Photovoltaics competitiveness in Middle East and North Africa countries the European project PV PARITY.

Ambitious targets have been set by the EU Directive 2009/28/EC and the high renewable energy scenario presented in Energy Roadmap 2050 by the European Commission. In order to reach these targets it is required detailed analysis on the competitiveness of photovoltaics (PV) electricity. The PV PARITY project, which is supported by the European Commission in the frame of the Intelligent Energy for Europe programme, scopes to provide the necessary support to the policy-makers in order to ensure a sustainable policy framework for the PV sector. Its main tasks are: (i) definition of PV competitiveness; (ii) roadmaps to PV grid parity; (iii) definition of the relevance of PV electricity import from Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries; and (iv) cost/benefits of the PV network integration. The current paper presents briefly the main methodology putting emphasis on the role of MENA countries in the PV competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]