situated at Dhamar district
to Egyptian experts, it is estimated that 1.8 GW of electric- (100 km south of Sana’a). This asset is believed to be ade-
ity can be generated within 300 km2 of Al Mokha alone, quate to help a 50-MW plant and a definitive asset could be
14,200 MW providing about 42,300 GWh of electricity per between 250 and 500 MW. An understanding was endorsed
year (Al-ashwal 2005; Sufian et al. 2017). with an Icelandic organization to build up a 10-MW plant
Besides, based on the wind resource map, the technical on the site; however, the organization failed during the
potential for wind power at technically attractive sites in monetary emergency. Exploratory boring is currently being
Yemen (i.e., where more than 3000 full load hours (FLH) financed by the United Nations Environment Programme
could be generated or with a more than 35% capacity fac- (UNEP). Likewise, Yemen is indicated as one of the nation’s
tor) could generate 14,214 MW. And economically attractive having high heat flow. The heat flow mirrors the capability
sights in Yemen (i.e., where more than 3500 FLH could be of geothermal energy. The world guide of heat flow shows
generated or with a more than 40% CF) could generate about that Yemen and Italy have the equivalent capability of heat
2507 MW, which is about 8293 GWh of electricity per year. flow (60 mW/cm2). The complete limit of geothermal force
The total wind power potential is estimated to be 34GW. The introduced in Italy is more than 500 MW, which shows the
technical potential was estimated at 14,200 MW providing high capability of geothermal energy in Yemen. Further-
about 42,300 GWh of electricity per year (ESMAP. 2020). more, an additional examination might be done in two ways
Figure 16 shows the annual wind speed km/h in three big to facilitate the execution of the GeothermEx study and
cities of Yemen during all year’s months. It can be observed appraisal of geothermal energy in different territories in the
that the maximum wind speed in Sana’a, the capital of country (Al-ashwal 2005).
Fig. 16 The annual wind veloc-

ity (km/h) in the three big cities Wind Velocity (km/hr) in the big cities in Yemen
in Yemen
Wind Velocity (km/hr.)
20
10
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Sana'a 15.6 17.4 15.2 15.2 14.8 16.1 17.6 16.5 18.9 16.9 16.3 14.8
Aden 20.6 18.5 20.9 20 13.3 18.3 21.3 20.5 14.6 16.7 20 19.1
Taiz 12.4 14.6 16.1 17.2 17 18.3 21.7 17 17 14.4 14.4 13
Sana'a Aden Taiz Months
13
Biomass energy resources • Financial and administrative corruption,

• Aging of generator sets in different power plants,
Yemen has been known for centuries as an agrarian state, • The transmission and distribution network is aging,
with agriculture serving as the backbone of the country’s • The security situation endangered by attacks on the trans-
economy. The over-centralization of action in this area will mission network and its components,
bring about the great misuse of the asset. Also, the waste • Because many users did not pay the electricity bills,
related to modern creation can influence the climate if not the distribution network was attacked, and without the
maneuvered carefully. The over-simplification of these waste knowledge of the relevant authorities, the distribution
kinds could be placed into utilization conceivably to pro- network was connected to steal electricity, thus endanger-
duce biomass energy to be utilized for some reasons like ing the security situation,
gasification for the power age or cooking purposes. This • Lack of the ability to collect electricity charges from all
innovation can be utilized to make biogas plants in signifi- users, especially from government departments,
cant urban areas like Sana’a, Aden, and Taiz, to create power • Financial constraints have hindered the implementation
from biomass rather than diesel or substantial fuel (mazot) of many reform plans in the power generation, transmis-
utilized essentially in the diesel power plants in Yemen. For sion, and distribution sectors,
instance, on the off chance that we take the trash to squander • Supporting or subsidizing the idea behind the unit price,
that is gotten by the waste vehicles consistently in Sana’a which leads to different types of consumers’ lack of
city that possesses more than 2,000,000 occupants, this will understanding of electricity consumption.
be approximated by 1000 tons of refuse. This garbage bin
is conveying to disasters to deliver biogas, which is made Secondly, the problems and challenges of renewable
from 60% methane (CH4) and 40% carbon dioxide ( CO2). energy development in Yemen are shown in Fig. 17.
We estimate getting 50 m3 of biogas for each massive load Therefore, it is necessary to upgrade Yemen’s power
of waste. Thus, 1000 tons of garbage will be fit for deliver- industry and work hard to solve the problem of power
ing almost 5000 m3 of biogas each day around the Sana’a shortage according to a well-thought-out plan, to ensure
area; this is equivalent to 30,000 KWh. This creation limit that the Yemeni people have sufficient and sustainable
is assessed to have furnished almost 5000 family units with power. According to the negative impact of the above
6 KWh normal power need (U.S. 2017). obstacles and challenges, Yemen must also take measures
and policies to promote and develop renewable energy pro-
jects, including making up for part of the power shortage
and keeping up with the world’s plans to move to envi-
Challenges of energy and renewable energy ronmentally friendly energy, and also ensure investment
development in Yemen opportunities for domestic and foreign investors in Yemen.
Electricity is the main driving force of the national econ-

