Middle East Research and Information Project

Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

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Natalie Koch

Natalie Koch is Professor of Geography at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Desert Solar—A Spectacular Fiction, Not a Spectacular Future
Rendering of the Al Maktoum Solar Park distributed for official publications by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.Cover of the Middle East Solar Industry Association’s Solar Outlook Report 2019, with a view of Morocco’s Noor Laayoune Solar PV Park.Masdar Future Energy display at COP28. Author’s photo, December 2023.Portrait of Mustapha, the man responsible for the distribution of water in the oasis. January 2021, Tighmert, Morocco. By artist Seif Kousmate, from his project Waha about the relationship of humans to the environment in oases. Mixed technique using fire on a paper print.
MER Article

Desert Solar—A Spectacular Fiction, Not a Spectacular Future

On the visual power, and pitfalls, of solar mega projects.
Natalie Koch • 10 min read