Development and Achievements of TREC

Achievements by TREC so far

TREC has been building a network among interested and influential experts in MENA and EU countries. There are about 60 active members in the TREC network of experts.

TREC was/is involved in the initiation of the following projects and case studies:
• A R&D association MENA*SUN
• A project for combined power, desaltination and chill production for hotels in
Aqaba (Jordan)
• A Gaza Solar Power and Water Project (PDF): Solar water and power production
for Gaza in the near by Egyptian desert; as an international recovery effort
• A Sana’a Solar Water Project (PDF): Solar desalination of sea water by the Red
Sea and transmission to the capital city, that is endangered by a water crisis

TREC has been involved in three studies on resources of renewable energies in the sunbelt, on the expected demands for power and water in the MENA region until 2050, and on the interconnection between MENA and EU for power transmission. These studies were commissioned by the German Government and led by the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

Official supporters of the concept (e.g.): Greenpeace International, the German Green Party (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War and social responsibility (IPPNW), the German Physical Society (DPG) and the German advisory council on global change (WBGU).
Complete list (PDF, 40 kb)

TREC has contributed to the dissemination of these ideas and of results from the studies.

TREC and the results of the studies were presented to

e-Parliament meeting of West Africa, Accra (Ghana), (September 20-21, 2008)
this lead to An e-Parliament Recommendation for a West African Renewable Energy Community (PDF) (Akosombo Declaration)

Global Economic Summit GES, Kiel/Plön (September 4-5, 2008)

e-Parliament meeting of Eastern Africa, Kenia (June 6-7, 2008)

the Tällberg Forum and in a plenum with Kofi Annan and the Swedish King (Plenum: http://www.compodium.se/tallberg08/ondemand/ ) (May 27-29, 2008)

Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences (May 5, 2008)

meeting with Al Gore in his “Solutions Workshop” in New York (May 1, 2008)

TREC organised the Forum 10,000 Solar GigaWatts (PDF) at Hanover Fair 2008.
PowerPoint Presentations can be downloaded here: Session 1 (ZIP, 90 MB) and Session 2 (ZIP, 55 MB). The Video Documentation is available at www.Energy1.tv
Pressmen find here our press releases. (April 23-24, 2008)

EMPA Economic Committee (Barcelona Process) meeting in the EU Parliament in Brussels (January 21-22, 2008)

His Royal Highness Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, former president of The Club of Rome, presented a White Paper (PDF, 2,5 MB) by TREC about the DESERTEC Concept to the European Parliament. (November 28, 2007)
The White Paper and an Action Plan (PDF, 60 kb) have also been handed over to the President of the European Parliament Professor Hans-Gert Poettering (Photo). Pressmen find here a press release.

The German Association for The Club of Rome in cooperation with members of the German Bundestag organised an information evening about DESERTEC. (November 6, 2007)
For this, the Dresdner Bank provided its premises at the Pariser Platz in Berlin and the SCHOTT AG sponsored the event. The PowerPoint Presentations are available here (zip, 8 MB).

M+W Zander GmbH (July 7, 2007)

Evangelische Akademie Loccum, "Strategien gegen Energiearmut in Afrika"
(June 25-27, 2007)

MENAREC4 and to the former Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schroeder in Damascus (June 18, 2007)

CSP Workshop of Italian Government in Rome (June 18, 2007)

British Association Friends of Earth (FoE) in London (May 26, 2007)

Malcolm Wick (British Minister for Industry and Innovation) and the MP Frank Field, London (May 25, 2007)

Hay on Wye Festival in Wales (May 24, 2007)

European Climate Forum in Berlin (March 26-27, 2007)

Greenpeace Bavaria Meeting in Ingolstadt (March 25, 2007)

Student Initiative Club of Rome (Sicor), Mannheim University (March 14, 2007)

Evangelische Akademie Loccum, International Colloquium on Energy Policy "Energy and Climate Security in and for Europe" (January 19-21, 2007)

Palestinian Authorities, Universities and NGOs, Gaza Solar Power and Water Project (PDF) (December 15-20, 2006)

12th Annual Science Week, organized by the Higher Council for Science and Technology of Jordan, in Amman (November 27, 2006)
Opening Speach (PDF, 75 kb) of HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan

international conference "Intelligent Energy: Turkey - EU" in Ankara (October 28-29, 2006)

Forum2000 Conference "The Dilemmas of Global Co-Existence" in Praque (October 8-10, 2006)

Hamburg Rotary Club (September 27, 2006)

Global Conference on Renewable Energy Approaches for DEesert Regions (GCREADER) – September 18-22, 2006 in Amman (Jordan)
TREC-Paper for the Conference (PDF, 1,2 MB)

President of Yemen, Abdullah Saleh, Proposal “Water for Sana’a by Solar desalination at the Red Sea – saving Sana’a and serving all Yemen” (July 17, 2006)

Forum2000 workshop at the Foreign Ministry in Prague (July 12, 2006)

EU and Brussels Chapter of The Club of Rome (June 23, 2006)
TREC-Paper for the Conference (PDF, 270 kb)

MENAREC 3: The Third Middle East - North Africa Renewable Energy Conference (June 12th -14th 2006) in Cairo (Egypt)

Mayor of Sana’a, a solar desalination plant at the Red Sea for water supply to Sana’a which is facing the depletion of its aquifer in about 10 years (May 30, 2006)

members of UK House of Lords and of governmental agencies, (May 17, 2006)

Hamburger Klimatage 2006, (Mai 12th -13th 2006)

World Energy Dialogue at the Hannover Messe 2006: Forum 6 "Solar Energy - New Horizons with Solar Thermal Power" (April 25-27, 2006)
Opening Speach (RTF, 60 kb) of HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan,
Program Forum 6 (PDF, 15 KB),Press Material

CIEMAT, the Spanish Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology, Madrid (March 31, 2006)

NATO advanced research workshop on “Solar desalination for the 21st century” with emphasis on energy, water and climate security by renewable energies (February 24, 2006)

9th UNEP special session of the Governing Council Global Ministerial Environment Forum, in Dubai (February 7, 2006), by Prince El Hassan

COP 11 of Kyoto Protocol, (November 28-December 9, 2005) in Montréal, Canada

Green Power Mediterranean Conference in Rome (November 14-16, 2005)

"FORUM 2000" annual conference at Prague, where the new initiative by TREC for a Gaza Project (Solar water and power production for Gaza in the near by Egyptian desert; as an international recovery effort) was presented the first time, resulting in the endorsement of this proposal by former President Vaclav Havel and by HRH Prince El Hassan (October 9-10, 2005)

founding work shop for a community of Energy, Water and the Environment (cEWE) (in July 14-16, 2005) in Berlin, led by London School of Economics, Center for Studies on Global Governance. TREC serves as practical showcase for a more comprehensive community

MENAREC2, the 2nd MENA conference on Renewable Energies at Amman in May 2005 under the Patronage of HRH Prince El Hassan, prepared jointly by NERC and TREC, with 2 main results: founding of MENA*SUN by 4 MENA institution and signing a Memorandum of Understanding for the above mentioned pilot project with an investor (May 9-11, 2005)

Cairo 9th International Conference on Energy&Environment", in Sharm El Sheik (March 2005)

a work shop to initiate MENA*SUN, in Tripoli (February 21, 2006)