Damascus, SANA – The Electricity Ministry implemented on Wednesday two projects to generate electricity from solar power at the General Establishment of Drinking Water and Waste Disposal in al-Adawi area and Jawdat al-Hashimi School in al-Tajhiz area in Damascus.
In a statement to SANA, Deputy Electricity Minister Nidal Qarmosha said that the projects come within the framework of the Ministry’s strategic plan to expand the using of renewable energy.
He said that the first project was carried out in cooperation with General Establishment of Drinking Water and Waste Disposal, and it depends on pumping water out of a well using solar power during the day and storing it in the main reservoir, while the second project is implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and employs photoelectric system installed on the roof of Jawdat al-Hashimi School to provide classes with electricity during power rationing hours.
Qarmosha pointed out that Electricity Ministry contributed with the Industry Ministry and a Belarusian company to establish a plant to manufacturing photovoltaic collectors, adding that the Ministry has also finished drafting laws and regulations related to the law of renewable energy which will bring important economic benefits to industrialists, businessmen, farmers, and individuals.
In turn, the director of the National Center for Energy Research at Electricity Ministry Younis Ali pointed out that the first project cost SYP 6 million and it’s expected to produce about 28,000 kWh annually, while its financial savings will reach SYP 1.2 million, and it should recoup the cost of the project in under five years.
About the second project, Ali noted that it involved installing a photoelectric system at a capacity of 20 KW and it uses a hybrid system that allows it to operate with or without power from the main grid, which will result in the optimal use of the produced power, adding that the project cost SYP 20 million and it’s expected to produce 32,000 kWh annually.
Manar al-Freih / Hazem Sabbagh