Mediterranean Action Plan

SYRIA - National study
SSEECP project had a cooperation agreement with Ministry of Education for RUE
awareness campaign in schools curriculum in different grades and stages, besides many of
brochures about special applications for saving energy in homes like how to use home
appliances in efficient ways, and a lot of seminars and conferences gathered the industrial
associations to direct them to adopt efficient procedures in the productions lines especially
boilers, steam and air networks, motors, electrical systems, and lighting.
SSEECP project participated in many exhibitions regarding power and energy presenting
samples of green buildings and distributing many kinds of brochures.
2.2.2 Tools and measures in favour of rational energy use (RE)
Incentive methods
“Energy Conservation Law” includes a list of governmental incentives for RE projects and
actions to encourage people, organizations and manufacturers to adopt RE aspects, these
incentives are illustrated as follows:
Exemption the imported raw and manufactured materials used in RE applications from all
taxes.
Exemption RE projects from all usual projects taxes and grant the required
encouragements to invest in RE to produce electricity, the encouragements are that the
Ministry of Electricity is ready to buy all produced electricity and connect it to the grid,
besides the facilities presented by the government for all investors cleared in Decree
number /8/ issued by the Syrian president in 2007.
Government subsidy to expand solar water heating applications through paying a
percentage of 50% of the total price of the solar collectors and the rest to be paid from
the user as a 5 years loan without any interests.
In general the government through Ministry of Electricity and NERC are ready to support
any RE investment in Syria as an essential orientation.
Carbon reductions
Wind farm of 6 MW in Sindianah after being put in service at the end of 2007 will
contribute to reduce about 20000 ton CO2 per year.
We expect to install about 500 MW of wind turbines in the near future that will lead to
reduce about 1.6 Million ton CO2 per year.
NERC is planning to install about 200000 m 2 of solar collectors yearly that will lead to
reduce about 25000 ton CO2 per year, after 10 years the cumulative calculations of CO2
savings will be 1,4 million ton of CO2.
Evolution of R&D and training programmes
Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) has been conducted by several
institutes and dates back more than 20 years to the mid-1980s. RD&D efforts have focused
upon the techno-economic evaluation and potential of solar and wind resources and
technologies.
Expenditure on RD & D has been modest to date in the four Syrian universities: Damascus,
Aleppo. Al-Baath and Tishreen. The universities, as well as the Higher Institute of Applied
Science and Technology (HIAST), Ministry of Electricity, the Atomic Energy Commission and
the SSRC have research and development capacity from technician level to PhD. The SSRC
is considered the best-equipped centre in Syria, with technical capacity and equipment that
the four Syrian universities do not possess. RD&D output from the four Universities in Syria
is limited, mostly because facilities are not adequately equipped and institutes have little or
no budgetary provision.
More specific to the renewable energy research, there is an absence of a concerted and
targeted RD&D action program, with the exception of the activities conducted through SSRC.
The situation is aggravated by the lack of budgetary provision from the Government of
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