High-level international representatives from political as well as scientific communities, civil society and industry will meet at the 4th Dii Desert Energy Conference to identify common actions needed to reach a self-contained market in which renewable energies improve the total energy mix. The conference will focus on reference projects, international cooperation and integration as well as the economic impacts of desert power. In this context Dii will also provide a platform for civil society representatives to express their views. Once again Dii will organize the Desertec Best Paper Award, together with the Desertec University Network which will reward excellent academic work in the field renewable of energy. The Journalist Fellowship will recognize outstanding journalistic work on the topic.

Dii’s role is to stimulate dialogue that shapes the future energy supply in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. We would like to invite you to Rabat to be part of this dialogue.The program of the conference and registration form will be available soon on the conference website: www.dii-conference.com

Where: EU Commission’s Charlemagne building, room “Mansholt”, Rue de la Loi, 170, Brussels

Transforming the electricity system to almost 100% renewable energies is a vision shared by the EU and its neighboring countries in the Southern Mediterranean and the Middle East. The event will mark the launch of Dii’s strategy report “Desert Power: Getting Started” which discusses the concrete steps needed to reach an integrated, renewables-based power system in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa (EUMENA). The report has been developed by Dii with scientific contribution from its partners CESI, Comillas, DIW Berlin, Fraunhofer ISI, and TU Vienna. 

“Desert Power: Getting Started” builds on key topics on the current EU agenda, providing recommendations and evaluations of policies effecting a market-driven transition to a renewable electricity future. The conference will offer a platform to discuss short-term steps required to progress inter-regional renewables development as well as to look at the long-term investments needed to realize this vision beyond 2020. 

Speakers include high-ranking politicians from the European Commission, the European Parliament, North African and Middle Eastern governments as well as stakeholders from public institutions, NGOs, science and industry. 

You can sign up for the event on the EUSEW website. Please use this link to register for “Desert Power for the Mediterranean: time to get started”, simply click on “register” to create an account and follow the registration process. 

  

 

He adds: “I am pleased that three partners of the desert power initiative Dii —Abengoa, Flabeg, and Schott—played a decisive role in the realization of Shams-1.” Abengoa Solar has a 20 percent share in the planning and realization of Shams-1. Flabeg provided the roughly 260,000 parabolic mirrors, while Schott Solar supplied nearly 28.000 absorber pipes for about 770 collectors. Download picture

About First Solar First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR) is recognized as the leader for utility-scale PV solar power systems, with an advanced thin-film technology that delivers superior energy yields in high-heat conditions and years of experience designing, constructing and maintaining PV power plants that perform in the most challenging desert environments with minimal water consumption during operation. From raw material sourcing through end-of-life module collection and recycling, First Solar’s renewable energy systems protect and enhance the environment.  For more information about First Solar, please visit www.firstsolar.com.

About Dii With partner companies from 17 countries, Dii is looking to turn power from the deserts into reality. The activities of the industry initiative, which was founded in 2009, are focussed on creating an industrial-scale market by 2050 for renewable energies from the desert regions of North Africa and the Middle East. These activities include the development of integrated energy markets and the identification of suitable technologies for generating and transmitting energy.

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The Connecting Europe Facility is a crucial facilitator of electricity infrastructure projects by providing financial support for Projects of Common Interest (PCI). Apart from expanding and improving the Trans-European Energy Infrastructure, interconnections between the EU, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) should be incentivized. As a first step, interconnections between Italy and North African Countries should be reinforced. Such interconnections contribute to the development of a market for desert power and thus contribute to the European objective to promote renewable energy. This could lead to major cost savings for all countries involved. 

As shown in Dii’s long-term report “Desert Power 2050”, connecting the power systems of the EU and MENA based on renewable energy involves significant benefits for both regions as regards competitiveness, sustainability and security of supply. The abundance of sun and wind in the EUMENA region could enable the creation of a joint power network that will entail more than 90% renewables. The nations of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) can meet their expanding needs for power with renewable energy, while developing an export industry from their excess power with an annual volume worth more than 60 billion euros. By importing up to 20 percent of its power from the deserts, Europe could save 30 euros for each megawatt hour of desert power. This would be an economical strategy for successfully achieving the EU's climate protection goals. 

More on Desert Power 2050.

