Electricity and Water Affairs Minister Dr. Abdulhussain Mirza chaired the sixth meeting of the National Committee to follow up the implementation of the energy efficiency plan and renewable energy plan.Members of the committee, consisting of senior officials in several ministries and government bodies, attended.
The minister welcomed the attendees and expressed his thanks and appreciation to the wise leadership for their interest in encouraging the use of clean energy for the overall sustainable development of Bahrain.
This, he said, is clear from the decisions of the Council of Ministers and the Coordination Committee during the past year, for renewable energy projects.
The minister reviewed the developments of the project of setting up a 100-megawatt solar power plant in partnership with the private sector. He also announced a tender will be submitted to companies during the coming period.
A training workshop for contractors and consultants for the installation of solar energy systems had also been organized by the Sustainable Energy Unit in cooperation with the international company CESI last month.
A total of 33 contractors and consultants, of the 53 who took part, qualified. The minister commended the efforts to set up the workshop and said the names of those who qualified to install solar systems on homes and other facilities would be published on the website of the Electricity and Water Authority. He said the next training workshop would be in May.
The minister said that the company, Insomnia, has been contracted to design the website of the Sustainable Energy Unit (SEU) and to formulate communication strategies with citizens and residents to raise awareness about national plans in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Each committee member presented a time plan and detailes for the implementation of the initiatives and programs assigned to them in both the National Energy Efficiency Plan (NEEAP) and the National Renewable Energy Plan (NREAP) as well as Net Metering, approved by the Council of Ministers in December. This system will allow individuals and institutions to install solar energy panels at their homes or facilities.
A presentation on the formalities required to install solar systems on rooftops and the use of solar energy produced within the facility was given during the meeting.
This information has been published on the website of the Electricity and Water Authority and would also be published on the website of the Sustainable Energy Unit.
There was a presentation on the contribution of domestic air conditioners to reducing energy consumption and adoption of a new technical system as a cooling medium for air conditioners rather than the current technical system.
During the meeting, the members of the committee and the heads of the technical teams responsible also presented their reports on the follow-up of various national energy efficiency and renewable energy projects - each in its own context - and other follow-up within the NEEAP, which includes 22 initiatives.
Building an efficiency code, lighting and home appliances specifications, green buildings initiative, efficiency classification of buildings, specifications of air conditioning, cooling of areas and creation of competencies from the field were also discussed.
Details for the supply of electricity: the efficiency of electricity production, the correction of load coefficient, the efficiency of transmission and distribution of electricity, and smart meters were discussed.
The meeting was informed that the government would ensure green lighting in its buildings and have a green procurement policy in street lighting and energy management in government buildings.
For national economic sectors: legislative structure, dissemination of information and data.
In the transport sector: efficiency of transportation and restructuring of government support in the transport sector.
The Minister thanked the government for its unlimited support for sustainable energy efforts and the work of the National Committee to follow up the implementation of national plans for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
He also thanked the members of the committee for their effective participation, detailed reports and constructive suggestions.