omy because it provides the necessary conditions for the
full operation of economic, industrial, commercial, agricul-
tural, and service activities. On the other hand, per capita,
electricity consumption is considered the main indicator to
evaluate the living standard of the people in the country. The
per capita electricity consumption of Yemen’s population is
very low, so the living standard of Yemen is also considered
to be very low, far lower than that of any neighboring Arab
countries, as well as the per capita electricity consumption
can be compared with other Arab countries such as Jordan,
Egypt, and Tunisia.
Yemen has a variety of potential to improve its power
generation, transmission, and distribution capacity, exempli-
fied by the availability of various fuels (fossil and renewable)
to enable the construction of different power plants and the
opportunity to invest in the power generation and distribu-
tion sectors.
However, first and foremost, the current problems and
challenges confronting Yemen’s power sector are as follows: Fig. 17 Challenges and barriers of Yemen’s renewable energy
13
Proposed strategy and solutions to electrify population growth in Yemen by 2050. Yemeni households
the population of Yemen using RES by 2050 consist of an average of 7 individuals; the population map
for Yemen’s households and the projected growth until 2050
In this section, we will examine the various strategies for is calculated and presented in Table 5 and Fig. 19.
meeting Yemen’s power needs. This demand is calculated on
the basis of per capita consumption, which includes house- The expected electricity demand of Yemen’s
hold, industrial, agricultural, and commercial requirements. population by 2050
The required power, as well as its growth, will be forecasted
and mapped out until 2050. Yemen’s people are among the poorest in the world without
access to electricity. This poverty is the result of policies
Population map of the Republic of Yemen by 2050 and decisions to electronically map Yemen, and implement
and manage Yemen projects. According to the 2011 Annual
According to the population census for the year 2014 (Min- Report (PEC) issued by the Ministry of Electricity and
istry of Planning & International Cooperation and (CSO) Energy, the best year for electricity production from 2007 to
2004), annual statistical books of the Ministry of Planning 2011 is 2010. Table 6 shows the production of electricity and
and Statistics (Ministry of Planning & International Cooper- energy according to the results of the 2011 Annual Report.
ation and (CSO) 2011), and Towfick and Abdulraqib (2012), From the above data, the per capita electricity
the population forecast of the Republic of Yemen in 2050 (PEC + private purchase) is about 335 kWh/person/year,
is shown in Table 4. The migration of people from rural to that is, 918 Wh/person/day, which is very low, so the Yem-
urban areas is a problem that must be addressed. This is eni population is once again classified as a low-income
illustrated more clearly in Fig. 18 which shows the expected electricity user. If the above electric energy (918Wh)
is consumed within 10 h/day, it means that the electric
Table 4 Expected population growth of Republic of Yemen up to the Table 5 Expected growth of the Yemeni household population by
year 2050 (millions) 2050
Year Rural population Urban population Total popula- Year Rural household Urban household Total household
(millions) (millions) tion (millions) population (M) population (M) population (M)
2015 19.84 8.99 28.83 2015 2.84 1.28 4.12

2020 22.86 11.37 34.23 2020 3.27 1.62 4.89
2025 26.32 14.3 40.62 2025 3.76 2.04 5.8
2030 31.02 17.22 48.24 2030 4.43 2.46 6.89
2035 35.93 21.38 57.31 2035 5.14 3.05 8.19
2040 41.62 26.5 68.12 2040 5.95 3.78 9.72
2045 48.21 32.68 80.89 2045 6.9 4.66 11.56
2050 55.84 40.27 96.11 2050 7.98 5.75 13.73
Fig. 18 Expected population The Expected Population Growth inYemen by 2050

growth in Yemen up by 2050
Population Growth (M)
100
50
0
2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040
Year 2045
2050
Rural Population Urban Population Total Population
13
Fig. 19 Expected growth of

