Jordan’s renewable energy sector has moved from a small collection of demonstration projects to a major part of the national electricity system. Solar and wind now provide approximately 27% of the country’s electricity, compared with only a very small contribution a decade ago. That change has reduced the amount of imported fuel needed for power generation and given Jordan one of the more developed renewable markets in the Middle East.
The country’s next stage will be more difficult than its first. Jordan has already built substantial generating capacity in areas with strong solar radiation and useful wind resources. The central question is no longer whether renewable energy can work in Jordan. It is whether the electricity network, energy-storage system and power market can use a larger volume of variable generation without increasing curtailment or financial pressure on the national electricity sector.
Solar Power Became a National Energy-Security Tool
Jordan has few commercially developed domestic fossil-fuel resources and has historically depended heavily on imported energy. This made the country vulnerable to changes in regional supply, international prices and the availability of imported natural gas and petroleum products.
Solar power offered a domestic resource that could be developed relatively quickly. Jordan lies within a region of strong solar irradiation, while large areas outside the main urban centres provide suitable land for photovoltaic development. Utility-scale projects expanded after the government introduced renewable-energy legislation, direct proposal procedures and long-term power-purchase agreements.
Solar plants were developed in locations including Ma’an and other parts of southern Jordan, where strong sunlight and available land supported large projects. Additional capacity appeared around industrial areas and in northern and eastern governorates. By the end of 2022, Jordan had approximately 1.97 GW of installed solar photovoltaic capacity.
The expansion was not limited to large power stations. Households, universities, hospitals, hotels, factories and commercial buildings installed rooftop and ground-mounted systems through net-metering and wheeling arrangements. Under wheeling, electricity generated at one location could be credited against consumption at another point on the network. This made renewable energy particularly attractive to companies seeking relief from relatively high electricity costs.
Distributed generation therefore became an important part of Jordan’s renewable market rather than a minor addition to utility-scale development. More than 1 GW of renewable capacity was operating through net-metering or wheeling arrangements by the end of 2022.
This growth produced clear benefits for consumers, but it also changed the economics of the electricity system. Large users that generated more of their own electricity purchased less power from the grid, while the national system still had to maintain transmission, distribution and backup generation. Future policy must balance the interests of renewable-energy users with the cost of maintaining a reliable national network.
Wind Power Adds Generation Beyond the Midday Solar Peak
Solar dominates Jordan’s installed renewable capacity, but wind power provides an important second source of low-carbon electricity. Approximately 610 MW of wind capacity was operating by the end of 2022.
The southern highlands contain some of the country’s strongest wind resources. Projects near Tafila, Ma’an and other elevated areas benefit from wind conditions created by Jordan’s geography. Wind farms can generate electricity during periods when solar production is low, although output still varies according to weather conditions.
Jordan’s early wind developments also demonstrated that international developers, equipment suppliers and development banks were willing to finance renewable projects in the country. Long-term power-purchase agreements gave investors predictable revenue, while government and international financing institutions helped reduce political, regulatory and construction risks.
The combination of solar and wind is more useful than dependence on either technology alone. However, the two resources do not automatically create a balanced electricity system. Jordan still requires flexible generation, energy storage, stronger interconnections and improved demand management to respond to changes in renewable output.
Wind development is also more location-specific than solar power. Suitable sites need strong resources, access roads, transmission connections and enough distance from settlements or environmentally sensitive areas. Future wind growth will therefore depend heavily on coordinated land and network planning.
Jordan’s Renewable Constraint Has Shifted to the Grid
The speed of renewable development placed pressure on Jordan’s transmission system. Many of the country’s best solar and wind locations are in the south or northeast, while the largest concentration of electricity demand is around Amman, Zarqa and other central and northern urban areas.
Jordan responded by developing the Green Corridor, which included more than 200 kilometres of high-voltage transmission lines and new substations. The project improved the movement of renewable electricity from southern generation centres toward the country’s main areas of consumption.
