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The „Market transformation for solar power acceleration in Albania“ project aims to diversify renewable energy sources by 2030, with a focus on solar PV systems.
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On 03 November 2022, the Fourth National Communication of Albania (NC4) was submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat. The development of the Fourth National Communication of Albania to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is a joint undertaking of the Ministry of Tourism and Environment and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) upon support provided by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to the Project “Republic of Albania: Enabling Activities for the Preparation of the Fourth National Communication and the First Biennial Update Report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)”.
Albania’s Fourth National Communication is a commitment to provide the following elements of information to the Conference of the Parties: (i) National circumstances; (ii) A national inventory of anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of all greenhouse gases not controlled by the Montreal Protocol; (iii) General description of steps taken or envisaged by Albania to implement the Convention, i.e., measures to mitigate climate change and measures to facilitate adequate adaptation to climate change; (iv) Any other information that Albania considers relevant to the achievement of the objectives of the Convention; and (v) Constraints and gaps, and related financial, technical, and capacity needs.
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Solar Panel. Solar Energy. These words are no longer stranger to Vasilika! She has come to understand too well the power of the sun shining on her little village of Sylbica for 260 days! Its power is bringing benefits not only to Vasilika but to other people living in that breath-taking little village. Vasilika has a story to tell and gratitude to share.
Vasilika lives in the Sylbica Highlands, among the most beautiful in Albania. Situated on the north-eastern Alps of Albania, these highlands are between 1600 and 2400 meters above sea level, making up the upper part of the Tropoja river valley. Rich in flora and rife with water sources, the highlands are an ideal place for raising livestock for at least five months a year.
The road to Sylbica Highlands is rather rough, making a four-wheel car a necessity. Often, families living in the area make their own cars available to visitors traveling to the Albanian Alps.
Sylbica and the beautiful valley of Dobedol boast many sheep folds. Open-fold and inn tourism are growing rapidly. However, care is needed to keep tourism development under control and prevent this area from being subjected to illegal construction. Construction and architecture should be developed based on zoning plans. Otherwise, we risk losing the most scenic and fertile highlands in Albania.
Sylbica Highlands UNDP Albania
At Vasilika’s fold
Vasilika Cenaj is a permanent resident of these highlands. She breeds 14 cows and does a lot of other chores in the summer fold. A mother of three children, she is the main character in her family. Milk processing, working in her small garden in front of the fold, and blueberry picking are some of the numerous chores Vasilika carries out daily. Her family has no other sources of income than engage in livestock raising, pick as many blueberries as they can, and sell what little produce they get from their garden in the highlands.
There is no electricity in these highlands. There is no phone communication. Only one hotel in the middle of the Highlands has the „luxury“ of internet access. It serves as a communication hub for all the local inhabitants, helping them to keep in touch with their family members.
In Vasilika’s animal shed, just like in others, too, the sun is the sole source of light. Good news is that Vasilika benefitted from a small grant to install solar panels for energy production. Thanks to this support, ten animal sheds in the Albanian Alps now have solar panels – which may supply electricity for up to five lamps.
Vasilika’s says: I can’t believe I have electric light which is so indispensable for all other chores. „Every day I am thankful for this wonderful gift to my shed,“ Vasilika says. „Now all my dairy produce is of much higher quality because everything I do, I do it in the solar panel light. You have brought light not only to my small shed but to my entire family,“.
Vasilika goes on. „This investment in solar panels has an extraordinary impact on the life of a Highland family. We can witness its great impact on life in the Albanian Alps too.“
Vasilika is not the only one who has benefited from this support.
Precisely where the Sylbica Highlands begin, Halil Trezhnjeva and his brothers have built an inn where they also live. Besides the family living in this inn, about 25 other people may be accommodated there. There is however plenty of room for those who might wish to sleep outside in tents.
Situated on the bank of the Tropoja River, the Trezhnjeva brothers’ inn is a simple but nicely built construction, made of stone and combined with woodwork and sparse concrete.
Like everywhere else in the Highlands, lack of electricity is a problem. For this reason, UNDP through the GEF supported the Trezhnjeva family with the purchase of a solar panel. It is sufficient to light the main premises of the inn. Now Halil has also managed to put together a small „HEC“—as he calls it—referring to a small generator that meets the needs of the inn.
Besides being able to breed about 40 heads of cows, the land in the Sylbica Highlands is very productive. Water for land irrigation is plentiful here.
Halil says they grow up to 50 kg of potatoes and other vegetables.
The food served in the inn comprises dishes from the local tradition: chicken with flour sauce pie with wild plants grown in the highlands, roasted meat, wafer with sherbet, rice pudding.
Everything is perfect!
Visiting Vasilika’s fold, a permanent resident of Sylbica’s highlands UNDP Albania
„Thanks to solar lighting, we manage to work at night, too. We work nonstop. It takes a long time to milk 40 cows and process their milk. Before, our milk went sour because we could not process it in time. Now, thanks to the panel light, this is no longer the case. We are eternally grateful for this support.“ Halil says.
A Low Value Grant from the GEF-funded project „Environment information management and monitoring system in line with global reporting,“ which is being carried out by the local civil society organization „Iliria,“ is helping to support these small-scale but very effective measures.
Through a transparent selection procedure, the organization chose 10 livestock farms to receive support with solar panel installation in their summer hut.
Solar panels were able to produce electricity for lightning four lamps and equipment for charging batteries of cell phones or radios, equivalent to the same power.
A Memorandum of Good Understanding was signed by 45 farmers with the intention to later establish a formal organization which will work to sustainably use the natural resources of Tropoja.
If you ever visit Sylbica, do visit Vasilika’s or Halil’s folds. You will be served with love!