Yemeni household population The Expected Growth of Yemeni Households Population by 2050
by 2050
Households Population (M)

15
10
0
2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050
Year
Rural Household Population Urban Household Population Total Household Population
Table 6 The 2011 Annual Report of the production of electricity and 595.89 Wh/person/day and 60 W per capita power (Sufian
energy in Yemen 2019).
The production of electricity and energy in 2011 Value
Proposed strategies based on electrical energy
Electrical energy generated by PEC 6400.6 GWh demand
Electrical energy purchased from the private sector 1357.0 GWh
Total electrical energy generated 7757.6 GWh
Based on the electricity map for the Yemeni population as
Electrical energy transmitted to the distribution 7091.7 GWh
projected to 2050 and based on the least requirement, the
network
strategy of the three cases (minimum, medium, and rela-
Combined power generated by PEC 1526 MW
tively high demands) leads to the following projections in
Combined power of purchased energy 280 MW
Table 7. The strategy of case two is almost about 50% of the
Total electrical energy sold 5036 GWh
share of Tunisian/capita in the year 2014 and is almost about
Total population (Central Statistical Organization 23.154 M
CSO) 2.0 kWh/day/capita with a power of 200 W/capita.
Predicted electrical energy consumption for cases 1,

energy obtained by a person is about 92 W, highlighting 2, and 3 by 2050
the low level of electric energy per capita. If the power
generated by PEC is considered as well, the per capita According to the above three strategic assumptions, it is
power is only 276.44 kWh/person/year, corresponding to expected that the electricity map by 2050 will be based on
757.4 Wh/person/day. That means the power is 76 W per the following assumptions: the economic growth will be
capita, which is also very low. If the total electric energy quite small, and the growth of per capita GDP will also
sold is considered at the same time, the electric energy per be very small. Based on these assumptions, the follow-
capita is 217.50 kWh/person/year (the World Bank data in ing Tables 8, 9, and 10 show the projected total power
2014 is 216 kWh/person/year), which is corresponding to and electricity requirements of the Yemeni population
Table 7 The strategy cases with the minimum, medium, and relatively high demand predictions
Cases Average expected electrical Average expected electrical Average expected electrical
energy (kWh/year/per capita) energy (kWh/day/per capita) energy (Wh/10 h/per capita)
Expected, electrical, energy

Strategy of case one (minimum demand) 402kWh/year 1.10kWh/day/capita 110 W/capita
Strategy of case two (medium demand) 730kWh/year 2.0kWh/day/capita 200 W/capita
Strategy of case three (high requirement) 1460kWh/year 4.0KWh/day/capita 400 W/capita
https://www.energycharter.org/fileadmin/DocumentsMedia/Occasional/2019-Yemen_paper_final.pdf
13
Table 8 Predicted electrical Year Total population Total energy consump- Total energy consump- Total power
energy consumption for case (millions) tion/day (GWh) tion/year (TWh) required (GW)
one
2015 28.83 31.75 11.59 3.171
2020 34.23 37.69 13.76 3.766
2025 40.62 44.73 16.33 4.469
2030 48.24 53.12 19.9 5.307
2035 57.31 63.10 23.04 6.305
2040 68.12 75.00 27.38 7.494
2045 80.89 89.1 32.53 8.898
2050 96.11 105.82 38.63 10.573
Table 9 Expected electrical Year Total population Total energy consump- Total energy consump- Total power
two
2015 28.83 57.66 21.05 5.766
2020 34.23 68.46 24.99 6.846
2025 40.62 81.24 29.66 8.124
2030 48.24 99.48 35.22 9.648
2035 57.31 114.62 41.84 11.462
2040 68.12 136.24 49.73 13.624
2045 80.89 161.78 59.05 16.178
2050 96.11 192.23 70.16 19.223
Table 10 Expected electrical Year Total population Total energy consump- Total energy consump- Total power
three
2015 28.83 115.32 42.10 11.532
2020 34.23 136.92 49.98 13.692
2025 40.62 162.48 59.31 16.248
2030 48.24 99.48 70.43 19.296
2035 57.31 229.24 83.68 22.924
2040 68.12 272.48 99.46 27.248
2045 80.89 323.56 118.1 32.356
2050 96.11 384.45 140.32 38.445
by 2050. Figures 20, 21, and 22 graphically illustrate the Electrical power generation in Yemen
expected increase in power consumption. Table 11 and from renewable energy resources wind and solar
Fig. 23 show the total power required for the three strate- by 2050
gic cases by 2050.
The minimum strategy shows that Yemen needs Electrical power is generated either from fossil fuels, which
about 3.766GW of power generation by 2020 and about are classified as unsustainable fuels, or from non-fossil fuels,
10.573GW by 2050 to maintain the minimum demand per which are classified as sustainable or renewable fuels. Using
capita. As of 2014, Yemen’s total installed power capac- non-renewable fuels to generate electricity has a number of
ity is about 1.50 MW. If it can recover after the conflict, drawbacks, including the following:
Yemen will need to immediately install another 2.266 MW
to meet the first strategic case, 5.346 MW to meet the sec- a. Using these fuels to generate electricity requires a lot of
ond strategic case, or about 12.20 MW to meet the third money for exploration activities or purchase, refining,
strategic case. refining, transportation, and storage;
13
Fig. 20 Expected electrical

