RENEWABLE REPORTS


The work presented in these documents, carried out by the OME experts refers to the regional and country basis situation and outlook of renewable energy in the North African countries. The report has been prepared in the framework of the Mediterranean Renewable Energy Programme (MEDREP) and the OME Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development Committee.



MEDREP is a Type II Initiative launched by Italy in Johannesburg in 2002, promoting a broad partnership and cooperation among Governments, International Institutions and stakeholders with historical trade, cultural and social links, represents a successful tool to foster the Renewable Energy penetration in the energy markets of the Region.





PROJECT PORTFOLIO


The report presents pilot projects that have been identified in the framework of the Mediterranean Renewable Energy Programme (MEDREP), by MEDREC (Mediterranean Renewable Energy Centre) experts with support of OME experts. The projects are based on national priorities and represent a catalogue of best practices to be implemented and replicated in the Northern African Region.


They range from the implementation of financial mechanism aimed at reducing investor uncertainties and helping customers access to Renewable Energy equipments and installations for electricity or heat production. They are aimed at delivering electricity to rural isolated population; integrating the Renewable Energy on the national electricity grids with the objective of reaching grid stabilisation and meeting supply-demand balance; Renewable Energy integration in the building and urban sectors, in coherence with the energy efficiency policy; sea and brackish water desalination, increasing drinking water supply and water availability for irrigation; water treatment and sanitation; dissemination of cooling systems for food conservation in farms and fisheries. Hide

The primary objective of the project is to advocate the concept of distributed generation (DG) + Renewable Energy Sources (RES) integration and committed to the advance of its use in Europe by:

Making stakeholders aware of the increasing efficiency and sustainability of RES+DG new technologies when compared with conventional central generation stations.

Removing technical, business practice, regulatory, and cost related interconnection barriers to the grids.

New electricity grids acceptance of intermittent RES+DG without risk in quality and safety.

This process had been achieved through the setting up of a “European Network for Integration of RES+DG ” - ENIRDGnet, involving main stakeholders. Hide

OME together with the consulting group ECON Analysis (Norway), Sonatrach and local consultants, carried out a pilot project in Algeria for the World Bank’s Global Gas Flaring Reduction partnership. The aim was to select and develop a specific gas flaring reduction project with high likelihood of registration as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) activity. The dual objective of the project was to build capacity in Algeria on the CDM (specifically related to investments in gas flaring) and start laying the institutional framework and creating capacity to help establish a Designated National Authority (DNA). Hide

The OME has contributed to a study analyzing the national plans for the development of solar thermal applications in the 7 partner countries of the project, AETSTBM (Application of solar thermal energy in the Mediterranean Basin), initiated by MEDENER and supported financially by the MEDA Program of the European Commission.

The part of the study carried out by the OME was to identify the instruments that would allow the development of a sustainable market for solar water heaters in selected Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries, namely Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Tunisia and Jordan. The study includes a country and regional analysis on the financing opportunities and the necessary mechanisms that can ensure sustainability of the solar water heater industry.

The results of the MEDA-AESTBM project are available on www.solarmed.net Hide

Supporting the development of renewable energy projects in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region and helping European countries to achieve their Kyoto targets will contribute to promote the sustainable development in the region.


In this context, the objectives of CDMEDI are to elaborate a CDM user's guide for the implementation of CDM projects using renewable energy projects and to organise a high level euro-Mediterranean conference on how to implement and finance such projects. Hide

A global strategy on climate change has been agreed under the 1992 United Nations Climate Change Convention and its 1997 Kyoto Protocol. This international legal regime promotes financial and technical cooperation to enable all countries to adopt more climate-friendly policies and technologies. It also sets targets and timetables for emission reductions by developed countries


The report focuses particularly on the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol and especially the potential impact of its implementation on the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean renewable energy market. How will the CDM affect the renewable energy market in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries (SEMCs)? Will this market benefit from this trading scheme and will this latter help create additional market demand for renewable energy technologies? Hide

SEMCs are endowed with a large potential for renewable energy sources (RES) which they aim to develop. This chapter of MEDSUPPLY analyzes the current situation of renewable energy and proposes two scenarios until 2010. The first one is based on officially announced projects while the second proposes a voluntarist alternative for a high integration of RES. Barriers (institutional, economic and financial) to the development of RES in these countries are addressed as well as possible measures to overcome them, both at the domestic and international level.

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The Conference organised in Marrakech on September 20, 2002 will be the occasion to disseminate the results of the MED2010 project and to analyse the ways of promoting large scale integration of PV and wind power projects in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region in the new context related to the liberalisation of the energy sector and the consideration of environmental concerns and in particular the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol.

The MED2010 (Large scale integration of solar and wind power in Mediterranean countries) project is a research project co-financed by the European Commission, Directorate General for Research and Development. The objective is to analyse the ways to integrate a large scale wind power and PV for electricity production in some Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey) in order to achieve a signi?cant contribution of electricity production with renewable energies (excluding large hydro) in these countries at horizon 2010. This is in line with the objectives set by the European Union’s Directive for the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources and with the Kyoto Protocol objective to reduce CO2 emissions.

The key issues addressed by the MED2010 project are the following:

- Analysis of solar and wind resources and selection of sites for wind power plants and for PV projects using advanced software and GIS. Grid connection issues are also analysed.

- Market development and integration of social and environmental bene?ts with an emphasis on the legislative and institutional framework for the development of wind power and PV projects. Integration plans at horizon 2010 for the largescale use of RE are also elaborated. The ways to achieve large-scale integration of wind and solar power at horizon 2010 is studied and proposals made regarding the market development. The expected social and environmental benefits are analysed.

