Lina Al-Mustafa

A Jordanian environmental leader advancing renewable energy in the Middle East

Lina Al-Mustafa: Lighting Up the Desert with Solar Power

Lina Al-Mustafa, born in Amman, Jordan in 1978, is a trailblazer in renewable energy whose work has positioned Jordan as a regional leader in solar power adoption. In 2002, she founded Jordan Renewable Energy Initiative (JREI), a nonprofit that designed affordable solar solutions for rural communities. Her team’s "Solar School Kits" program provided 10,000 off-grid schools with solar panels and energy-efficient lighting by 2015, enabling evening study sessions for 500,000 students.

Al-Mustafa’s breakthrough came in 2010 with the Zarqa Solar Farm, Jordan’s first utility-scale solar project. Despite skepticism about solar viability in a country reliant on imported oil, the 10 MW plant reduced the city’s electricity costs by 30%. This success led to partnerships with the World Bank, which funded a $200 million expansion to 50 MW by 2020. Today, Jordan generates 12% of its electricity from solar—a figure projected to reach 30% by 2030—making it a model for arid regions.

Al-Mustafa’s advocacy also shaped national policy. She lobbied for Jordan’s 2017 Renewable Energy Law, which mandates 20% renewable energy use by 2025 and offers tax incentives for solar installations. Her 2019 documentary "Sunrise Over Jordan" (streaming on Netflix) highlighted how solar jobs have empowered women in traditionally male-dominated sectors. Over 40% of JREI’s workforce are female engineers, challenging gender norms in Jordan’s energy sector.

Her global impact includes advising the UAE’s Masdar City on sustainable urban design and training 2,000 engineers from 15 Arab nations through her Solar Academy. Al-Mustafa received the 2021 Global Energy Prize and was featured in Forbes’ list of "Top 50 Women Shaping Energy's Future."

Despite her achievements, Al-Mustafa remains focused on grassroots solutions. Her 2022 "Solar Water Stations" project in southern Jordan provides clean drinking water to 150,000 people using solar-powered desalination—a model now replicated in drought-prone regions of Yemen and Sudan.