energy consumption for case Expected Electrical Energy Consumption Strategy of Case one
one
120 Total Population (millions)
100
80 Total Energy
Consumption/day (GWh)
60
40 Total Energy
Consumption/year (TWh)
20
0 Total Power Required (GW)

2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050

energy consumption for case Expected Electrical Energy Consumption Strategy of Case two
two
200 Total Population
(millions)
150
Total Energy
Consumption/day
100 (GWh)
Total Energy
Consumption/year
50 (TWh)
Total Power Required
0 (GW)
2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050

Expected Electrical Energy Cosumption Strategy of Case Three
energy consumption for case
three
400 Total Population (millions)
350
300
250 Total Energy
Consumption/day (GWh)
200
150
Total Energy
100 Consumption/year (TWh)
50
0 Total Power Required (GW)
2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050
b. Converting these fuels into electricity will produce fuel resources at all. However, Yemen is fortunate to have
greenhouse gases and other environmental pollutants; a large number of sustainable fuel resources, such as wind
c. These fuel resources have a specific service life and then and solar energy. These resources are sufficient to gener-
are exhausted. The extracted fuel cannot be replenished ate enough electricity to meet the Yemeni people’s needs
in a year, a decade, or even a hundred years. for centuries. As shown in Table 12, the available poten-
tial energy of wind and solar power generation is about
Unsustainable fossil fuel power generation should be 52886 MW (52.886GW). Using sustainable energy to gen-
resumed only when there are no sustainable or insufficient erate electricity produces much fewer greenhouse gases
13
Table 11 Expected electrical Year Total power required strategy Total power required strategy Total power required
power requirement for strategy case one (GW) case two (GW) strategy case three
cases 1, 2, and 3 (GW)
2015 3.175 5.766 11.532

2020 3.766 6.846 13.692
2025 4.469 8.124 16.248
2030 5.307 9.648 19.296
2035 6.305 11.462 22.924
2040 7.494 13.624 27.248
2045 8.898 16.178 32.356
2050 10.573 19.223 38.445

power requirement for cases 1, Expected Electrical Power Requirement - Strategy Case 1, 2 and 3
2, and 3
40
35
Total Power Required
30 Strategy Case One (GW)
25
20 Total Power Required
Strategy Case Two (GW)
15
10 Total Power Required
Strategy Case Three (GW)
5
0
2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050
and environmental pollution than fossil fuels. Unproductive Table 12 The percentage (%) of total generating capacity from the
greenhouse gases (GHGs) can provide economic benefits for wind and solar resources expected to 2050
Yemen through carbon trading. Yemen will generate annual Year Strategy case one Strategy case two Strategy case three
revenue from carbon trading and the sale of unused fossil
fuels (such as oil and its by-products) and natural gas by 2015 6% 10.90% 21.81%
relying on renewable energy to generate electricity. 2020 7.12% 12.94% 25.89%
2025 8.45% 15.36% 30.72%
The total generating capacity of wind and solar energy is
2030 10.03% 18.24% 36.49%
18600 + 34,286 = 52886 MW (52.886GW). If this amount
2035 11.92% 21.67% 43.35%
is extrapolated to the above three strategic cases, Table 12
2040 14.17% 25.76% 51.52%
and Fig. 24 can be created, showing the percentage (%) of
2045 16.82% 30.59% 61.18%
total wind and solar power expected to be required by Yemen
2050 20% 36.35% 72.69%
according to strategic cases 1, 2, and 3.
Table 12 shows that according to strategy case three the
electrical power required in 2030 is 19.296GW (Table 11)
and the amount of wind and solar energy available is case one, the total power required by Yemen’s population
52.886GW, which means only about 36% will be used in 2030 is (5.307GW) and will only account for about 10%
to provide electricity for the whole Yemeni population. of the total available power of 52.886GW of wind and solar
Therefore, the remaining power of wind and solar energy is power, with the remaining power of 47.579GW. In each of
about 33.59GW and according to case two, the total power the three strategy scenarios in 2050, Table 12 shows the
required which is 9.648GW needed by the Yemeni popula- amount of power required for the Yemeni population that
tion in 2030 only accounted for about 18% of the total avail- can be connected to the national grid as a percentage (%) of
able power of 52.886GW of wind and solar power, and the the power estimated to be obtainable from wind and solar
remaining power is 43.238GW. As well as the strategy of energies.
13
Fig. 24 The percentage (%) of