That capacity has now been largely allocated. Further renewable growth requires another period of grid investment, particularly around Mafraq and the northeastern part of the country. Without additional lines, substations and system-control equipment, Jordan risks producing renewable electricity that cannot be transferred to consumers when it is available.
Curtailment is therefore becoming one of the sector’s defining issues. Curtailment occurs when a solar or wind plant is technically able to generate electricity but is instructed to reduce output because the network cannot accept the power or because electricity supply exceeds demand at that moment.
A major transmission expansion known as the Eastern Green Corridor is intended to reduce this risk. Its first phase includes a new 400-kilovolt substation and related transmission infrastructure in northern Jordan. The project is expected to reduce hundreds of gigawatt-hours of curtailed renewable production while opening space for additional capacity.
This changes the nature of renewable investment in Jordan. The most valuable projects may no longer be the plants with the largest number of solar panels. Transmission lines, digital grid controls, batteries and flexible demand could have greater strategic importance because they allow existing renewable assets to operate more effectively.
Storage Will Determine How Much More Solar Jordan Can Use
Jordan’s electricity demand does not always match the country’s solar production profile. Photovoltaic generation rises during the day and falls rapidly in the evening, while household demand often remains high after sunset. During periods of low daytime consumption, the system can have more renewable electricity than it can use efficiently.
Battery storage can absorb part of this surplus and release it later. Larger storage systems could also support frequency control, reduce sudden changes in power flows and limit the need to keep conventional plants operating solely as reserve capacity.
The government has included storage projects in its renewable and electricity-sector plans. Storage can be added to utility-scale renewable plants, substations, industrial facilities and distributed solar installations. Pumped-storage hydropower has also been considered, although Jordan’s geography and limited water resources make conventional hydroelectric development difficult.
Electricity interconnections offer another source of flexibility. Jordan is connected to neighbouring power systems and has sought to strengthen exchanges with countries including Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Stronger regional links could allow Jordan to export renewable electricity during periods of surplus and import power when domestic supply is under pressure.
Interconnection projects still depend on commercial agreements, regional stability and compatible electricity-market rules. They cannot replace domestic grid investment, but they can make a renewable-heavy system easier to operate.
Renewable Energy Is Expanding Beyond Electricity
Jordan increasingly views renewable power as an input for other sectors. Green hydrogen is the most prominent example. The government is developing a national strategy intended to attract projects that use renewable electricity to produce hydrogen and hydrogen-derived products such as ammonia or methanol.
The country’s position near regional ports and international shipping routes creates potential links to export markets. Green hydrogen could also serve domestic industries that require fuels or chemical feedstocks that are difficult to replace with direct electrification.
Commercial development will depend on several difficult factors. Electrolysers require large amounts of low-cost electricity, while hydrogen production also needs a reliable water supply. Jordan is one of the world’s most water-constrained countries, meaning that desalination, water treatment and careful resource planning would need to be incorporated into major projects.
The government expects initial green-hydrogen production to begin around 2030, but the sector remains less mature than solar and wind generation. Its importance in the near term may be its ability to attract investment in new renewable capacity, storage and export infrastructure.
The Next Renewable Phase Is About System Value
Jordan plans to raise renewable energy’s contribution to more than 30% of electricity generation by 2030 and eventually move toward a much larger share. The near-term target is modest compared with the expansion already achieved, reflecting the fact that the easiest phase of development has ended.
Additional solar and wind plants remain important, but their value will depend on when and where they generate electricity. Projects connected to storage, industrial demand or new transmission capacity will offer more system value than isolated generation built in areas where the grid is already congested.
Jordan’s renewable transition has already changed the national electricity mix. The next stage depends on converting renewable capacity into dependable, economically useful energy. Grid expansion, storage, regional electricity trade and stronger coordination between private generation and national system planning will determine how far the country can move beyond its current 27% share.
