Mediterranean Action Plan

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ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
and rapidly changing environment, both technically and economically through action and
monitoring plans.
Almost all available RE resources in Egypt are under exploited at various degrees. Even for
the relatively more developed, mainly wind electricity generation in view of their abundant
resources and high potential of utilization. This is true and even more apparent for the other
very promising resources; solar energy with its two forms or technologies of utilization; solar
thermal for heating purposes as well as electricity generation; and solar photovoltaic for
direct conversion to electricity.
Even if this present study does not consider biomass in detail, none the less it is worthwhile
pointing out its considerable potential Egypt is endowed with and amounting to 50 million ton
of dry matter per year having total energy potential of 17 mtoe per year of which less than
30% (i.e. about 5 mtoe/year) are currently utilized. Optimum use of biomass needs
elaborated and integrated studies to avoid negative impacts on the environment. In spite of
its high energy and economic value, agricultural residues in most cases are dealt with as
undesirable matters and thus are being get red of by open direct burning which causes
serious pollution problems like the one created from rice straw burning in the fall of each year
causing black clouds over Cairo.
The estimated installed domestic solar water heaters (DSWH) are 200,000 typical units (2
sq. meters collector area and 150 liters storage capacity). This specific application
represents a clear example of a significantly under exploited RE technology in Egypt (74
million inhabitants) which have a market potential of almost 10 million typical units. This
situation could be attributed to the general barrier of subsidized energy prices, in addition to
other two main barriers, namely lack of manufacturing standards leading to poor
performance and lack of after sales services.
4.2 Proposals for a sus tainable energ y d e velopme nt
4.2.1 Proposals for enhancing RUE within a national sustainable energy
strategy
Based on the worldwide, regional, and national increasing environmental concerns and
growing gained momentum towards a global sustainable development, the need for creating
regional and national ambitious but "achievable" Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Strategies (REEES) become of utmost importance. In the same time these strategies would
have a greater chance than ever to take place because of the escalating international drive
to support their development, implementation, and monitoring in order to achieve their preset
quantifiable objectives. In order to benefit of this situation, each country is advised to adapt
its own rational criteria in view of its local and regional context.
In what concerns the proposals for enhancing RUE in both supply and demand sides within a
national sustainable energy strategy and based on the past experience and lessons learned
in Egypt, we are almost certain that any proposed separate future program will fail to have a
landmark in the Egyptian energy scene and particularly in mobilizing the RUE market, unless
it constitutes a given portion of a well defined National Energy Efficiency Strategy (NEES)
that should be also a part of a more general REEES, which in turn should be an integral
interactive segment or component of an Integrated National Sustainable Energy Strategy
(INSES). This means that as a first step, required proposals should be directed towards the
"macro" level like strategies, policies, and plans of action which should be followed by
concrete actions on the "micro" level such as: energy prices, market mechanisms, availability
of technologies, transfer of knowledge and skills to local ESCOs, awareness and information,
financial structuring, institutional capacity building, and regulatory interventions.
To start the whole process we suggest that a specialized detailed study based on a well
elaborated terms of references (TOR) should be developed by an independent consulting
team composed of Egyptian and international experts. The ultimate objective of this study is
to develop a complete "roadmap" that draws an integral framework of necessary measures to
place RUE (and possibly RE) as a cross-cutting aspect among the facets of Egypt's
Sustainable Development Strategy "ESDS". This should lead to outlining the scope of work