for clean energy

Bahrain aims to increase the share of renewables in its energy mix to 5 per cent by
2025, and to 10pc by 2035, said Electricity and Water Affairs Minister Dr
Abdulhussain Mirza yesterday. The minister was giving a keynote speech at the
opening ceremony of the International Conference on Sustainable Buildings and
Renewable Energies, organised by the Kingdom University in collaboration with
the International Renewable Energy Network. Commenting on the theme of the
conference Sustainable Buildings and Renewable Energy, the minister said that
the government is looking forward to increasing the efficiency of energy
consumption to 6pc by 2035. Explaining more about green energy plans, the
minister said, The sustainable development unit set up by the government aims
to promote investment in renewable energy, particularly solar energy. In this
regard, he highlighted the plan approved by the Council of Ministers, a year ago,
to set up the National Energy Efficiency Commission (NEEAP) and the National
Renewable Energy Plan (NREAP). Dr Mirza added that a national committee has
also been established for the implementation of these initiatives. Minister for
Electricity and Water Affairs chairs the committee. Members include senior
officials from all relevant ministries and government bodies. The National Energy
Efficiency Plan The National Energy Efficiency Plan includes 22 initiatives, the
minister said. For buildings: The plan includes a building efficiency code,
specifications for lighting and home appliances, a green building initiative,
classification of buildings in terms of efficiency, specifications of air conditioning,
cooling areas as well as finding competent players in the field. For the supply of
electricity: The plan includes measures to enhance the efficiency of electricity
production, the correction coefficient of loads, regulations for transmission and
distribution of electricity and smart meters. For the government side: The plan
specifies efficiency of lamps for government buildings, green government
procurement, street lighting and energy management. For the economic sectors:
The plan stipulates tariff restructuring, legislative structure, dissemination of
information and data, while for the transport sector, it envisages efficient
transport and restructuring of government support in the sector. In the industrial
sector: The plan includes programmes for industrial companies to raise energy
efficiency. The National Renewable Energy Plan The National Renewable Energy
Plan includes six initiatives. This includes: solar projects on rooftops, wind power
projects on land and sea, large central solar power plant projects, solar home
installation requirements and new projects (housing and investment projects),
renewable energy requirements in new infrastructure projects such as bridges and
railways Ferrous, electric power generation of organic materials extracted from
wastewater. Workshops The opening ceremony of the conference also included a
speech by the university President Professor Yusuf Abdul Ghaffar and a speech by
a representative of the International Renewable Energy Network. A series of
workshops and lectures by experts and university professors from Britain, Italy,
Romania, Iraq and Malaysia are also part of the deliberations. The two-day
conference will cover the latest developments in the field of energy and
sustainable and green building design.