178. The MENA region has been characterised by a dynamic and fast-changing set of policies, targets and institutions. The expanding range of regional cooperation activities is described in the following table.
Table 4. Regional cooperation activities dedicated to renewable energy projects
| International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) | • Intergovernmental organization headquartered in Abu Dhabi (UAE) founded in 2009 • 160 member countries dedicated to promoting adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy |
| Mediterranean Solar Plan (MSP) | • Launched in 2008 by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), together with the 43 member states, the European Union, the League of Arab States and other stakeholders • Aims to establish an enabling policy framework for the large-scale regional deployment of RE and EE technologies • Two objectives for 2020: develop an additional 20 GW of renewable energy production capacity and achieve significant energy savings throughout the region • MSP Project Preparation Facility: funded by the EU Neighbourhood Facility (NIF) for feasibility studies for RE projects (EUR 50,000 to 500,000) |
| Arab Strategy for the development of renewable energy uses (2010-2030) | • Dedicated framework for joint Arab action at the 3rd Arab Economic and Social Development Summit, held in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) in January 2013 • Approved by the League of Arab States (LAS), headquartered in Cairo (Egypt) |
| Regional Centre for Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency (RCREE) | • Regional organisation based in Cairo (Egypt) with contributions from member states, and government grants from Germany, Denmark and Egypt • Aims to enable and increase the adoption of clean energy practices in the Arab region, via: policy dialogue, strategies, technologies and capacity development |
| MENA Renewable Energy Conference (MENAREC)
| • Organised since 2004 by a MENA country in partnership with the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Protection and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and GIZ • Dedicated framework to promote and strengthen partnerships on RE development and linkages with Europe |
| Mediterranean Renewable Energy Centre (MEDREC)
| • Regional centre launched by the Italian Ministry of Environment and Territory, based in Tunis (Tunisia) • Involves international and governmental institutions of Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia |
| • Joint venture established by a number of private sector actors, mainly European companies and North African agencies • Promotes the creation of markets for solar and wind energy to export power from the Sahara Desert to Europe via transmission links under the Mediterranean | |
| Renewable Energy Solutions for the Mediterranean (RES4MED) | • Non-profit association set up in 2012 by CESI, Edison, Enel Green Power, Gestore Servizi Energetici (GSE), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Politecnico di Milano. • Focus on research related to distributed generation, village power, energy-from-waste and smart cities. |
| Mediterranean Grid (MedGrid) & Mediterranean Ring (MedRing)
| • Aim to develop the necessary grid infrastructure (high-voltage, direct current) and provide interconnection of electric power transmission grids in order to foster large-scale RE deployment |
| Masdar Initiative | • Clean energy development and investment cluster located in Abu Dhabi (UAE) • Includes: first carbon-neutral city; 100MW Noor photovoltaic project |
| King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE)
| • Established in 2010 to spearhead Saudi Arabia's alternative energy plans • White paper (February 2013) set out the procurement strategy, with 23.9 GW of renewable energy to be installed by 2020 by private |
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35. In July 2013, the Desertec Foundation announced it was terminating its membership in Dii.