Promoting renewable energy in the Mediterranean
Renewable energy technologies have not been fully developed in Mediterranean countries thus far in spite of the efforts of governments and public policies. However, the Mediterranean has significant potential for the actualisation of challenging projects in this arena such as wind power and PV. Thus, within the framework of the CDMEDI project, a conference that concerned the dissemination of European research projects on the theme of renewable energy technologies was held. The delegates of the conference agreed that a number of things need to occur in order for large-scale development of renewable energy to get promoted in the Mediterranean region. They concluded that institutional and financial restraints need to be overcome. They also believe that governments need to accept that private enterprise should not be involved and also should ensure that project development does not get held back by excessive taxation. In terms of economic issues, the importance of initial investment support was highlighted in terms of its role in the program's overall success. The speakers also focused on their institutions' drives and initiatives towards the financing of renewable energy projects and their potential key role in developing the Mediterranean market for these technologies. Additionally, the conference emphasised that the CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) is the only versatile function resulting from the Kyoto Agreement that involves both developing countries and industrialised nations alike. Therefore, the ventures of successfully finishing these projects in the arena of renewable energy are of vital importance for all the countries in the Mediterranean.
