The Mediterranean Renewable Energy Centre (MEDREC) – Projects Portfolio

Algeria

Algeria

Dounya Park

The project is developing a 240 ha urban park aimed at halting desertification and conserving biodiversity. The Park will be powered by a photovoltaic-wind system and include a centre aimed at developing renewable energy study and training activities and managing the energy production from renewable energy installations.

Timimoun

The project, developed in the framework of Sahara project, consist of the waste water treatment in the Sahara oasis by using ultraviolet solar radiation and of the recovery of the treated water for irrigation. Energy production with renewable brings about fewer green house emissions that are responsible of Climate Change

Identification of Capacities Building needs in Algeria

The project aims to the assessment of the national needs with regard to capacities building, trainings, quality and standardization in the field of renewable energies. The identification of targeted capacity building and training activities will follow the analysis of the above mentioned needs.

Egypt Utilisation of Solar Thermal Energy in Resorts and New Villages in Reclaimed Areas Using solar thermal technologies to provide sustainable energy to tourist resorts and villages of the reclaimed lands. Particular attention is focused to provide heating and air conditioning to resorts, in order to decrease the total demand of electricity, and to provide cooling systems for agricultural products conservation in rural villages. Photovoltaic Rural Electrification The project aims at supplying electricity through photovoltaic to remote rural communities in the desert suffering the lack of energy services. Due to the dispersed nature of both houses and rural communities, in addition to their low demand, the extension of the grid is very non-economic, while the technical and economic feasibility for PV solar energy provision to those rural communities has been proven, besides its environmental friendly performance. Identification of Capacities Building needs in Egypt The project aims to the assessment of the national needs with regard to capacities building, trainings, quality and standardization in the field of renewable energies. The identification of targeted capacity building and training activities will follow the analysis of the above mentioned needs. Solar Water Heater Subsidy Facility for the Red Sea and South Sinai Hotels The Solar Water Heater Subsidy Facility, for the Red Sea and South Sinai Hotels, promotes collective solar water heating installations in hotels and other buildings in the service sector, with an initial target of 4,000 m2 of new solar thermal surfaces installed. This facility will grant a 25% capital cost subsidy and a maintenance cost subsidy over a 4-year timeframe for the installation, operation and maintenance of collective solar water heating systems.

Libya

Morocco Solar Water Heating Loan/Leasing Facility in the Hotel sector – PROSOL Maro A financial support mechanism is being implemented to install collective SWH installations in Moroccan hotels. A Facility will help financial institutions build loan and leasing portfolios by subsidizing a determined percentage of the interest rate for Solar Water Heating technologies. Financial Mechanisms for Solar Water Heating Within the framework of the national solar water heaters programme in Morocco (PROMASOL), both supply financial supporting mechanisms and demand financial supporting mechanisms (in particular, Leasing) are being implemented for the local market support. In addition, with the involvement of the Office National de l’Electricite’ (ONE) and the United Nations Environment Programme, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (UNEP/DTIE), financial tools for Solar Water Heating are being further developed, with specific regard to a leasing – credit facility developed for the Hotel sector. Renewable Energies Promotion by Developing Green Certificates Trading The objective of the project is to promote renewable energies by setting up a framework of “Green Certificate Trading” between Morocco and Italy and by creating a legally required and favourable environment of transfer of these certificates between the two countries. The goal is then to create new concepts of promoting renewable energies and encourage projects generating green electricity. Studies of wind energy integration into the national electric grid Recent studies have confirmed the existence, in Morocco, of several regions with a high wind energy potential. A 50 MW wind farm is already in an operation and the installation of several wind parks is prospected within 2010. In this context, this project has developed technical and economical feasibility studies for assessing the potentialities of wind energy exploitation. Renewable Energies in Rural Areas: Mini-Hydro, Biogas and PV Solar Pumping This project addresses the problematic of energy deficit in some rural areas in Morocco by supporting some actions intended to enhance energy services such as: lighting, drinking water, health, education, agriculture, cooling, heating and cooking. Activities consist of identifying specific energy needs and necessary assistance to create the economic, social and institutional conditions that will enable the energy needs to be met, also involving the private sector and the civil society. PV Solar Pumping Project in the Region of Tensift Al Haouz This Project is conceived within the framework of a tripartite partnership (ONEP – IMET – CDER) and the work Programme is based on three essential components: – Rehabilitation of Solar Pumps Out of Work – Equipments of new water points – Development of an appropriated approach for the management of the hydraulic service Wind Powered Desalination in the Akfennhir Village The objective of the project is to provide the village of Akhfennir with drinking water by a wind powered desalination plant. The village Akhfennir is located in the South of Morocco on the Atlantic coast, about 100 km in the south of Tan-Tan city and drinking water is currently supplied by truck cisterns from the city of Tan-Tan. The project will permit introduction in Morocco of wind energy technology to produce electricity for desalination plants. Energy efficiency in public hospitals The project aims at promoting the improvement of energy efficiency and energy saving levels in public hospitals in Morocco. An assessment of energy demand and final energy uses in Moroccan hospitals will be carried out and feasibility studies developed. On the basis of these feasibility studies, concrete implementations will take place for energy efficiency/energy savings actions and for high standard cogeneration plants. Technical assistance for the development of CDM projects The project aims to the establishment of a “joint expert team” in charge of the analysis and selection of project opportunities on renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste management and forestry management, in order to develop CDM projects. This activity is aimed at the definition of a portfolio of project opportunities to be potentially developed by Italian and Moroccan-Italian companies. Identification of Capacities Building needs in Morocco The project aims to the assessment of the national needs with regard to capacities building, trainings, quality and standardization in the field of renewable energies. The identification of targeted capacity building and training activities will follow the analysis of the above mentioned needs.

