Malta

This presentation made by Antoine Riolo of Malta Resources Authority provides a general overview of the renewable energies used in Malta, including solar thermal and the existing support mechanisms to this technology.

Solar thermal applications for water heating are actually the renewable energy source with higher penetration rate in the country, with an estimated capacity of 16,700kWth in 2006.

Space cooling, according to the presentation, has considerable potential, but needs further improvements as to what regards the commercialisation of small units

The government of the Mediterranean Island of Malta has launched a three-year incentive programme at the beginning of this year. It targets low-income families on the main island, as well as all residential home owners on the island of Gozo. 2,500 families are planned to receive a rebate of a maximum of 560 Euro each.

The Malta Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energies Association (M.E.E.R.E.A.) has taken on the drafting of the roadmap to ensure the future development of renewable energy sources on the sunny island in the Mediterranean Sea. M.E.E.R.E.A. is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation established in June 2001.

This short document produced by the Institute for Energy Technology of the University of Malta, presents the results of a study undertaken to investigate the energy consumption of a duplex apartment, using, for that purpose, different energy auditing techniques.

In Malta, the domestic sector takes over 36% of the total energy consumption in the country. The highest demand rates are verified in summer due to space cooling.

SOLATERM is a project funded by the EU 6th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP6).

This 2007 report provides a very good overview of the market situations in the 8 participating Mediterranean countries. It is a very useful document for policy-makers wanting an overview of recent legislative frameworks, financial incentives and market potential for growth.

This 2005 report assesses the data that is needed in order for strategic development and to achieve long-term energy and water security in the wide Mediterranean Region. A major part of the study focuses on concentrating solar thermal power generation since it is considered by far the largest available renewable energy resource in the EU-MENA region. 

Solar cooling for an office building in Kordin, Malta: The Chillii Solar Cooling Kit PSC10 uses 30.5 m² flat plate and 7 m² of vacuum tube collectors to generate 10 kW of cold in an ammonia/water absorption chiller. Photo: Solarnext