New initiative in Bahrain to save $610mln energy

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MANAMA: Solar, wind and waste to energy technologies are set to generate around 250 megawatts (MW) of energy making up five per cent of the Bahrain’s energy mix by 2025, the Sustainable Energy Authority (SEA) president Dr Abdulhussain Mirza has said.

Speaking during a webinar organised by the Bahrain Entrepreneurship Organisation (BEO), he said this is the first target under the National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) which identifies feasible renewable energy options for the country, sets the targets, and proposes policies and initiatives to achieve the targets.

The second target under the plan is for renewables to contribute 10pc of the total energy mix by 2035, by when the renewable generation capacity is set to rise to 710MW per annum.

The NREAP includes a renewable energy mandate for all new buildings.

Another key initiative led by the SEA is the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP), which aims at saving energy worth BD230 million annually, said Dr Mirza.

A total of 22 steps are proposed within the plan to achieve the target of 6pc of energy savings by 2025. They cover all sectors of economy and target efficiency improvements in both energy supply and demand.

The target equates to energy savings of 5,800GWh on primary energy equivalent basis. Cumulative energy savings for the years 2016-2025 will exceed 25,000GWh.

He also discussed the launch of an initiative to install solar energy systems on the roofs of government buildings, adding that it has been implemented on 535 buildings using the “Boom” system, without any investment costs for the beneficiaries of the clean energy produced.

The SEA president explained the total energy expected to be produced through this initiative is estimated at 50MW, thus constituting 20pc of the national renewable energy target to be achieved for the year 2025.

According to him, the SEA has received exceptional demand from various governmental and non-governmental agencies to offer their roofs and proper spaces to install solar energy systems on them and benefit in saving in electricity costs and reduce the carbon footprint.

The authority directs the private sector and encourages the establishment of private or joint ventures with other entities that aim to raise energy efficiency and the use of sustainable energy sources to generate electric power.

The SEA proposes initiatives and projects through which sustainable energy sources are updated and developed to increase the percentage of their contribution to the total energy and achieve Bahrain’s strategies for sustainability, safe supply and ways to implement initiatives and projects and to provide them with the necessary support.

Talking about the recent launch of renewable energy certificates, Dr Mirza said the documentation will be granted to producers and investors in solar energy systems so as to enable them to register their production with the SEA, which will evaluate every megawatt hour of energy produced.

The system will provide an opportunity for investors and financing institutions to evaluate investment opportunities, finance sustainable energy projects and verify the energy output, which is produced through reliable and approved programmes and tools.

He also presented the latest global developments that were announced at the annual meeting of the International Renewable Energy Agency which was held virtually presided by Abu Dhabi.

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