"Burning Oil to Keep Cool - The Hidden Energy Crisis in Saudi Arabia", stated that "Saudi Arabia's place in the world oil market is threatened by unrestrained domestic fuel consumption. In an economy dominated by fossil fuels and dependent on the export of oil, current patterns of energy demand are not only wasting valuable resources and causing excessive pollution, but also rendering the country vulnerable to economic and social crises." The report foreshadowed the inevitable economic and social challenges we see unfolding today in Saudi Arabia.

The Bloomberg follow-up story to their interview with the Saudi Arabia Crown Prince last week highlights that "changes to subsidies and new taxes and fees may be good for government coffers, but they also mean that Saudis, foreign residents and companies will need to cough up more money in a country where the population has grown accustomed to government largesse". While this may be painful in the short term we may finally see the launch of meaningful solar energy policies and program in Saudi Arabia and the region. For the last decade Saudi Arabia has been the regional "elephant in the room" solar powerhouse that never materialized.

As outlined in the 2011 Chatham House Report ,Saudi Arabia and the region face specific challenges including "reversing a history of low energy prices and vested interests in low prices; managing the transition to higher prices, especially for low-income groups; making energy conservation policy coherent and effective, given the vertical structure of

government and lack of channels for societal feedback; and 

convincing the public that such measures are necessary when oil and gas reserves are so abundant."

Jeremy Leggets recent op-ed in Saudi Arabia's national finance daily, Al_Eqtissadaih, discusses how the opportunity for solar energy in Saudi Arabia has now become inevitable. Recent solar program announcements from Oman, Kuwait, and the UAE signal the potential beginning of Solar 2.0 in the GCC and Mena region.  Solar energy accounted for 227 GW of the global renewable renewable energy capacity with the Middle East representing 1% of the global share. IRENA recently reported that renewable power generation capacity grew 8.3% in 2015, the highest rate ever recorded. The Middle East grew 7.8%  with almost all of the growth in 2015 coming from increases in solar photovoltaic capacity. In the end there will be more "winners" than "losers" from the growth of solar energy utilization in the region. I hope that regional governments will have the political will to curtail domestic energy subsidies and allow real market conditions to drive solar energy development.