total generating capacity from The expected percentage (%) of total wind and solar power
the wind and solar resources
expected to 2050
80%
Strategy Case One
60%
Strategy Case Two
40%
Strategy Case Three
20%
0%
2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050
The advantages of using renewable electricity include increase slowly. Strategy (1) is to supply 1.10 kWh/day/cap-
reduced emissions, reduced energy loss, reduced power lines ita. Strategy (2) is to supply 2 kWh/day/ capita, which is 50%
and equipment, and lower capital costs due to the use of lower of the average electrical energy/capita of other Arab coun-
capacity equipment (such as a transformer capacity reduction tries. Strategy (3) is to electrify 4 kWh/day/capita, which is
of 50 kW per MW installed). Renewable energy sources such about 50% of the world average electrical energy/capita. A
as wind, solar, and geothermal are abundant in Yemen. This total of 25% of the population in Yemen is in urban areas,
means that the country can develop large power generation and 75% is rural. Yemen has low electricity access, which
projects as well as decentralized systems to meet the energy about 85% urban and 23% rural population can access. The
needs of rural and remote communities. Renewable energy is government classified those people who live in the rural area
a rapidly evolving technology today. into four types based on the ability to access the national
In fact, we will focus on solar and wind energy as a solu- electricity grid. The first type has easy access to the grid,
tion for Yemen’s power sector in this work for several reasons: the second can access the grid with a slightly higher cost,
the third can access the grid with a high cost, and the fourth
• It is a source of energy that is both renewable and limitless. has a high cost and is difficult to access the grid. The study is
• Only 23% of Yemenis living in rural areas where the being developed to design various configurations of micro-
national grid system is unavailable in most villages have grid energy systems including PV and wind turbine (WT)
access to electricity; about 10–14% are connected to the for electrifying a diverse range of consumers in Yemen as
national grid system, and the rest are estimated to have shown in Fig. 25. The simulation results and discussions
access from other sources, such as a diesel generator or a of the two different configurations of the hybrid renewable
few solar panels. energy systems are introduced below.
• Yemen has one of the highest levels of solar radiation in the
world, increased solar irradiation availability throughout PV/BES on grid system
the year.
• Yemen has a long coastline and high altitudes of 3677 m Figure 26 depicts the first configuration of the consid-
above sea level, making it an ideal location for wind energy ered grid-connected hybrid PV/BES systems. The system
generation, with an estimated 4.1 h of full-load wind per consists of a PV array (PV gen.) interfaced to the DC bus
day. The wind energy can be converted into mechanical through a boost DC/DC converter with a maximum power
and electrical energy, and it could be a viable option for point tracking (MPPT) controller. The MPPT maximum was
bolstering the electricity power sector. It is important to implemented via the boost converter by means of a Sim-
note that this energy is a volatile source of energy. ulink model using the “Incremental Conductance + Integral
Regulator” technique (Al-Wesabi et al. 2022a) (Ibrahim
et al. 2020) (Farh et al. 2018). The voltage source converter
Configuration and design of proposed (VSC) facilitates the MPPT operation through regulation of
hybrid renewable energy systems the DC bus voltage as well as transfer of power from the DC
bus to the utility grid. In addition, the VSC provides syn-
As mentioned in Table 7, the Government of Yemen (GOY) chronization of the PV system with the grid during startup
has established long-term strategies in the energy sector, or reconnection after system islanding (Alturki et al. 2021)
considering the hypothesis that the economic and the GDP (Farh et al. 2020) (Al-Shamma’a et al. 2020).
13
Fig. 25 Schematic diagram of