On January 30, 2013 in Berlin, the Egyptian State Authority for New & Renewable Energy (NREA) and the industrial consortium Dii signed a memorandum of understanding to increase their collaboration which will support local institutions to create renewable energy (RE) capacities and accelerate the dissemination of RE projects. In the long term, their cooperation with stakeholders in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (EUMENA) could provide an important impetus towards an integrated electricity market, with benefits for all actors involved. The areas of collaboration will include exchange of information, particularly in regard to, but not limited to, solar and wind resource analysis, power transmission and grid capacity and expansion, performance of RE generating technologies, legal frameworks, incentive instruments for private investments in RE in Egypt and the MENA Region, long-term opportunities for RE electricity transfers from Egypt to the EU and local support mechanisms for RE projects in Egypt. Wind and solar have enormous potential for growth in Egypt.  By 2020 renewables should account for 20% of the electricity production.  Wind could play a central role in satisfying the fast-growing national electricity demand.  By 2050 Dii expects this to increase six-fold over that of 2010, to more than 800 Terawatt hours.  Within the same period of time, the population could grow from over 80 to more than 120 million. NREA and Dii want to begin working together immediately. Mohammed Mousa Omran, NREA Executive Chairman: “RE is one of the important elements in electricity portfolio in Egypt. Its role grows day by day supported with national incentives declared from the Government. Wind and solar will be the key players and drivers for RE market not only in Egypt but also for MENA countries. NREA believes that greening our economies must pass through the road of RE. Also, NREA rely on its partnership with Dii to motivate RE applications in the region.” Paul van Son, CEO of Dii: “Egypt is pivotal for the economic and political development of the Arab world.  Together, NREA and Dii will further the development of renewable energy in Egypt, thereby fulfilling an important prerequisite for the emergence of a market for desert power and the integration of Egypt in the international power system.  Wind and solar could one day be the backbone of the Egyptian economy. For Dii, NREA is the perfect partner based on its extensive experience and drive in the renewable energy market.” Click here to see the potential of Egypt in terms of renewable energy production. About NREA: NREA is the prime renewable energy stakeholder in Egypt, it has been established since 25 years ago as a pivotal entity to demonstrate RE applications in Egypt. NREA projects extend in wind, CSP, and photovoltaic all over Egypt. It has strong relationships with most regional and international entities working in RE. Furthermore, NREA role include building national capacities in RE fields for neighboring countries. About Dii: Together with its partners from 16 countries, Dii is looking to turn the Desertec vision into reality. Dii wants to contribute to the creation of an industrial-scale market for renewable energy from the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East by the year 2050.  This entails the investigation of appropriate technologies for energy production and transport.  Contact NREA:
Mohammed Mostafa El Khayat
Managing Director of Technical Affairs, NREA
E-mail: mohamed.elkhayat@yahoo.com Contact Dii:
Klaus Schmidtke
Head of Communications, Dii
E-mail: schmidtke@dii-eumena.com Download PDF

The German Minister for Economy and Technology, Dr. Philipp Roesler, and his Tunisian counterpart, Ridha Saidi, the Tunisian minister charged with economic affairs in the office of the Prime Minister, officially launched the energy partnership between Tunisia and Germany in Berlin on January 28, 2013.  Grid expansion, energy efficiency, research, renewable energies, as well as the political support of the Desertec project are at the core of this partnership.  This represents an important milestone for Desertec.  Both of these countries set an example by encouraging the development of renewable energy and in creating a framework for the realization of Dii reference projects in Tunisia.   The CEO of Dii, Paul van Son: “This partnership with Tunisia is particularly near to our heart.  In a time of political and social change, Dii can make a significant contribution to Tunisia´s development by facilitating the creation of an enduring renewable energy supply.  Tunisia and Germany have thus laid the cornerstone for a Mediterranean-wide power system that benefits us all.” Dii has an office in Tunis.  Last year STEG Énergies Renouvelables and Dii concluded a feasibility study on solar and wind energy in Tunisia.  The study seeks to identify reference projects with a total capacity of 1 GW, giving special consideration to the possibility of installing a transmission line between Tunisia and Italy.  In January 2012, a series of potential sites were identified for the realization of such large-scale projects.

There is increased awareness of the roles that resource efficiency and environmental sustainability can play in ensuring economic competitiveness and resilience. What role does public policy have in addressing market failure around natural resources?

This conference will ask what the benefits and obstacles are to governments of adopting green growth policies and to businesses adopting green growth strategies. How can this economic transformation be made possible politically, and what tools and policies will enable it? What new economic models are emerging?  Click here to find more information about this event.

Click here to see the program of this event.

The Global Solar Summit represents the ideal meeting point for professionals, executives, analysts and institutional representatives engaging in the solar sector at global level. The event will offer key market insights while analyzing trends and variables in order to provide solar industry leaders with effective business-intelligence tools. Click here to find more information about this event.