Easy! How NOT to Sneeze! Rub forehead down to top your nose when you feel you're about to sneeze!

#stop_sneeze With Translation: #Arabic #English #Chinese #German #Romanian #Hindi #Urdu #Cambodian/Khmer #French #Greek #Português- Brazil #Russian #Spanish

Thanks for telling your friends and family members about this method. Will add more languages when received. 

By Serene Zawaydeh 3/3/2020
* طريقة سهلة بسيطة جداً حتى ما تعطس*
* How NOT to Sneeze! Suppress your Sneeze! *
* 怎样才能忍住不打喷嚏！*

طريقة سهلة بسيطة جداً حتى ما تعطس

بما إنه العطس صار مشكلة هالايام، في شغلة بسيطة جداً بقدر الواحد يعملها عشان ما يعطس . يعني بس يحس إنه في عطسة شو بسوي؟

ببساطة جداً

اصبعك بتحطة بنص جبينك و بتنزله لفوق منخارك أكمن مرة يعني مرتين ثلاث مرات على السريع و على الخفيف. وبتروح العطسة.

المرة الجاي بس بدك تعطس جربها وشوف إذا بتزبط و إن شاء الله ما راح تعطس .

ها الطريقة علمتني إياها صاحبتي أيام الجامعة عشان الواحد ما يعطس و دايماً دايماً بتزبط معي . كانت بدها تعطس و شفتها عملت هيك قلت لها شو سويتي؟ قال بتعملي هيك عشان ما تعطسي.

Easy way!
How NOT to Sneeze! Suppress your Sneeze!

With sneezing being an issue these days, there is a trick that I do, so that I would not sneeze and it always works. Learned it from my dear friend Dina Eleyan many years ago.

All you need, is to slide your finger from the middle of your forehead, down to the top of your nose a couple of times.

Do that a couple of times, and you will be able to Suppress your sneeze. It works every time.

Try it next time you feel you need to sneeze, and see how you will be able to suppress your sneeze.

Translations.. thanks to all my friends!

Chinese- Thanks to my teacher James Jo

怎样才能忍住不打喷嚏！
打喷嚏一直是个很困扰人的问题，不过我有个百试百灵的方法通常帮助我不打喷嚏，这是几年前我的朋友Dina Eleyan 教给我的。
当你要打喷嚏时，迅速用你的指头从额头中间滑下来到鼻尖。
重复几次这个动作，就可以停止不打喷嚏，百试百灵。
下次要打喷嚏时一定要试试这个方法，看看对你灵不灵。

Hindi - Thanks to my friend Shuchita Saxena

बहुत ही आसान तरीका है ना छींकने का!अपने छींक को दबाओ! छींकने के साथ इन दिनों एक मुद्दा है, एक तरीका है जो मैं करता हूं, ताकि मैं छींकू नहीं और यह हमेशा काम करता है। यह मेरे प्रिय मित्र दीना एलियन से कई साल पहले सीखा था। बस आपको अपने माथे के बीच से अपनी उंगली को अपनी नाक के शीर्ष तक ले जाना है। एक दो बार ऐसा करें, और आप अपने छींक को दबा पाएंगे। यह हर बार काम करता है। अगली बार कोशिश करें अगर आपको लगता है कि आपको छींक आने वाली है, और देखें कि आप अपने छींक को कैसे दबा पाएंगे।

Urdu - Thanks to Shuchita Saxena & Google ;)

بہت آسان طریقہ کس طرح چھینک نہیں! اپنی چھینک کو دبائیں! ان دنوں چھیںکنے کا مسئلہ بننے کے ساتھ ، ایک چال ہے جو میں کرتی ہوں ، تاکہ مجھے چھینک نہ آئے اور یہ ہمیشہ کام کرتا ہے۔ اسے کئی سال پہلے میرے پیارے دوست ڈینا ایلین سے سیکھا تھا۔ بس ، آپ کو اپنی پیشانی کے وسط سے اپنی انگلی کو اپنی ناک کے اوپری حصے تک ایک دو بار نیچے پھینکنا ہے۔ ایک دو بار ایسا کریں ، اور آپ اپنی چھینکوں کو دبانے کے قابل ہوجائیں گے۔ یہ ہر بار کام کرتا ہے۔ اگلی بار جب آپ کو محسوس ہوگا کہ آپ کو چھینک آنے کی ضرورت ہے ، اور دیکھیں کہ آپ کس طرح اپنے چھینکوں کو دبانے میں کامیاب ہوجائیں گے۔

Romanian - Thanks to my friend @Giorgia Seeholzer

Evitati stranutul trecand cu degetul de cateva ori pe linia nasului. Asa ca in video. Astfel evitati si raspandirea oricarui virus sau microb.

