Scaling-up Renewables through Decentralized Energy Solutions

Sahara Wind at the International Energy Agency IEA workshop on “Scaling-up Renewables through Decentralised Energy Solutions” in Paris, March 28th 2017.

The IEA’s Renewable Energy Working Party (REWP) workshop brought together senior decision-makers, experts and key players from governments, municipalities, energy industries as well as IEA members, partners and Technology Collaboration Programmes. Opening-up the scope of decentralised/distributed generation at a variety scales, the event looked at the role of integrated local energy solutions in driving the global energy transformation.


The following four themes were discussed:

  1. New business models for power;
  2. Drivers for change-the role of cities, industry and smart solutions;
  3. Electro mobility, storage and renewables; and
  4. Heat and sector coupling.

https://www.iea.org/workshops/scaling-up-renewables-through-decentralised--energy-solutions-.html

Gulf, Russia, India, China: Morocco’s New Strategic Course

Sahara Wind at the MEDays Forum debates of December 7-10th, 2016.

Sahara Wind contributes to the 9th edition of the MEDays Forum on December 8, 2016. To that extent, the session entitled "Gulf-Russia-India-China: Morocco’s New Strategic Course" was moderated by its Managing Director, Khalid Benhamou. The panel session covered a range of issues relevant to the African continent.

Organized by the Amadeus Institute on the theme "From Fragmentation to Sustainability: Shifting Paradigms", MEDays 2016, the Annual Forum of the South was held in Tangier from December 7-10th, 2016.

"Greening the world's largest fertilizer industries" presented at COP22

De-carbonizing the world’s largest fertilizer industries presented at the “Understanding and mitigating CO2 and embedded energy in the agri-food system” COP22 side-event panel on November 11, 2016.

Sahara Wind's integrated wind-electricity pathways for the de-carbonization of the world’s largest fertilizer industries presented at COP22. China and Morocco are leading fertilizer producers capable of de-carbonizing their fertilizer industries thanks to their tremendous wind development potentials.

Paris Agreement enters into force

Over 55 Parties covering More than 55% of Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Ratified the Paris Climate Change Agreement. From November 4th 2016 it entered into force.

According to the Climate Change Paris Agreement Status of Ratification tracker 195 Parties of 198 Parties to the Convention have since ratified this agreement, which enables it to enter into force. “The speed at which countries have made the Paris’s Agreement’s entry into force possible is unprecedented in recent experience of international agreements. This is a truly historic moment for people everywhere. The two key thresholds needed for the Paris Climate Change Agreement to become legal reality have now been met” said Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The entry into force triggers a variety of important consequences, including launch of the Agreement’s governing body, known as the CMA which took place at the annual UN climate conference, known as COP22, in Marrakech, Morocco from November 7-18 2016.

COP22 Marrakech

Official Logo COP22Sahara Wind at the COP22 in Marrakech, November 7-18 2016.

Hosted by Morocco the 22th Conference of the Parties (COP22) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) gathered delegates from 197 Parties to the Convention. Dubbed “The COP of Action”, COP22 took over the reins from COP21 and The Paris Agreement signed by 191 countries to limit the rise in global temperature "well below 2°C" compared to pre-industrial levels. COP 22 provided an ‘opportunity to make the voices of the most vulnerable countries to climate change heard, in particular African countries and island states’ according to Morocco’s chairmanship of the conference. It focuses on action items in order to achieve the priorities of The Paris Agreement, especially related to adaptation, transparency, technology transfer, mitigation, capacity building and loss and damages.

‘Morocco's pre-COP22 Policies’ presented at WWEC2016 in Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo UniversitySahara Wind presents ‘Paving the way to large-scale wind power developments: Morocco's pre-COP22 policies’ at the 15th World Wind Energy Conference & Renewable Energy Exhibition (WWEC 2016)

The 15th World Wind Energy Conference took place in Tokyo, Japan from October 31st -November 1st  2016. Held a few days before the Marrakech COP22 conference, the WWEC 2016 Tokyo conference focused on wind power technology and approaches of how to further increase the global wind power capacity of 465 GW in the world based on engineering as well as social science. Various studies have shown that Japan is blessed with an abundance of wind such as onshore and offshore wind to rebuild and strengthen the country from the damage of the great earthquake in 2011. The wind power community around the world joined the WWEC2016 in Tokyo to make the benefits of wind power available.

During Session E-2 dedicated to ‘National and International Wind power policies’ Sahara Wind presented Morocco's pre-Cop22 Policies under the title ‘Paving the way to large-scale wind power developments’ on October 31st 2016.

