In the Middle East, in recent times there has been a growing trend to develop renewable energy systems in the world’s oil-producing heartland.

Production began in March at one of the first solar power plants connected to a storage facility in the region. The Al Badiya plant at Al - Mafraq in Jordan combines a 23 megawatt (MW) solar farm using lithium - ion batteries with a 12.6 MWh storage capacity.

This is one of the many regional green energy plants to go live. In February, "the world’s largest virtual battery plant" in the city of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, was turned on. This plant can store 648 MWh to balance demand on the grid and keep the city supplied for up to six hours in the event of an outage.

This launch was followed by the hot start of what is claimed to be the world's largest solar plant, the Noor Abu Dhabi. At 1,177 MW it has twice the amount of capacity compared to the previous record holder, the 550 MW Desert Sunlight solar farm in California.

Last year, in its huge Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park, Dubai completed a major battery storage facility. And in May last year, Lebanon opened its energy market to allow solar and wind power companies in the private sector to sell electricity to the grid.The goal is to end the dependence of the country on oil to generate electricity.

So why is the oil-rich Middle East, which still generates most of its electricity from fossil fuels, becoming so keen on green alternatives? The simple and obvious fact is that as climate change takes its toll ,leaders are calling for adaptation with the world shifting towards renewables, as well as the eventual depletion of oil production as finite fossil fuel resources decline over the century.

The region has high levels of sunshine, making it an attractive destination for solar powered plants . Dubai also commissioned the construction of a hydroelectric power station at the Hatta Dam in the Hajar Mountains. During off - peak times, solar energy will be used to pump water into a high - level reservoir and stored water will be released during the peaks to power the hydroelectric plant.

The UAE is channeling its substantial oil revenues into alternative energy. By 2030 it plans to invest $160 billion on renewables, with its aim of producing two-thirds of its electricity from carbon-free sources by the middle of the century.

The World Economic Forum published a white paper last year calling for the elimination of regulatory barriers to increase innovation in sustainable energy generation.