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The Embassy of Japan, UNDP, and the Agency for Energy Efficiency launched in Tirana the new initiative „Market transformation for solar power acceleration in Albania.“
The Government of Japan has partnered with UNDP in Albania to accelerate the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) Action Plan towards achieving the overall enhanced target and climate-resilient development, in response to the climate emergency.
A new project, „Market transformation for solar power acceleration in Albania,“ funded by the Japan Supplementary Budget -JSB with an amount of USD 859,000 USD and implemented by UNDP, aims to assist Albania in implementing the new national target in response to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change by supporting the transition process towards diversification from hydropower and promoting alternative sources of renewable energy by 2030, accounting for 42 % of renewable energy (rather than large hydro) in gross final energy consumption“.
The project will work to remove the market barriers and accelerate penetration of solar photovoltaic systems (solar PVs), reaching an additional installed capacity of 1000 kW through enabling the policy framework, ensuring availability of financing mechanisms, ensuring supply of reliable technology and services, and leveraging experience, and know-how from other countries with relevant advanced technologies, such as Japanese ones.
„The project will use Japanese technology know-how and technical expertise to help improve the policy framework and financing mechanisms, removing market barriers and facilitating the penetration of solar PV, while also ensuring the supply of reliable technology and services. At the same time, the project will implement at least 10 pilot projects in municipal buildings and rural communities,“ said Takada Mitsuyuki, Japan’s Ambassador in Tirana.
„Investing in climate action makes smart economic sense and drives sustainable development. For instance, every dollar invested in renewables creates three times more jobs than that invested in the fossil fuel industry. I take the opportunity to congratulate the Government of Albania for their commitment and concrete steps towards energy diversification and promoting alternative sources of renewable energy. I also wish to acknowledge Albania for delivering the enhanced National Determined Contributions (NDC) and fulfilling its obligations as a party to the Climate Change Convention. Thanks to our core funding partners, the Government of Japan being among the most important ones, we were able to mobilize funds to deliver our UNDP Climate Portfolio. I wish to express our gratitude to the Government of Japan (through the Japan Supplementary Budget for decarbonization and climate change through promotion of Japanese technologies), for your partnership and funding of this important project,“ said Monica Merino, UNDP Resident Representative in Albania.
Some of the project interventions include targeted support for the national policies on solar energy following the revised law „On Renewable Energy“ and financing mechanisms to boost the solar power market. The project targets municipal buildings and rural communities by installing pilot projects with high demonstration visibility and easy replication potential. Installation of pilot solar PV systems will also contribute to the development of skills for local producers/assemblers of solar panels as well as for service providers to operate and maintain them.
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A new project “Market transformation for solar power Photovoltaic acceleration in Albania” funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) with an amount of USD 859,000 USD and implemented by UNDP in Albania aims to assist the country to implement the new national target in response to Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The project aims to support the transition process towards diversification from hydropower and promote alternative sources of renewable energy by 2030, 42% of renewable energy (rather than large hydro) in gross final energy consumption”.
The project will work to remove the market barriers and accelerate the development of solar PV (reaching an additional installed capacity of 1000 kW) by enabling the required policy framework, availability of financing mechanisms, ensuring the supply of reliable technology and services leveraging experience, and know-how from other countries with relevant advanced technologies such as Japanese ones.
Some of the project interventions include targeted support to the national policy, on solar panels, standards and codes, rules, and regulations on the deployment of solar PV systems on the power grid and the use of solar energy, including e-based permissions as per the Japanese model. The project also targets municipal buildings/national utilities and remote rural communities by installing pilot projects with high demonstration visibility and easily replicated. Installation of pilot PV systems will also contribute to skills development for local producers/assemblers of solar panels as well as for service providers to operate and maintain them.
The Japanese know-how will be utilized throughout the project implementation cycle to increase the technical, planning, operational and entrepreneurial skills for integrating solar PV into the power grid and for organizing PV cooperatives and setting up PV firms.
On the other side, technical assistance will be given to the private sector on the benefits and economic feasibility of solar PV influencing a positive purchasing decision.
At COP26, UNDP launched the next phase of the Climate Promise – From Pledge to Impact – scaling up its support to turn NDC targets into concrete action in at least 100 countries.
Albania submitted in October 2021 a more ambitious and robust enhanced NDC with an action plan to support interventions to achieve the 20.9% GHG reduction target by 2030 compared to the business-as-usual (BAU) scenario.
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The publication is a summary of the work done by the project “The Country Programme of Albania under the Global Solar Water Heating Market Transformation and Strengthening Initiative”, being implemented by the Albanian Government and the UNDP. The project had a sound impact on awareness creation, capacity building and market stimulation that lead to stepping up the market and reaching the set goals. The project significantly contributed to the development and enactment of the Law on Renewable Energy Sources (RES), the National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP), and the establishment of a Fund for Energy Efficiency. At the end of June, 2016 the cumulative area of SWH systems was 186,472 m2, the annual sale has reached at 21,602 m2 resulting to more than 990,000 tCO2 reduction (indirect CO2 reduction over the lifetime of solar collectors). In terms of evolution (growth) of the penetration rate for the SWH, it has gone from 17.9 m2/1000 inhabitants in 2009 to 66.2 m2/1000 inhabitants in 2016;
Quite a heavy work is underway to make operational the established EE Fund to secure sustainability of actions to transform SWH market. The municipalities of Tirana, Elbasan, Shkoder, Sarande, Vlore, Gramsh, Lushnje, Lezhe, Fier and Durres are supported with technical assistance and demonstration projects to justify the solar obligations ordinances; More than 712 participants (Arch., Eng., Instructors, etc.) are trained over the last five years on installation/monitoring/maintenance of SWH systems by public institutions, quality of products and their design and integration into new and existing buildings. A great deal is done to improve the specifications for the public tenders procuring the SWH systems and their service.
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