Tunisia PROSOL Tunisie – Solar Water Heating System Support Mechanism PROSOL Tunisie is a Solar Water Heater Subsidy Facility aimed at the promotion of individual and collective solar water heating installations in the residential, tertiary and industrial sectors. The aim of the subsidy and interest rate facility is to help local financial institutions build loan portfolios in the SWH area by providing subsidies that will effectively lower the initial investment and the interest rates for the acquisition of a SWH, addressing, at least partially, the barrier of a higher initial cost for solar water heaters, thus contributing to the creation of a sustainable and competitive market for solar water heating systems. Identification of Capacities Building needs in Tunisia The project aims to the assessment of the national needs with regard to capacities building, trainings, quality and standardization in the field of renewable energies. The identification of targeted capacity building and training activities will follow the analysis of the above mentioned needs. MEDISCO – MEDiterranean food and agro Industry applications of Solar COoling technologies MEDISCO aims to develop, test and optimize solar thermally driven cooling concepts for the food and agro industry in the Mediterranean region, which under local conditions can result economically and socially sustainable. The objective is to asses which systems could better suite the actual and future demand of the food and conservation industry sectors in the south edge of the basin and estimate in technical and economical terms the most appropriate approach for the application of solar thermally driven systems. URBAN AIR POLLUTION IN THE AREA OF TUNIS The aim of the study is the evaluation of the air quality in the urban area of Tunis. The activity involves the measurement of the mass concentration and chemical composition of atmospheric suspended particulate matter in the size dimensions PM10 e PM2.5, the determination of the atmospheric concentration of some non-conventional pollutants (acid species and photochemical pollutants) and the evaluation of the extent and short-term variations of the atmospheric mixing, which play a key role in determining the quality of the atmosphere.

This piece is taken from the website of The Mediterranean Renewable Energy Centre (MEDREC).

See on-line at: http://www.medrec.org/en/projects.php

The Mediterranean Renewable Energy Centre (MEDREC) – About MEDREC

Presentation

The Italian Ministry of The Environment and Territory (IMET), the Ministry for Industry and Energy of Tunisia (TMIE) and the Tunisian National Agency for Energy Efficiency (ANME), signed on January 26, 2004 a Memorandum of Understanding for establishing in Tunis a Centre for training, information dissemination, networking and development of pilot projects in the field of renewable energies (MEDREC). The Partners of the MEDREC are International and Governmental Institutions, working on energy and environmental sustainability, in the following countries: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. The Tunis Centre is included in the framework of the Global Network on Energy for Sustainable Development (GNESD), a UNEP facilitated knowledge network of developing world Centres of Excellence and network partners, renowned for their activities on energy, development and environment issues. The mission of MEDREC is to develop regional competencies through the transfer of technologies, the training of human capacities, the dissemination of information in the field of renewable energies (REs) and The enhancement of the positive role of “Tradable Renewable Certificates” (TRECs) and “Certified Emission Reductions” (CERs) in boosting private sector investments in the Region, through: The promotion and development of projects in the field of REs in the Mediterranean Region. The deployment of financing sources and mechanisms’ options for the financial support of REs projects. The networking between the different Countries of the region through the exchange of experiences, the capitalization of the know-how and the transfer of technologies issued from the projects results. The development of knowledge, the capacity building and the dissemination. The Centre is managed by a technical director designated by ANME in cooperation with a deputy director designated by IMET. The technical staff is composed by nine experts, one from each of the Partners’ Countries, two experts from Italy and two experts from UNEP.

Steering Committee

The activities of the Centre are co-ordinated by a Steering Committee which meets twice a year to approve the annual work program, review the progress achieved, analyse and verify the results obtained. The Steering Committee, currently composed by the Director General of IMET, the Director General of TMIESME, the Director General of ANME, the Director of OME, the Director of UNEP/DTIE, will be extended to all MEDREC partners, including AMTE (Algeria), CDER (Morocco), EGA (Libya), NREA (Egypt)

MEDREP Initiative

The Mediterranean Renewable Energy Programme (MEDREP) was launched as a Type II Initiative at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg by Italy. The two principal objectives of the programme are:

To provide sustainable energy services particularly to rural populations; To contribute to the climate change mitigation by increasing the share of renewable energy in the energy mix of the Region.

In this perspective, the programme aims at developing a sustainable renewable energy market system in the greater Mediterranean Region, through three main sub-projects:

tailoring of financial instruments and mechanisms to support projects; strengthening of policy frameworks and overcoming of barriers to renewable energy deployment; building of a stronger private sector infrastructure, considering the positive role of “Tradable Renewable Certificates” and “Certified Emission Reductions”.

These sub-projects aim to strengthen existing networks while favouring the creation of new relations among the main stakeholders within the Mediterranean region.

This piece is taken from the website of The Mediterranean Renewable Energy Centre (MEDREC).

See on-line at: http://www.medrec.org/en/about_medrec.php