Saïd MOULINE
General Director of the Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency (AMEE)
Whereas the climatic events planned by the world experts become clearer every year even with an alarming acceleration, some, called climate change
skeptics, challenge the policies established by their predecessors. The energy transitions which rely on renewable energies and on energy efficiency demand long-term policies and cannot be questioned on every election.
A phenomenon that provides glimmers of hope is the cost of produced energies from renewable resources which continues its already dazzling decrease. Nowadays, the least expensive way of producing electricity is through photovoltaic power generation. Wind energy comes in second place. Some industrialists implemented energy efficiency measures while producing with renewable energies and that, successfully resulted in a drastic drop of their energy bill whilst reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.
This applies for the industrialists, but is also becoming more and more attractive to households, cities and rural communities. The evolution in energy storage, whose cost also decrease, shows that new environmental and economic solutions will be implemented to supply energy without any wasting while being consumed, especially on our continent where still 600 million inhabitants have no access to electricity.
The case of the Kingdom of Morocco is interesting from this perspective: being the source of only 0,15% of the world emissions, the energy transition represents a political will to the highest level of the State, and did not emerge during the COP 21, but since 2009. Priority was given to renewable energies and to energy efficiency, through two dedicated agencies: the Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency (AMEE) and the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN), in charge developing the largest projects around renewables. Both must go hand in hand. It is essential that, at the same time as renewable energy, a voluntarist policy in energy efficiency must be developed in all sectors : electricity production, industry, urban planning, construction, transport, agriculture…
Energy efficiency establishes itself as a key lever, by being the most effective strategic approach so that countries meet their commitments to reduce greenhouse gases at a fast speed and at a lower cost : let us recall that the least expensive energy is the one which is not consumed. This year, the industrial, agricultural and public construction sectors were the main targets of the Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency (AMEE). We could go faster if the green financing was available, as even if renewable energies are easily financed today, energy efficiency requires however more financial support and will be the main point to be discussed on this oncoming COP.
By Saïd MOULINE General Director of the Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency (AMEE)
