The Tunisian Solar Thermal Market: A Change of Scale

Abstract

In the face of continuous increase in oil demand in the international market over the last few years, coupled with the stabilization of national hydrocarbon resources and the growth in the national demand of energy, since 2000 the energy balance in Tunisia has been characterized by an energy production deficit. Therefore, since 2005, Tunisia has committed to a national plan of energy conservation and renewable energy development, with the goal to reduce (fossil) energy consumption 24% by 2016 and 40% by 2030.Conscious of the energy challenges, the Tunisian Government through the National Agency for Energy Conservation (ANME) has established an ambitious program to promote solar water heaters (SWH), called “PROSOL”, which has already increased the installation rate of solar thermal from 7 000 m2/year to 80 000 m2/year. PROSOL is being implemented in three steps: residential, tertiary, and industrial. The Residential PROSOL financial mechanism focuses on the removal of two major barriers to the final consumer: the heavy initial investment and the high payback time in comparison with other conventional technologies. Promoting the quality of solar installations is a central objective of the program PROSOL Tunisia. Installation objectives in the tertiary sector during the period 2010 – 2016 are 30 000 m2, with 15 000 m2 already completed and 4 000 m2 expected completed in 2013 alone. Financing is supported by UNEP and ANME and is provided at several points in the project cycle including subsidies of feasibilities studies, capital cost, and maintenance. The third mechanism is Industrial PROSOL. Since 2010, this solar process heat program has been developed with the aim to install 30 000 m2 in the industrial sector during the period 2010 - 2016. This is a pilot phase for establishing a funding mechanism appropriate to the industrial sector, identifying barriers to the development and implementation of the first solar installations in industrial process in Tunisia. The first installation of 955 m2 in the textile sector will be in operation by the end of 2013.The PROSOL Program creates a real change of scale in the market for solar water heaters in Tunisia. The typical indicators of development continue to advance for this market as the programs advance, including a substantial increase in local manufacturing, local job creation, financial and energy savings to the State, and emissions avoidance. Finally, the requirement of QUALISOL and SWH certification based on Solar Keymark standards ensures a lasting quality and durability to the sustained growth of the solar thermal market in Tunisia.