Climate Change, Energy and Environment

Why Small is Beautiful: Decentralized Small Scale Solar Power can be Lowercase

Decentralized solar brings many benefits in Jordan. A report by the FES presents solutions and offers recommendations.

Image: Launch of the Report with H.E. Hala Zawati

The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) regional climate and energy program in the MENA region in cooperation with EDAMA have published a report about decentralized solar power, with participation from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) represented by H.E. Hala Zawati.

Zawati emphasized the importance of the report and its recommendations on improving administrative procedures for licencing small and mid-scale renewable projects in Jordan. The Minister added that “Jordan is a pioneering example in the region and now is the time to reflect of the lessons learnt and build solid energy strategies.”

The report highlights the socio-economic benefits of decentralized solar systems based on international experience using the Jordanian case.

“The Socio-economic benefits for decentralizing solar power are huge, it's easy to deploy on rooftops for residents and small businesses, it can help farmers to make a living and even relieves the national grid,” said Franziska Wehinger, head of climate and energy regional program at FES.

The report highlights the advantages of decentralized systems beyond the technical benefits for the grid, but also includes the socio-economic opportunities for the community. Some of these benefits are the ease of installation, fitting into the urban setup without the need for dedicated space, income opportunities for families, more job opportunities compared to utility-scale projects, and the economic benefits for the direct users.

After a survey with Jordanian companies and residents that are interested in deploying solar power projects, the report analysis lists challenges related to the administrative procedures of small and mid-scale renewable projects in Jordan. The authors are proposing a package of best-practice procedures and solutions in order to make it easier for Jordanians to install solar power projects.

The panel discussions during the launch highlighted the importance of supporting small- and medium- sized solar systems, which will also strengthen smaller companies and consumers who are operating with solar energy independent of the traditional energy system.

One key finding of the study is that there is an urgent need to develop a standardized and transparent energy system, which is accessible and understandable for every kind of potential consumer, among the three distribution companies in Jordan (JEPCO, IDECO, EDCO); this could then lead to socio-economic benefits for the Jordanian communities: Other recommendations include an established online application system (one-stop-shop), transparency in providing information and processing applications, and reviewing the current guidelines at the Energy and Mineral Resources Commission (EMRC).

Created by Franziska Wehinger, Head of the Regional Project on Climate and Energy (MENA-Region) in Amman / Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Jordan and Iraq

Almasri, Reem; Alshamali, Abdallah; Chevillard, Naomi

Decentralized solar in Jordan

Streamlining administrative procedures to maximize socio-economic benefits ; Report to the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
Amman, 2019

Download publication (85 MB, PDF-File)


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