A Solution to Streamline Early Stage Solar and Wind Market Planning

The Pan-Arab Clean Energy Initiative (PACE), one of the initiatives included in the Roadmap of Actions for the implementation of the Pan-Arab Sustainable Energy Strategy 2014-2030, endorsed by the 4th Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in Beirut in January 2019, is a regional initiative that aims to promote the integration of greater shares of renewables into power systems of the Arab region. IRENA has engaged with the League of Arab States (LAS), the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) and other key regional partners in the design and development of the PACE initiative and its attached Action Plan.

In this regard, and within the framework of the PACE Initiative, IRENA, with its partners, have launched the Arab Region Zoning project titled: Improving Resource Assessment Practice in the Arab Region: A Solution to Streamline Early Stage Solar and Wind Market Planning, which features two phases:

• First, to develop Zoning Assessment reports for all Arab countries that leverages on datasets and methods, sourced, and developed through the Global Atlas programme. The reports have already been developed and shared with the Arab countries for their review and input;
• Second, the organization of a technical workshop on the fundamentals of identifying suitable areas for utility-scale renewable energy project planning.

This workshop served to deliver the second phase of the Arab Region Zoning project, by focusing on the technical aspects of the zoning assessment methodology and results. It also provided an avenue for countries to share their experiences with RE project planning offering opportunities for interactive discussions. The workshop included a combination of informative presentations, case study analyses, interactive exercises and question and answer (Q&A) discussion sessions.

The proposed participants were delegated from the institutions and organizations, including the utilities, involved in spatial analysis of renewable energy resources, in addition to managers and staff involved in the planning of renewable energy projects.

Closed event (by invitation only)