Mediterranean To Benefit From Sunny Conditions
Gathered together in Valencia for the first of a 2-day high-level conference on the Mediterranean Solar Plan (MSP) within the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union, over 550 participants, including ministers and representatives from the 43 Mediterranean countries, have discussed the potential of solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity in the Mediterranean region. The MSP constitutes one of the major initiatives of the Union for the Mediterranean and its prime objective is to develop 20 GW of renewable electricity capacity by 2020 in the Southern Mediterranean area, as well as the necessary infrastructures for the electricity interconnection with Europe. The conference is intended to enhance and facilitate the implementation of the MSP in terms of infrastructural requirements, policy frameworks and associated financing.
Underlining the untapped potential of solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity, the programme included a technological session chaired by Winfried Hoffmann, Vice-President of the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) with a panel composed of Mediterranean renewable energy experts, including Virgilio Navarro, CEO of Atersa and Vice-President of EPIA. This session discussed the compelling role of PV within the MSP and concluded that the steep cost reduction curve of this technology and the exceptional potential for deployment in countries with high irradiation, has positioned PV as a front-runner, ready to be widely deployed in the Mediterranean area, provided the adequate framework conditions are met.
EPIA released last year its SET For 2020 study, showing that, provided specific boundary conditions are met, PV installed capacity could reach up to 390 GWp in Europe by 2020, representing 12% of the electricity demand by then.
"With the steep decline of prices expected to occur through 2020 and beyond, PV will soon become massively competitive in MENA countries, with generation costs in the range of 7-10€c/kWh in most regions by 2020; that is below the expected generation costs of "clean coal" (CCS) said Winfried Hoffmann.
A key element for the development of the MSP is now the adoption and implementation of sustainable legal and institutional frameworks in Mediterranean countries, enabling the deployment of renewable energies and the facilitation of exchange of electricity. Provided favorable regulatory and policy conditions are in place, the competitive potential of PV combined with strong growth in electricity demand in most MENA countries will represent a massive opportunity to deploy PV in these countries. "PV alone could overshoot the 20 GWp MSP target for all renewable energy by 2020 and could contribute up to 100 GWp in the greater MENA region by that time" added Winfried Hoffmann.
The Mediterranean countries offer optimal solar conditions for PV technology deployment and are highly suitable for accommodating not only rooftop installations but also large scale photovoltaic facilities. "PV offers simplicity, reliability and an excellent carbon footprint, it does not need water and is highly resistant to sand and dust" added Virgilio Navarro. In addition, "falling technology costs and rising fossil fuels prices are making large PV power plants increasingly attractive to investors". Furthermore, the maximisation of the complementarities of PV with other renewable technologies, such as Wind or Concentrated Solar Power, could help to achieve a balanced green energy mix that is able to provide a highly dispatchable form of energy, providing, at the same time, a long lasting solution to the environmental and energy challenges in the Mediterranean.