Les instruments de ratification de l’Accord de Paris déposés à l’ONU

Le Maroc dépose ses instruments de ratification de l’Accord de Paris à l’ONU le 21 Septembre 2016.

Le ministre des Affaires Etrangères et de la Coopération et Président de la COP22, Salaheddine Mezouar, a déposé les instruments de ratification du Maroc de l’Accord de Paris. Le Royaume rejoint ainsi les 59 autres pays qui ont déjà déposés leurs instruments. En tant que pays hôte de la 22èmeConférence des Parties à la Convention cadre des Nations Unies sur les changements climatiques (COP22), la ratification du Maroc porte le nombre de pays qui ont adhéré à l’Accord de Paris à 60, égalant 47.62% des émissions mondiales de gaz à effets de serre. Afin que l’Accord de Paris puisse entrer en vigueur, 55 pays représentant au moins 55% des émissions mondiales doivent déposer leurs instruments de ratification auprès des Nations Unies. A cette occasion, le Secrétaire Général des Nations Unies Ban Ki-moon a annoncé « Je suis heureux de déclarer que nous avons officiellement franchi le seuil de 55 pays pour l’entrée en vigueur anticipée de l’Accord de Paris ».

MED Conference of the European Investment Bank

Sahara Wind at the MED Conference of the European Investment Bank in Rabat, September 08 2016.

The “EIB MED Conference: Climate Action in the Mediterranean” focused on climate change adaptation, mitigation and climate finance. Three consecutive sessions on climate finance enabled panelists to interact with an audience composed of officials, experts from the private sector and the NGO community. As the world's biggest provider of climate finance, the EIB’s significant expertise leverages complementary financing sources alongside other multilateral development banks to get the private sector on board for the considerable investments that will be needed in the years ahead.

MEDCOP Mediterranean Forum Climate 2016

LOGO MEDCOP CLIMAT TANGERSahara Wind at the MEDCOP CLIMAT Tanger July 18-19 2016.

Morocco hosted the MEDCOP Mediterranean Forum Climate - Tangier 2016. The event took place in the run-up of the COP22 Marrakech November 7-18th 2016 22th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Held at the gate of the Mediterranean in the city of Tangier, the second edition of the MEDCOP Forum brought over 2,000 experts from academia, private sector and civil society. Over two days, on July 18-19 2016, this event enabled the sharing and evaluation of various Mediterranean region contributions. The aim of the forum was to develop and consolidate action plans for local authorities, NGOs, associations and companies in mitigating and adapting to climate change.

La COP22 : Quelles opportunités pour la Marque Maroc?

Conférence Marketing pays : Modéliser la Marque Maroc.

Sahara Wind a pris part aux travaux de la 1ère édition de la conférence sur la marque Maroc. Ainsi, la Session 4 intitulée « La COP22 : Quelles opportunités pour la Marque Maroc? » a été modéré par son Directeur Général, Khalid Benhamou. Organisée conjointement par l’Institut Amadeus et Maroc export, cette conférence s'est déroulée à Casablanca le 27 mai 2016.

Securing Energy Investments on a Regional Basis

Sahara Wind’s regional integrated approach to secure investments presented at the Energy Charter Executive Training Programmes for Young Energy Professionals on May 17-20, 2016 in Kraków, Poland.

At the invitation of the International Energy Charter, Sahara Wind’s “Investment security and securing the necessary investments in the energy sector: how do we get there?” was presented to Young Energy Professionals. The eighth edition of the Executive Training Programmes focused on energy security challenges in light of on-going energy transition in wider-Europe and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

175 Nations Signed !

As a first step in implementing the Paris Agreement -and ahead of its Presidency- Morocco, along with 175 nations participated in the high-level signing ceremony which took place at the United Nations on April 22nd 2016.

In hosting the upcoming COP-22 global climate conference in Marrakech, the Kingdom of Morocco delivered its statement. Backed by ambitious, comprehensive Intended Nationally Determined Contributions Morocco is on track to exceed its 2020 renewable energy targets and achieve 52% of renewable electricity generation capacity by 2030. In order for these objectives to be binding, countries will need to adopt the “Paris Agreement” within their own legal systems, through ratification, acceptance, approval or accession. The agreement will enter into force when joined by at least 55 countries, which together represent at least 55% of global emissions. The ceremony took place on International Mother Earth Day.

FaLang translation system by Faboba