Deutsch - Vielen Dank @Giorgia Seeholzer
Vermeiden Sie die Verbreitung des Virus durch die Unterbindung vom Niesen.
Nase streicheln so wie im Video dann nisst man nicht mehr

(Cambodian/Khmer) Thanks to Sorn Sopheak
របៀបទប់មិនអោយកណ្ដាស់៖
កណ្ដាស់នៅទីសាធារណៈ ជាបញ្ហាចោទដែលអាចចម្លងកូរ៉ូណា តែមានវិធីទប់មិនកណ្ដាស់ ដែលអាចកាត់បន្ថយលទ្ធភាពចម្លងបាន (credit Dina Eleyan)។
ពេលរៀបកណ្ដាស់ គ្រាន់តែយកចង្អុលដៃបបោសថើៗ ពីពាក់កណ្ដាលថ្ងាស ដល់ខ្ទង់ច្រមុះ។ ធ្វើបែបនេះ បីទៅបួនដង នោះអ្នកនឹងលែងចង់កណ្ដាស់ទៀតហើយ។
សូមសាកល្បងដោយខ្លួនអ្នក។

Français - Mercie à mon amie.

Comment NE PAS Éternuer! Supprimez votre éternuement!

Avec les éternuements étant un problème ces jours-ci, il y a une astuce que je fais, pour que je ne puisse pas éternuer et ça marche toujours. Je l'ai appris de ma chère amie Dina Elayan il y a de nombreuses années.

Tout ce dont vous avez besoin, c'est de faire glisser votre doigt du milieu de votre front vers le haut de votre nez plusieurs fois. Faites cela plusieurs fois et vous pourrez supprimer votre éternuement. Ça marche à chaque fois.

Essayez-le la prochaine fois que vous sentirez que vous avez besoin d'éternuer et voyez comment vous pourrez supprimer votre éternuement.

Greek - Thanks to my friend Marina Pyrovolaki

Πως να ΜΗΝ φτιαρνίζεστε! Σταματήστε το φτιάρνισμα σας

Με το φτιάρνισμα να είναι πρόβλημα αυτές τις μέρες, σας παρουσιάζω εδώ ένα τρόπο που χρησιμοποιώ για να μην φτιαρνίζομαι, και που πάντα λειτουργεί. Τον έμαθα απο την αγαπημένη μου φίλη Ντίνα Ελεγιάν χρόνια πριν.

Το μόνο που χρειάζεται να κάνετε είναι να περάσετε το δάχτυλο σας από την μέση του μετώπου σας και προς τα κάτω στην κορφή της μύτης σας, δυο φορές περίπου

Καντε το δυο φορές και θα σταματήσετε το φτιάρνισμα. Λειτουργεί πάντα

Δοκιμάστε το την επόμενη φορά που θα νιώσετε την ανάγκη να φτιαρνιστείτε και δείτε πως θα μπορέσετε να σταματήσετε το φτιάρνισμα σας

Português - Brasil - Thanks to Silvano Oliveira
Como segurar o espirro!? Aprenda a Suprimir seu espirro!

Como espirros se tornaram um problema nos últimos tempos, eu uso um truque para evitá-los e é infalível.
Eu aprendi essa técnica com minha amiga Dina Eleyan anos atrás.

O que você precisa fazer?
Deslizar seu dedo, do centro da testa até a ponta do nariz algumas vezes.

Faça isso duas vezes e foce conseguirá suprimir seu espirro. Funciona sempre 🙂.

Tente isso da próxima vez que sentir vontade de espirrar e veja como é fácil evitá-lo.

