Renewable energy sources: A Mediterranean perspective

Southern Mediterranean countries are growing very fast. Globally, the evolution of economic and social indicators in the area is positive, since significant progresses have been registered in the field of economic as well as human development. While conventional energy resource endowments greatly differ between countries, they all face increasing local and global environmental constraints. On the other hand, the Mediterranean region is endowed with a high potentiality of renewable energy resources. However, the full potential and advantages of renewable sources are currently hindered in the region due to the existence of several constraints, amongst which the most relevant are the institutional barriers and the price of fossil fuels that do not always reflect their actual costs. Anyway, the current development process in the southern Mediterranean countries is thus not sustainable on the long term. In order of getting such important goal, several actions and new policies should take place. With this aim, this paper will focus on renewable energies development in the southern Mediterranean countries. A special attention will be moreover paid to energy efficiency that is closely linked to any sustainable use of energy.