Getting solar panels out of hot water : Solar loans in the Mediterranean region
a joint initiative between UNEP, the Italian Ministry for Environment, Land and Sea,and the National Agency for Energy Conservation – has helped more than 105,000 Tunisian families get their hot water from the sun, based on loans of over $60 million, a substantial leverage on Prosol’s initial $2.5 million cost. Its success has led the Tunisian Government to set an ambitious target of 750,000m2 of solar panels for 2010-2014, a goal that would represent solar coverage comparable to that in Spain or Italy, with populations several times higher than Tunisia. Many jobs have been created, as 42 suppliers and more than 1000 installation companies have sprung up to service the solar market. The tourism and industry sectors are also now involved, with 47 hotels engaged by late 2009, and there are plans to encourage industry to make greater use of the sun’s energy. A project is now underway to make photovoltaic energy available to a further 15,000 households through a similar loan and repayment scheme.
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