-Assessment of the potential for «green electricity trading» in the Mediterranean region from the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries to European countries through the North-South electricity interconnection links.

-Evaluation of the investment needs for the integration plans of renewable energies, and the additional costs versus the

standard options of thermal power plants using fossil fuels. Analysis of ?nancial schemes for the development of wind power plants and PV projects in each country. Speci?c attention is given to ?nancial incentives related to environmental benefits and social bene?ts of renewable energy power plants. This is studied in the framework of the measures taken by the governments to implement the Kyoto Protocol in the Mediterranean countries.

A consortium of 13 partners from 8 countries of the European Union and the Mediterranean Partner countries carries out the project; the partners are electricity companies, agencies and research centres.

The Conference is dedicated to all actors involved and/or interested in the development of PV and wind market in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries, utilities, developers, decision-makers, ?nancial institutions … Hide

The implementation of the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto protocol in the Mediterranean region requires the definition of the type of projects, which could be implemented, and the elaboration of adequate strategie.


The CDMED project which objective was to elaborate scenarios and strategies for the implementation of the Clean Development Mechanism in the Mediterranean region and especially CDM projects using renewable energy technologies, was structured along four main work packages and the related deliverables:


- The first work package dealt with the analysis of the Clean Development Mechanism along with eligibility criteria for CDM projects using renewable energies in the Mediterranean region.

- The second work package concerned the elaboration of a pre-feasibility study for a pilot CDM project of a 60 MW wind farm in Egypt; the cost/benefit analysis was also performed integrating benefits related to CO2 emission savings. The results indicate estimated savings in CO2 emissions of 163,500 tons CO2 equivalent to 44,600 tons C per year by the replacement of electricity produced by conventional thermal power plants in the Egyptian system. The selling price of the tradable emission reduction units should range from 6.25-12.50 Euro per ton of CO2 up to 31.25-37.50 Euro per ton of CO2.

- The third work package focused on the elaboration of scenarios for CDM projects in the Mediterranean region; these scenarios at medium and long terms (2010 to 2030) were elaborated with the POLES model (a World Energy model) and included an assessment of the potential for such projects and of the benefits expected.


The results of the study of the potential for CDM projects based on a co-operation between the European Union and in the Southern Mediterranean countries coincides with other studies on CDM that drastic reductions of emission reduction cost can be expected if full trade is assumed, ie if all deviations from the baseline are considered to be accessible as CDM projects. Limiting CDM projects to projects for renewable energy based electricity generation would reduce these effects considerably. However, cost advantages can still be expected. The induced amount of additional capacity of renewable technology installed in Southern Mediterranean countries would be significant. In this region the capacity would almost double compared to the reference case.

The analysis shows that CDM projects based on renewable energy technology can as intended contribute to sustainable development and at the same time help Annex I countries to achieve emission targets. However, in the Euro-Mediterranean bubble CDM will not necessarily will be the "panacea" for the greenhouse problem allowing for cheap compliance of emission reduction targets.

Finally, strategies were proposed to promote CDM projects taking into account the existing barriers and the actions needed. Two options are proposed: a Euro-Mediterranean option and specifically the creation of a Mediterranean Carbon Fund and an international option with the international CO2 emission trading market.

To conclude, an interesting potential of RE CDM projects do exit in the Mediterranean region. If implemented in the region, the CDM could contribute to economic growth and sustainable development of the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries (SEMCs) hosting such projects through the transfer of funds and technology from the European countries. Given proper identification of the projects, it could bring co-benefits, addressing not only GHG emissions, but also other social development goals of SEMCs and industrial and economic development in the European countries.


- The fourth work package dealt with overall management and exploitation aspects of the project.


CDMED Consortium: OME (coordinator), IPTS (JRC-EC), CESI (Italy), NREA (Egypt) and RISOE (Denmark). The CDMED project was co-financed by the European Commission (DG RTD, Energie Programme) and performed over a period of 18 months (March 2000 - August 2001).


Key words: Clean Development Mechanism, Kyoto Protocol, renewable energy, wind power, Mediterranean countries, sustainable development Hide

The report aims at better understanding the energy problems and at presenting important issues that will be addressed at the Meeting of the Presidents in Cannes. It provides a background on the following themes:

- main developments in the institutional framework in the sectors of hydrocarbons and electricity in the Mediterranean countries;

- inventory of the main oil, gas and electricity projects in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries;

- decisions adopted at the Kyoto Conference regarding reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and to the possible consequences of the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol on the energy industry;

- the situation of the ongoing co-operation between the European Union and the Mediterranean partner countries in the energy sector, its general framework and the principal co-operation agreements. Hide

The INTERSUDMED Project was a large scale regional project, which involves eighteen organisations in twelve countries from both shores of the Mediterranean. Co-ordinated by the OME and the CIEMAT over a period of two years (1996-1997) and co-financed by the European Commission (DG XII), the project aimed to carry out pre-feasibility studies for specific projects for the production of electricity using renewable energies in the Mediterranean partner countries.


The technologies studied are photovoltaic for rural electrification, wind power, solar power plants and biomass. A total of twelve pilot projects have been identified and the various aspects of their implementation analysed: resource analysis, choice of sites, system specifications, socio-economic and environmental impacts, project organisation and possible financing schemes. Certain projects are already underway, for example, the first wind farm in Tunisia and financing requests have been presented to multilateral organisations. Hide