The Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME) will organise the 2nd Mediterranean Solar Forum, which will take place in framework of the 9th edition of the Mediterranean Week of Economic Leaders, the 26th November in Barcelona.
Barcelona, 30 October 2015
The recent global economic recession has showed the need to open up to new innovative and efficient growth models that appear to have been found in the clean energy. The recently approved UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have brought forward a true mobilization of the business community for sustainable development. Given that sustainable development and environmental sustainability are two concepts that go hand in hand, it is not surprising that the promotion of the renewable energy and, in particular, solar energy, is increasing in the Mediterranean, a region with abundant natural resources and the highest solar radiation levels in the world.
The energy potential of the region is significant, offering favourable conditions in terms of solar radiation and wind. Technically, the region could cover its energy needs and those from the rest of the world, through solar energy. An example of this approach is Morocco, which is planning to install the largest solar and wind plants in the world. Meanwhile, Egypt aims to reach 12.000 MW by 2025, and Algeria aims to reach 4600 MW, mainly through solar energy.
Other countries such as Libya, Tunisia, Turkey, Italy and Spain also recognize that sustainable development is a unique business opportunity, with an expected investment of EUR 170.000 million in the Middle East and North Africa region in the coming years. It is estimated that by 2030 renewable energy will represent 35% of the regional energy production, with great potential for the future in terms of job creation, technological progress and competitiveness of the two shores of the Mediterranean. However, challenges such as regulatory standards and deficient infrastructures, should be addressed so as not to interrupt the increasing development of the sector in the region.
To further understand the opportunities and challenges of the Mediterranean solar energy and discover the current regional solar projects, the Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME) will organise the 2nd Mediterranean Solar Forum, which will take place in framework of the 9th edition of the Mediterranean Week of Economic Leaders the 26th November in Barcelona. The forum, which will bring together governmental authorities, organizations, project promoters, companies and investors, will be a unique gathering for reflection and knowledge, and a networking platform for companies, SMEs and entrepreneurs on how to expand to new markets. The Mediterranean can offer unique business opportunities to suppliers, technology or production companies, whose financing has been paralyzed in some EU countries due to the crisis and new regulations.
Given the success of the last edition, the forum will also host a meeting of the European programme ENPI CBC MED Solar Cluster, formed by diverse strategic projects with a common goal: to encourage sector growth in the Mediterranean. Companies and researchers will get a first-hand view on how to participate and invest in the initiatives arising from these projects, such as the creation of solar plants, involving more than 50 companies in countries like Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine, and with investments in excess of EUR 1 billion.
Sustainable development seems to be the fashionable buzz word and the Mediterranean has become the bearer of it. The success of this commitment is tied to the capacity for understanding between both shores of the Mediterranean to share natural, financial, technological and human resources in the field of the renewable energy.
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Read the article in the media:
- http://www.lavanguardia.com/economia/20151105/54438608984/ascame-difunde-programa-europeo-con-5-plantas-solares-en-paises-mediterraneos.html
- http://www.expansion.com/agencia/efe/2015/11/05/21320082.html
- http://www.lavanguardia.com/economia/20151030/54437560197/ascame-debatira-el-potencial-de-la-energia-solar-en-la-region-mediterranea.html
- http://www.elconfidencial.com/ultima-hora-en-vivo/2015-10-30/ascame-debatira-el-potencial-de-la-energia-solar-en-la-region-mediterranea_729892/
- http://agencias.abc.es/agencias/noticia.asp?noticia=2019059
- http://www.energiadiario.com/publicacion/ascame-debatira-el-potencial-de-la-energia-solar-en-la-region-mediterranea/