Originally published on Sustainnovate.
By Henry Lindon
The North African country of Algeria installed around 268 megawatts (MW) of new solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in 2015, going by new figures from the country’s renewable energy research institute (CDER).
Much of the growth — which occurred mostly in the southern and highlands regions — was the result of efforts from a subsidiary of state-owned utility Societe Nationale de l’Electricite et du Gaz (Sonelgaz) by the name of SKTM.
The impressive installation figures for 2015 follow the Algerian government’s announcement last February of a reorganized development program for renewable energy. The country’s 2030 national target for renewables now rest at 22 gigawatts (GW) of capacity. Plans also call for a 9% reduction in energy usage via energy efficiency measures by 2030.
The country’s informal 2030 goal for solar PV is 13.5 GW, going by statements made last year by the country’s energy minister, Youcef Yousfi.
There are a number of solar PV projects now under construction in the country that are the result of contracts awarded roughly two years ago (to various development consortiums). Rumors are also going around that the country will be making big announcements concerning solar energy later this year.
Image by Radjaïdjah (some rights reserved)
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