MEDRES (also known as Cost-effective Renewable Energy for Rural Areas in the Mediterranean Region) is a...

project funded by the European Commission Research Directorate General and managed by the Observatoire Méditerranéen de l'Energie (OME) to look at renewable energy solutions for rural and peri-urban areas in the Mediterranean region. The French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) is responsible for several work packages; HELIO has been asked to be the advisor on assessing the impact of renewable energy electrification on ecodevelopment in rural and peri urban regions.

HELIO's role

HELIO is responsible for developing a framework to evaluate the costs and advantages associated with the introduction and implementation of renewable energy systems in the Mediterranean region. A set of indicators are being developed and tested. The indicators use the concept of ecodevelopment as the reference point, meaning that the following elements must be addressed equally:

• Ecological viability
• Social viability
• Economic viability
• Technical viability
• Civic viability

These indicators will be tested on renewable energy projects being implemented in four countries: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. Results from field-testing will be used to refine the methodology and indicators. The project output will be a guide that can be used to assess future electrification projects in the region.

Current status 

A first draft of the indicators was discussed at a workshop in Marrakech (22 January 2008). Participants included  the MEDRES partners and HELIO's team of experts. The current work focus is to train the local teams to use the set of indicators and to prepare the field studies.

• For an overview of the project, the timeline and a description of the indicators click here (PDF, 126 KB)

• A DRAFT set of indicators is available for consultation (PDF, 126 KB)