Said Mouline
Ceo of AMEE (Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency)
Countries are left with little choice, other than to implement a renewable energy and energy efficiency policies, not only to reduce energy bills but also to meet their commitments related to National Determined Contribution from the Paris Agreement.
The Kingdom of Morocco has committed to reduce its energy consumption by 15% by 2030 in its Nationally Determined Contribution. The Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency – AMEE – is in charge of executing the government’s action plan in terms of energy efficiency to achieve that goal.
Within the last years, AMEE has successfully carried out many programs in all energy efficiency areas.And its rigorous work processesallowed the agency to get the ISO 9001 certification and renew it each year.
The transport sector is the largest consuming sector in the Moroccan economy. To improve this sector’s energy efficiency, AMEE has focused its work on two main topics: eco- driving, electric vehicles promotion and vehicles labeling. Regarding eco-driving, AMEE provided trainings for truck drivers in different regions and developed and largely distributed eco-driving handbooks for drivers, as well as awareness-raising campaigns through communication media.
Regarding electric vehicles, the agency proposed the removal of tariffs and annual taxes for electric and hybrid vehicles, which were adopted by the legislator. It also supported the acquisition of electric vehicles by government and municipal authorities. AMEE has also developed energy consumption labeling for vehicles.
In the building sector, AMEE has run many programs. The CEEB program is one of the most prominent ones. It was designed in cooperation with the Global Environment Facility through the United Nations Development Programme. It aimed at including energy efficiency considerations in the global building sector whether residential, health, tourism or education. The “Eco-Binayate” certificate was developed for efficient buildings and a software was developed for checking the compliance with RTCM –the thermal isolation regulation for buildings construction. The agency also supported public authorities by performing energy audits and energy use optimization for public buildings.This technical support sometimes included the installation of solar water heaters and photovoltaic panels.
Regarding the industry sector, AMEE has developed the PEEI, a Program for Energy Efficiency in Industry. This program aimed at mainstreaming energy efficiency in the industry sector. In that respect, it prepared regulatory mandates laid down by the 47-09 law, such as the regulatory text for mandatory audits in industry, and the one for minimal energy requirements for equipment. Aligned with the national regionalization strategy, AMEE developed the JihaTinou program which supported regions in many respects. In many regions, public lighting has been upgraded into a more efficient one, a dashboard for municipal energy management has been developed and renewable energy systemshave been installed.Two cities have been awarded the Middle East & Africa Energy Awards by AMEE for their achievements in urban sustainable development, leading the way for other cities to join.
AMEE has also supported many regions through programs that allowed the electrification of rural schools, health centers and mosques in remote areas using solar panels. It also installed solar pumping systems for water wells and solar water heaters for social centers.
AMEE had a years-long partnership with Junta Andalucia. The programs performed in this framework allowed the implementation of many projects in northern Morocco.
These programs improved the schooling conditions of students and their teachers, the access to hot water through solar water heaters in healthcare facilities and social centers in remote areas and the electrification of schools in remote rural areas using photovoltaic systems. They have also installed public lighting in some remote areas.