Russian - Thanks to my friend Maria Urakova
Как НЕ Чихать! Подави свое чихание! С чиханием, являющимся проблемой в эти дни, есть одна уловка, которую я делаю, чтобы я не чихал, и она всегда работает. Узнал об этом от моей дорогой подруги Дины Элеян много лет назад. Все, что вам нужно, это провести пальцем от середины лба к верхней части носа пару раз. Сделайте это пару раз, и вы сможете подавить чихание. Это работает каждый раз. Попробуйте в следующий раз, когда почувствуете, что вам нужно чихать, и посмотрите, как вы сможете подавить свое чихание.

Spanish - Thanks to my friend Manal Koshebye 

¿Qué hacer para contener un estornudo?

Como estornudar está siendo un problema últimamente, hay un truco que yo hago para no estornudar y siempre funciona.

Simplemente deslizar el dedo desde mitad de la frente hacia la parte superior de la nariz varias veces.

¡Inténtalo la próxima vez que sientas que quieres estornudar y ya verás cómo funciona!

Original in Arabic and English by Serene Zawaydeh Dina Elayyan thanks for your invention! It literally might save lives!
Thanks for Chinese translation teacher, Laoshi James Jo Yuehan Center
Instagram @_Shuchita_Saxena Giorgia Seeholzer Sorn Sopheak @Marina Pyrovolaki @Silvano Oliveira @Maria Urakova @Manal Koshebye
#stop_sneeze

Renewables Readiness Assessment - Jordan 2020-2025. IRENA’s Validation Workshop sparks a dialogue on Jordan’s energy transition

Amman- Jordan. January 24, 2020 by Serene Zawaydeh, MBA.

On January 21 and January 22, 2020, different players in Jordan’s energy sector gathered to discuss and validate recommendations of IRENA’s Renewable Readiness Assessment 2020-2025 for Jordan. 

The workshop was highly interactive and allowed experts and participants from different organizations to share their input on each recommendation in IRENA’s renewable readiness assessment 2020-2025. It was an opportunity to discuss the huge potential of the sector, business opportunities, current challenges, possible solutions and requirements needed to achieve desired targets. Representatives from different ministries attended the workshop including the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Labor, the Central Bank of Jordan, Jordan’s Water Authority, among other ministries and companies in the energy sector.

Jordan is taking steady steps in the renewable energy sector. The National Energy Strategy is being updated to reflect new targets to increase the share of renewable energy for 2020-2030.

In addition to Jordan’s role as part of a global effort to reduce carbon emissions, the renewable energy sector has an important role in Jordan’s economy. Increasing renewable energy production will reduce Jordan’s dependence on imports of fossil fuels and gas. It will create business and investment opportunities. Capacity building will develop skills and will create new jobs. 

Energy efficiency measures and energy audits need to be implemented prior to executing renewable energy projects. More than fifty building codes are already in place and need to be implemented. To start with, government buildings and municipalities need to implement energy efficiency measures. An example of a successful initiative in the renewable energy sector, is installation of solar PV cells on mosques in the kingdom.  

The recommendations highlighted the role of renewable energy in electricity generation from different renewable resources. Jordan has an abundant source of solar energy, and implemented projects in Wind Energy. Other renewable resources still need to be utilized and create opportunities for investment, such as biofuel. Recycling still needs to be developed in Jordan. Food waste can be used to generate electricity and biofuel can also be used in the transport sector for operating machinery.

The automotive industry is heading towards electrification and moving away from conventional fuel. Electrification of the transport sector will reduce CO2 emissions; reduce the number of cars on the road, saving time and money. Maintenance fees for electric vehicles is one third the maintenance fees for conventional vehicles. Electrification will create a cleaner environment, which improves individuals’ health. Infrastructure projects are underway for the high speed bus in Amman, which will reduce congestion once completed. In order to pave the way for further electrification of transport, infrastructure needs to be developed to recharge electric vehicles while parked at work, homes and other public locations. The regulatory framework needs to be developed to determine charging tariffs. There is also a need for stability in the regulatory framework as changes to customs fees and taxes affect EV purchases. Equipped with Lithium Ion batteries, electric cars represent an energy storage facility and can also feed electricity to the grid. Energy storage plays a vital role in the intermittent renewable energy resources. Smart meters will allow adjustment of consumption patterns.

In addition to generating electricity, heating will utilize excess capacity of renewable energy. The educational sector awaits improvement, as thousands of schools need to be alleviated from energy poverty. Penetration of solar water heating has room for expansion.

