An investigation into the current utilisation and prospective of renewable energy resources and technologies in Libya
Highlights
► The paper investigates the current utilisation and the future of renewable energy in Libya. ► The methodology includes semi-structured interviews with key stake holders. ► The results show that renewable energy is strategically of high importance. ► Solar and wind energy are considered the main sources of renewable energy. ► There is a need to attract investors in renewable technologies.
Introduction
Many oil-rich countries in Middle East, including Libya, are trying to diversify their economy and reduce their dependency on oil as a source of income and energy generation in order to develop more sustainable and knowledge-based economy. Securing alternative resources of energy and income is becoming critically important for these countries if they wish to maintain the same standard of living for future generations and reduce pollution and Carbon emission of fusel fuel.
The information currently available in the public domain regarding renewable energy in Libya indicates that Libya is rich in solar and wind energy resources. Libya is located in the middle of North Africa with a huge area of 1,759,540 km2 and a long coast of a length of 1900 km on the Mediterranean Sea with 88% of its area considered to be desert where there is a high potentiality of solar and wind energy which can be used to generate electricity via thermal, photovoltaic and solar energy conversions. Moreover, it has been estimated that every year, each square kilometre (km2) of desert in the Middle East/North Africa region receives solar energy equivalent to 1.5 million barrels of crude oil [1]. Based on information extracted from data provided by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) 2007, Fig. 1 indicates an average estimation of annual direct normal solar irradiance in Libya in kWh/m2 per annum.
In relation to wind energy resources, the data extracted from Wind Atlas of Libya (version 1.0 March 2008) indicates, as shown in Table 1, the estimated average wind speed in different Libyan cities.
In general, the average wind speeds ranges between 5 and 10 m per second in number of the Libyan areas. One of the main advantages of the wind in Libya is that there is a matching between the wind pattern and the pattern of the demand of the electric power in most places [2], [3], [4]. Furthermore, Libya is exposed to dry and hot winds which blow several times during the year [5]. In addition, the neighbouring countries to Libya have started to utilise the wind resource with different scales ranging from demonstration projects to commercial size wind farms [6], which is a clear indication of its feasibility in that region.
As far as renewable energy is considered, it is not a well-investigated subject in Libya due to the availability of oil as Libya is one of the leading exporters. Despite the fact that renewable energy such as solar and wind power as discussed above is widely available in Libya, it is still difficult to break the dependency on the oil and natural gas, not only for energy supply but also for revenues to finance the development of the society and the infrastructure.
Section snippets
The problem in context
The growth in population is causing significant increase in electricity demand all over Libya which is creating a considerable need for further investment in the infrastructure including power lines and additional power stations. Additionally, the industrial growth is requiring continuous operation of power plants and more fuel consumption. This gives strong demand to study the feasibility and importance of renewable energy in Libya which is the main goal of this paper.
Recent studies have shown
Methodology
The Authors have utilised in this paper a combination of different research techniques including field work, secondary data collection and interviews with different stake holders in relation to energy generation and consumption in different organisations in Libya. Secondary documentary data has been collected from several government organisations in order to obtain the necessary information that is related to this subject including policy statements, ministerial or departmental annual reports,
Results and discussion
The results in this paper will cover the current and future Energy consumption in Libya, the current strategic plans, availability of renewable energy and the perspective of policy makers, energy producers and consumers in relation to the energy sector in Libya.
The research interviews
Table 2 summarised the interviews based on the sector and the organisation with unique code for each interviewee and the geographical location.
The authors initiated their methodology by designing a survey, and all the interviews were transcribed, coded, and each code was given a letters and number related to each case. Using computer software, the codes were divided and classified into simple codes to situate them for study. Data and information have been collected from the interviews and
Further results from interviewees
Most interviewees in the three sectors highlight the importance of the renewable energy resources, with relative differences amongst them. While participants of both energy consumptions (EC) and energy generation (EG) give equal importance to utilise and invest in this field, the energy policy makers (EPM) give more importance compared with EG and EC to renewable energy resources. In general, according to the interviewees, the three sectors aim to achieve three main objectives relative to
Recent political changes and renewable energy
The research work for this paper has been performed prior and following the recent political changes in Libya. Most of the data was collected prior to the recent change in the government in 2011. The changes in the Libyan government after the data of this paper has been collected are considered as an important factor due to the possible potential uncertainty in the strategic importance of renewable energy. At the time of writing this paper in 2012, the National Transitional Council (NTC) is
Discussion
The continuous growth in energy demands is one of the important challenges facing the energy policy makers in Libya. Exploitation of renewable energy in Libya is becoming important to sustain people's lifestyle and sustaining energy resources. Libya, similar to other country, is seeking to boost its economy, increase and maintain its sources of income, encouraging investment, and creating new employment opportunities. In addition, the Libyan government started to address issues such as oil
Conclusions
The conducted interviews indicate the important of solar and wind energy in Libya. They also indicate there is political interest in the development of renewable. From the literature review, field visits and secondary data it has been found that energy demand is increasing in Libya and that renewable energy could be the solution to cover some of this demand. Semi-structured interviews with 55 participants from the three main sectors in the field provided further details of the overall picture.
Acknowledgement
The authors would like to thank the Libyan Renewable Energy Authority and Centre for Solar Energy Research and Studies for providing some of the data used in this research work.
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