Energy insecurity constitutes one of the main obstacles to achieving equitable, sustainable and long-lasting development. Tens of millions of households and businesses in the Arab region suffer from low access to reliable energy services. Access to electricity is particularly challenging due to the weakness and unreliability of national power networks in many countries. Consequently, decentralized diesel-based technologies are often used to meet the energy needs of residential and productive sectors, such as agriculture, tourism and industry. Diesel technologies are used for lighting, irrigation and pumping, agro-processing, heating and cooling as well as powering domestic and industrial electrical appliances.