IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/pra/mprapa/124039.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

From Crisis to Opportunity: Advancing Solar Energy in Lebanon Through Effective Policymaking

Author

Listed:
  • dagher, Leila
  • Diab, Sara
  • Zwein, Razan

Abstract

Lebanon faces an enduring energy crisis, characterized by persistent electricity shortages and an overreliance on polluting self-generation methods, particularly in urban areas like Beirut. Despite the lack of proper policy support, solar electricity adoption has increased significantly since 2020. This rise is driven primarily by the widespread distrust in the public utility and government, reduced costs, and growing public awareness of pollution and health concerns. This policy brief proposes reducing import red tape measures and exempting solar panels and related accessories from customs and VAT taxes. This initiative aims to encourage the adoption of renewable energy solutions, reduce pollution, and alleviate the electricity supply crisis, thereby contributing to a more sustainable and resilient energy future for Lebanon. Additionally, the brief addresses issues of equity and the just transition to renewables, ensuring that the benefits of solar energy are accessible to all segments of society, particularly vulnerable populations. By implementing these measures, Lebanon can promote an inclusive and fair energy transition, enhancing the quality of life for its citizens and mitigating the environmental impact of its energy consumption.

Suggested Citation

  • dagher, Leila & Diab, Sara & Zwein, Razan, 2025. "From Crisis to Opportunity: Advancing Solar Energy in Lebanon Through Effective Policymaking," MPRA Paper 124039, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:124039
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/124039/1/MPRA_paper_124039.pdf
    File Function: original version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Moore, Henrietta L. & Collins, Hannah, 2020. "Decentralised renewable energy and prosperity for Lebanon," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    2. Olleik, Majd & Auer, Hans & Nasr, Rawad, 2021. "A petroleum upstream production sharing contract with investments in renewable energy: The case of Lebanon," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    3. Kinab, E. & Elkhoury, M., 2012. "Renewable energy use in Lebanon: Barriers and solutions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(7), pages 4422-4431.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Elie Bouri & Joseph El Assad, 2016. "The Lebanese Electricity Woes: An Estimation of the Economical Costs of Power Interruptions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-12, July.
    2. Kinab, Elias & Khoury, Georges, 2015. "Management of olive solid waste in Lebanon: From mill to stove," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 209-216.
    3. Merheb, Caroline, 2024. "Why should imminent international funds for solar photovoltaics go to families and the private sector and not to the government to stop the electricity crisis in Lebanon?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    4. Strazzera, Elisabetta & Statzu, Vania, 2017. "Fostering photovoltaic technologies in Mediterranean cities: Consumers’ demand and social acceptance," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 102(PB), pages 361-371.
    5. Stephan, André & Stephan, Laurent, 2020. "Achieving net zero life cycle primary energy and greenhouse gas emissions apartment buildings in a Mediterranean climate," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    6. Karatayev, Marat & Hall, Stephen & Kalyuzhnova, Yelena & Clarke, Michèle L., 2016. "Renewable energy technology uptake in Kazakhstan: Policy drivers and barriers in a transitional economy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 120-136.
    7. Bao, Chao & Fang, Chuang-lin, 2013. "Geographical and environmental perspectives for the sustainable development of renewable energy in urbanizing China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 464-474.
    8. Ahmad, Ali, 2021. "Distributed energy cost recovery for a fragile utility: The case of Électricité du Liban," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    9. Iskander Tlili, 2015. "Renewable energy in Saudi Arabia: current status and future potentials," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 859-886, August.
    10. Hasan Mahmud & Joyashree Roy, 2021. "Barriers to Overcome in Accelerating Renewable Energy Penetration in Bangladesh," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-28, July.
    11. Diao, Rui & Li, Shanshan & Deng, Jingjing & Zhu, Xifeng, 2021. "Interaction and kinetic analysis of co-gasification of bituminous coal with walnut shell under CO2 atmosphere: Effect of inorganics and carbon structures," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 177-187.
    12. Zhang, Qianxiao & Shah, Syed Ale Raza & Yang, Ling, 2022. "Modeling the effect of disaggregated renewable energies on ecological footprint in E5 economies: Do economic growth and R&D matter?," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 310(C).
    13. Olleik, Majd & Tarhini, Hussein & Auer, Hans, 2025. "Integrating upstream natural gas and electricity planning in times of energy transition," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 377(PB).
    14. Yaqoot, Mohammed & Diwan, Parag & Kandpal, Tara C., 2016. "Review of barriers to the dissemination of decentralized renewable energy systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 477-490.
    15. Olleik, Majd & Auer, Hans & Nasr, Rawad, 2021. "A petroleum upstream production sharing contract with investments in renewable energy: The case of Lebanon," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    16. Suarez, Ronny, 2019. "Identification of Barriers that Affect Panama NDC Target," MPRA Paper 97110, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Przychodzen, Wojciech & Przychodzen, Justyna, 2020. "Determinants of renewable energy production in transition economies: A panel data approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    18. Houda Elmustapha & Thomas Hoppe, 2020. "Challenges and Opportunities of Business Models in Sustainable Transitions: Evidence from Solar Energy Niche Development in Lebanon," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-18, February.
    19. Alix Chaplain & Éric Verdeil, 2023. "Governing Hybridized Electricity Systems: The Case of Decentralized Electricity in Lebanon," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03814475, HAL.
    20. Mansour, Charbel J. & Haddad, Marc G., 2017. "Well-to-wheel assessment for informing transition strategies to low-carbon fuel-vehicles in developing countries dependent on fuel imports: A case-study of road transport in Lebanon," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 167-181.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    lebanon; electricity; renewable energy; solar;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q42 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Alternative Energy Sources
    • Q48 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Government Policy

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:124039. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joachim Winter (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/vfmunde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.