different off and on grid renew-
able energy systems. a PV/BES
on grid system. b PV/WT and
BES off grid system
(a) (b)
Fig. 26 Schematic diagram of on grid renewable energy systems
As shown in Fig. 26, BES is used to enhance DC bus to the utility grid in which in this case the utility grid net-
voltage regulation where it is interfaced via a bidirectional work is based on a standard medium voltage distribution
buck-boost converter (BES conv.) that controls the charge/ system (Al-Wesabi et al. 2022b) (Farh and Eltamaly 2020).
discharge processes during severe operating conditions such Three cases are considered for analyzing the system
as abrupt changes in solar irradiation level and fault occur- performance under different test conditions and Standard
rences. From the VSC AC output terminals, the hybrid sub- Test Condition (STC). First, it is assumed that the 100 kW
system is connected to the utility grid at the PCC through PV solar system operates with 1000 W/m2 radiations and
a low-pass filter and an interconnection transformer that is 25 °C temperatures. Second the system is also tested under
represented by an inductor. These components are respon- 250 W/m2 radiations and 25 °C temperatures which gener-
sible for filtering harmonics and isolating the entire system ates 24.4 kW, and the system is also tested under 1000 W/
from the utility grid. The transformer steps up the voltage m2 radiations and 50 °C temperature as the third case to
level of the PV system from low level voltage to high level generate 92.9 kW. The model parameters are adjustable to
and vice versa. The PV/BES system injects total power, PG, work with various solar radiations. The simulation results of
13
all cases are shown in Fig. 27. If PPV < Pload, in this case, the The PV power generation is maximum, that is, 400 W,
battery is discharged to provide the additional needed power as seen from Fig. 29, and wind power is maximum, that
to load, and the DC current output of the BES is indeed is, 400 W. Different powers—PV power, wind power, load
positive. The main grid also works normally to feed the load power and battery power changing with time (s) as obtained
deficit. But if PPV > Pload, then, the PV DC current output is from simulation—are shown in Fig. 29. It is analyzed from
higher, and the battery is in charging mode. Thus, the BESS the simulation results that power generation from PV and
current is negative with excess power to the utility grid. As wind system always meets the load demand.
the consequence of power feeding to the grid network, the
current amplitude of both the inverter and external grid is
higher in comparison to the case of PPV < Pload. Conclusions and recommendations
PV/WT and BES off grid system This paper provides detailed insight on the Yemeni national
energy profile, energy use, and energy services in rural
The PV/WT and BES off grid system shown in Fig. 28 areas. Furthermore, it shows the energy consumption
comprises of PV system, permanent magnet synchronous through transportation, electricity, and other different sec-
machine–based wind systems, and battery storage. The PV tors. It also provides basic information on electricity produc-
and wind systems have their own DC-DC buck converter tion, consumption, and consumer categories. In addition,
equipped with PID controller. The battery system has its this paper examines various renewable energy sources such
CCCV battery charger. The battery is charged or discharged as solar energy, wind energy, biomass, and geothermal in the
depending on the availability of excess or shortage of power. sampled nation. Furthermore, the study shows that Yemen is
The maximum power ratings of PV and wind systems con- rich in solar radiation and wind speeds, where all the regions
sidered here are 400 W and 400 W respectively and battery in the country are characterized by the availability of these
rating taken here is 373 W. The various components of the two resources. Additionally, this paper proposed three case
PV/WT and BES off grid system with the proposed control- strategies to electrify the entire Yemeni population (rural
ler are simulated in MATLAB/Simulink as shown in Fig. 29. and urban) by 2050. Finally, the study is developed to design
Fig. 27 The simulation output results of on grid renewable energy systems
13
Fig. 28 Schematic diagram of off grid renewable energy systems
Fig. 29 The simulation output results of off grid renewable energy systems
different configurations of off/on hybrid energy systems This study showed that Yemen could access sustainable,
including PV, WT, and battery for supply power to vari- clean, and renewable energy sources. It is logical that fossil
ous consumer categories in Yemen under three scenarios of fuels have better and more valuable applications than heat-
energy strategies. ing and lighting. Yemen, despite remaining a key supplier of
13
crude oil and discovering and developing new oil reserves, The Public Electricity Cooperation (PEC) and the Min-
has adequate and strong incentives to explore renewable and istry of electricity and Energy (MOEE) are advised to pay
sustainable solutions. High gasoline costs are now having a attention to the following recommendations and ensure
significant impact on food prices and other macroeconomic that they are implemented to enable vision 2050 become
indices because of the conflict, and the government should a reality.
look for better ways to alleviate public discontent. Although
the government should strive to be a part of international • Improve the efficiency of the electric energy industry
agreements and environmental regulations, such as the by carrying out routine and periodical maintenance of
Kyoto and Paris agreements, to focus CO2 emissions reduc- the electricity sub-sectors (generation, transmission,
tion, there is still a commitment to reduce C O2 emissions and distribution)
and preparing Yemen’s infrastructure for clean energy use. • Providing necessary training and employing techni-
The future of renewable energies appears to be unclear in cal engineers, especially those with knowledge about
general, at least in terms of the efficiency of government generating electricity from renewable or sustainable
policies. Although certain policies appear to assist some primary energies
individuals more than others (for example, the usage of solar • Strive to achieve high reliability of the three sub-sec-
panels in remote rural regions), the overall prospects of these tors in all cases, especially the grid transmission net-
