Success in solar energy strategy

77,000 water heaters installed until 2013

The local market achieved high scores on the subsidized financing mechanism for solar water heaters and the national awareness campaigns conducted. The scores were published as part of a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) providing an evaluation of the solar water heating (SWH) sector in several countries.

The evaluation used a scoring system based on several parameters and indicators. The country’s advanced rank is attributed to its comprehensive approach towards the solar heater market. “Ever since 2009, the local market has put a strategy that considered the legal, financing, marketing, control, capability building, and policy levels related to SWH,” said Pierre Khoury, Project Manager at the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC) at the Ministry of Energy and Water. In 2011, 43,500 solar water heaters were installed. This number was increased to 66,000 in 2012 and reached 77,000 in 2013.

The Ministry of Energy and Water has set a strategy for 2020 with the target to provide a water heater for every household. The solar thermal market grew over the last five years, from 188 megawatt hours in 2007 to 411 megawatt hours in 2012, according to the report. “The growth has also been equal among all regions, up to 20 percent in every region,” said Khoury. “We expect this growth to meet our national target for 2020,” he said.

The LCEC will publish a report on how the collective solar water heater market has evolved since 2009 and the expectations for the future.