The efficiency of some panels could decline by 30 per cent as temperatures in the panels reached 75C

Famed for its sunshine and high temperatures, Qatar might seem the ideal place to install solar panels, but as it looks to branch out into renewable energy, it has found that it is too hot for the panels to work properly.

Summer temperatures that can reach 50C, combined with the build-up of dust, can reduce the efficiency of a photovoltaic panel by more than half.

Qatar is ploughing tens of millions of dollars into research to develop desert panels that can withstand the harsh environment.

The Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) has about 40 researchers working on the issue in Doha, where it is testing panels from 27 international manufacturers.

Marwan Khraisheh, acting executive director, said that the efficiency of some panels could