policies have been minimal. Now, renewable energy tech- work, so that Yemen can connect with the transmission
nologies do not play a significant or suitable part in Yemen’s network of neighboring countries
energy supply. This has also happened in another nation with • Increase power generation by building new power
abundant energy resources, i.e., Saudi Arabia (Amran et al. plants using natural gas, wind, geothermal, and solar
2020). The key obstacles to renewable energy development energy
in Yemen include the absence of appropriate and effective • Encourage investment in the electric power generation
government policies, international sanctions, and low public and power distribution sectors
awareness. • Develop enabling investment policies for the Yemeni
When the energy mix is examined more closely, the deci- power industry to encourage internal and external inves-
sion to use more fossil fuels, particularly natural gas, even tors
if they are less ecologically friendly, appears to contradict • Formulate policies to regulate electricity power genera-
the goal of lowering greenhouse gas emissions and under- tion and power supply
mining energy security. The current Yemeni policy for the • Prepare technical research to achieve future electrical
development of renewable energy sources can be considered interconnection with neighboring countries and realize
a step in the right direction, but a more active approach to sustainable power supply for consumers
developing potential renewable energies, such as biomass, is • Implementing strict control for household and industry
required. Under the current framework, the implementation appliances to achieve efficient and economic power con-
of solar, biomass, wind, and thermal exploitation techniques sumption.
can be facilitated in key government entities. Yemen, a
country with abundant fossil fuel resources, requires proper The proposed energy efficiency strategy is advised to be
regulations and guidelines for the future development of adhered to before investing into this sector. While imple-
renewable energy, as well as reduced international barri- menting the use of renewable energy, the main policy objec-
ers to the use of sophisticated technology and knowledge tives are as follows:
of other countries’ renewable energy experiences. At the
local level, it is necessary to invest a significant portion of • Optimize the utilization of domestic energy resources,
crude oil export profits in a variety of high potential renew- prevent the increased dependence on fossil fuel energy
able energy sources to prepare for a future without fossil imports in the future, and improve the security of energy
energy resources. To attract private investors, it is neces- supply (energy security),
sary to reduce energy subsidies, raise public awareness, and • Increase the share of renewable energy in power genera-
provide meaningful and appropriate incentives. Salam and tion (from the interconnected national power grid, to iso-
Khan (2018) also demonstrated that raising public awareness lated power grid, and to household level) by diversifying
through the media is critical for Saudi Arabia’s renewable the national energy structure.
energy development. The usage of a wind–solar hybrid plant • Improving the national environmental situation through
to generate both energy more effectively than single power greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction
plants is also recommended. Mohammed (2018) and March- • Ensuring sustainable rural development, and economic
enko and Solomin (2018) both proposed a hybrid renewable growth by promoting access to decentralized renewable
energy system for Iraq and Russia, respectively. energy conversion technologies that will be integrated
13
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Acknowledgements I would like to express my very great appreciation pects of the energy sector in Yemen ministry of electricity &
to Prof Fang Zhijian, Dr. Hassan M. Hussein Farh, Prof Khaled Ameur, energy. In Korea–Yemen Energy Forum
and Abdullrahman A. Al-Shamma’a for their valuable and construc- Al-Shamma’a AA, Alturki FA, Farh HMH (2020) Techno-economic
tive suggestions during the planning and development of this research assessment for energy transition from diesel-based to hybrid
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Author contribution Each of the authors made an equal contribution. tion of small villages in rural area in Yemen using stand-alone
Conceptualization: I.A.-W., Z.F; methodology: I.A.-W; software: I.A.- PV system. International Journal of Renewable Energy Research
W.; validation: Z.F. and C.P.B.; formal analysis, investigation: H.L.D; (IJRER) 6(1):289–298
resources: Z.F.; data curation: I.A.-W.; writing—original draft prepara- Al-Shetwi AQ, Hannan MA, Abdullah MA, Rahman MSA, Ker PJ,
tion: I.A.-W., Z.F. and C.P.B.; writing—review and editing: I.A.-W., Alkahtani AA, Muttaqi KM (2021) Utilization of Renewable
H.L.D.; visualization: H.L.D.; supervision: Z.F.; funding acquisition: Energy for Power Sector in Yemen: Current Status and Potential
Z.F. C.P.B was in charge of the overall formatting of the paper. The Capabilities. IEEE Access 9:79278–79292
paper has been read and approved by all authors. Al-Wesabi I, Fang Z, Farh HMH et al (2022a) Cuckoo search combined
with PID controller for maximum power extraction of partially
Funding The project was supported by the Open Funds for Hubei Key shaded photovoltaic system. Energies 15:2513. https://doi.org/10.
Laboratory of Marine Geological Resources, China University of Geo- 3390/en15072513
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control for dynamic instabilities in dc-link voltage of standalone
Data availability On request, data will be made available. photovoltaic systems with a small capacitor. Electron 11. https://
doi.org/10.3390/electronics11010133
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Declarations barriers and solutions for Yemen energy crisis to adopt green
and sustainable practices: a fuzzy multi-criteria analysis. Envi-
Ethics approval and consent to participate Not applicable. ron Sci Pollut Res 27:36765–36781. https://doi.org/10.1007/
s11356-020-09700-5
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tal study of using renewable energy in Yemen. Aust J Basic Appl
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A review of Yemen’s current energy situation, challenges, strategies, and

