Electricity and Water Affairs Minister Dr. Abdulhussain Mirza opened the International Conference on Green Cities, Sustainable Buildings and Renewable Energy, organized by the Kingdom University, yesterday.
The event was held in cooperation with the International Renewable Energy Network under the theme "Green Cities, Sustainable Buildings and Renewable Energy".
Senior officials and invited participants from various government and private sectors, including Sudanese Minister of Urban Planning and Water Resources Dr. Babeker Ahmed Babakar, were present.
Network President Dr. Ali Sayegh announced an honorary membership of the network for Dr. Mirza for his role and contributions in the renewable energy fields in Bahrain and to achieve constructive cooperation with local and international organizations and bodies working in the field.
The minister delivered a keynote speech, during which he spoke about Bahrain’s sustainable energy sector and the importance of leadership as well as its endeavor to secure sustainable development. He said one of the important steps taken by the government was to secure a green environment and clean and to set up the Sustainable Energy Unit in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
This unit, he said, is concerned with encouraging investment in renewable energies such as solar energy. The minister said the government has set national goals to achieve specific percentages of total renewable energy, such as 5 per cent of total energy to be renewable in Bahrain by 2025, as well as a goal of increasing this to six per cent by 2025.
The Minister also spoke about the details of the National Energy Efficiency Plan (NEEAP) and the National Renewable Energy Plan (NREAP) and explained Bahrain’s plans in the field of sustainable energy and the recent steps adopted by the Council of Ministers to build a solar power station of 100 megawatts capacity.
He also spoke of the historic decision of the Council of Ministers to approve the regulations relating to the solar energy distributed on the roofs of houses and facilities and the procedures for their safe connection to the government electricity grid, including the Net Metering system to monitor any quantities of electricity pumped into the government network.
Dr. Mirza thanked the organizers of this and stressed the importance of such events since they encourage discussions that enrich the scientific and research arena in the fields of renewable energy and sustainable development.
The opening ceremony also included a speech by university president Prof. Mohammed Jamil Terro, during which he welcomed the dignitaries and participants. He thanked the minister for his support and patronage.
He also welcomed the Sudanese minister and thanked the speakers and supporters of the Sustainable Energy Unit, GPIC, BAPCO, Tatweer, Ministry of Housing, Northern Governorate and UNIDO’s Bahrain Branch.
The conference was attended by a number of professional speakers from Bahrain, Britain, Italy, Romania and Malaysia. The conference also focussed on presenting ongoing researches and studies in universities and research centers and to develop building systems that comply with modern environmental requirements.
The Kingdom University is a leading private university in the field of higher education and scientific research and has made a contribution in the development and advancement of scientific and field research and education.