Germany’s GIZ conducted a kick-off workshop in Tunis (12-13 May) to launch a new project for renewable energy in Libya. The workshop defined priorities and starting points for the new project.
GIZ will support Libya in introducing solar energy on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development / Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ).
Local partners will include the Prime Minister’s Office, the Renewable Energy Authority of Libya (REAoL), the General Electric Company of Libya (GECOL), Libyan research, development and training institutions, selected municipalities, private companies and civil society organisations.
GIZ pointed out that the sun shines more than 3,000 hours per year on average in Libya. This makes it an ideal location for the generation of solar power. Today, the oil- and gas-rich country relies 100 per cent on fossil fuels for its electricity production.
By 2030, GIZ said Libya aims to generate 22 per cent of its electricity by renewable energy. This will reduce Libya’s greenhouse gas emissions and thus contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
Developing renewable energy, GIZ explained, may create a reliable power supply in a country which is prone to power cuts for different reasons. The small number of power stations in Libya makes the central power supply vulnerable due to failure of single units. Added to this are bottlenecks regarding fuel supply, sometimes resulting in power outages as well, especially in the summer months when demand surges. Developing renewable energies can alleviate this situation.
However, the legal and regulatory bases for achieving this, as well as the know-how of the employees of institutions and companies in the energy sector, are lacking. Central issues include how to connect independent power producers to the grid and how to calculate remuneration for power fed into it from decentralised sources.
To this end, the project aims to provide advice and training courses to improve the knowledge and skills of the employees of national and local institutions and authorities. The attendees will learn how to create and enforce the legal and regulatory conditions for promoting renewable energies.
The project will provide training for the employees of REAoL. It will also involve local authorities wishing to take advantage of this development. Local power supply will become more resilient thanks to the use of all technical possibilities as part of a holistic concept.
Technical training courses will teaching key actors how to improve the planning and management of the complex issue of connecting numerous, decentralised suppliers to the power grid and how to continue developing the grid in line with needs.