Article in Environmental Science and Pollution Research · June 2022

Ibrahim Al-Wesabi Philip Chukwunonso Bosah

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A review of Yemen’s current energy situation, challenges, strategies,

Received: 24 September 2021 / Accepted: 5 June 2022

Introduction government is committed to economic reform, hoping that

Fig. 1 Location of the Republic

Electricity consumption by household 3.90% Electricity consumption by sectors

Fig. 4 Yemen’s electrical transmission network system

Table 1 Electrical power generation capacity existing in Yemen (2018)

Marib 1 3 3 GT Gas Pipeline 340.5 340.5 SIEMENS 2010

Shehr 5 5 DG Diesel Truck 13 2 3 MAK 1987

The planned generating capacity and actual electricity

Status of energy type and proportion of power

Table 2 Generation investment plan, Yemen

Ma’rib II OCGT to CCGT​ 352 to 528 2013 to 2019

is rebuilt from the ground (solar energy). Then, the solu-

Yemen is dealing with the dilemma of energy networks

1 generation capacity and even fuel delivery challenges from

Year The development prospect of potential

the theoretical solar electricity potential using concentrated

Renewable energy supply, 2018 Technical potentials

Wind energy 308,722 123,429 34,286

Yemen’s future renewable energy mix up to 2025 Solar energy resources

Fig. 12 The average temperature of mountainous areas

Current Installed Capacity

Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy

All of these obstacles motivate us to show that decentralized

25 solar energy resources in the Republic of Yemen (Annual

Wind energy resources

Fig. 14 The distribution of solar energy resources in Yemen

The install capacity and the electricity generation by the

Fig. 16 The annual wind veloc-

Sana'a Aden Taiz Months

Biomass energy resources • Financial and administrative corruption,

Electricity is the main driving force of the national econ-

2015 19.84 8.99 28.83 2015 2.84 1.28 4.12

Fig. 18 Expected population The Expected Population Growth inYemen by 2050

Rural Population Urban Population Total Population

Fig. 19 Expected growth of

Households Population (M)

Rural Household Population Urban Household Population Total Household Population

Predicted electrical energy consumption for cases 1,

Expected, electrical, energy

Fig. 20 Expected electrical

0 Total Power Required (GW)

Fig. 21 Expected electrical

Fig. 22 Expected electrical

2015 3.175 5.766 11.532

Fig. 23 Expected electrical

Fig. 24 The percentage (%) of

Fig. 25 Schematic diagram of

Fig. 26 Schematic diagram of on grid renewable energy systems

Fig. 27 The simulation output results of on grid renewable energy systems

Fig. 28 Schematic diagram of off grid renewable energy systems

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Ma’rib II OCGT to CCGT 352 to 528 2013 to 2019