The financial industry plays an important role in the sector, as there is a need to provide funding for individuals, small to medium enterprises, on top of opportunities for large scale projects. The Central Bank of Jordan provides financial institutions with lending at an interest rate of 1% to 1.75% for loans extended to 9 industries including the energy sector. The limit for the renewable energy sector is JD 4 million instead of JD 2 million for small to medium enterprises. Jordanian banks are more risk averse, and the amount of credit is limited compared to other markets. On an individual level, the market is still more cash based. Capacity building and increasing understanding of energy efficiency and renewable energy in the financial industry is beneficial. The cost of fuel is an important part of operating cost and reducing these costs will improve a company’s financial position and improves its capacity to repay its debt, reducing the lender’s risk. The cost of renewable energy projects such as solar and wind has been declining, cutting down the payback period of renewable energy projects, which are becoming more and more feasible.

Incentives for renewable energy projects are a driver for demand increase, such as claiming the cost of installed renewable energy systems in income tax returns. Meanwhile, it should be noted that reduction in the cost of renewable energy are still not reflected in the end user’s bill. While the cost of the system is important, there are other costs that need to be taken into account, which contribute to the final cost to the end users, such as connection to the grid and transmission.

Jordan’s energy transition and increasing the share of renewable energy from the energy mix is an excellent opportunity to develop the local industry and exports of renewable energy products. Increasing Jordan’s Renewable energy production capacity above the local market’s needs means that Jordan can increase its share of electricity exports, for which there is a need. Palestine, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon can utilize Jordan’s energy exports. Local manufactures, such as Philadelphia solar, are exporting solar panels to gulf countries. Maintaining quality of products is key to sustain a competitive role in global markets.

There is a need to increase the public’s awareness on the importance of renewable energy. Universities can collaborate with the industry, training graduates based on market needs. Individuals’ and corporate involvement in the renewable energy needs to be seen as part of a national and international effort to reduce green house gas emissions, as a result of climate change. International funding supports large scale projects in the framework of climate finance.

IRENA will be reviewing the recommendations to integrate discussed comments. The upcoming report will be an important reference for Jordan’s energy transition.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/renewables-readiness-assessment-jordan-2020-2025-irenas-zawaydeh/

Canada - Elections Debate! "The System is Broken"

Canada - Elections Debate! "The System is Broken"

By Serene Zawaydeh. Canadian Jordanian. October 10, 2019.

It is important to listen to this Federal Leaders' Debate 2019 dated October 9, 2019.

This Debate is between Canada's candidates for Federal Elections. The Elections are on October 21, 2019. So get a feeling for what it is really is like in Canada.

It looks like it is a long debate - 2 hours video - but the sentences are so short - could take 10 seconds before someone jumps in so you cannot hear what that person says. This is probably a strategy so the listeners would not even understand what is being said about the other party - and most importantly regarding the current government led by the Liberal Party - Justin Trudeau, and previous Conservative government - Stephen Harper. Was that way too much information being shared!

In addition to Canadians in Canada, this video should be a 101 video for
- Anybody considering immigration to Canada, or any other country to know what it is like to immigrate to another country.
- Every permanent resident should listen to it, as they are in the process of becoming Canadian.
- New Canadians in Canada who already got their citizenship to help them make a decision to vote for the first time.
- Canadians outside Canada, who are living in other countries, who can vote, whether they vote or don't.
- Have family or friends who live in Canada? Listen to it too! 

The debate quickly touches upon a lot of important discussions, on

Top level Corruption and lies, tax evasion. Richest appointing lawyers so they won't pay taxes.

Unaffordable living and economic crisis, possible recession. Household debt reaches $2 trillion. $1.79 debt for every dollar made. People borrow to live. Bad idea. Yes. Clearly stated. This is what Canadians are doing to live.

Immigration - General sentiment right from the beginning of the debate - Immigrants are not welcome... Shared publicly what others think privately.

Discrimination - tops! Elizabeth May states that being "White" is a "Privilege". If this is new to you, the earth by Canadian standards, has two colors: White (people in Canada whose ancestors immigrated from Europe), and Non White - everybody from all around the world, or if they are Canadians born in Canada, second generation, no accent, but one of their parents came from any other country. The Federal term "visible minority" is used. People from China, Japan, Latin America, Africa, Middle East, are all non white. Note that Middle Eastern people would be referred to as White in USA but Non White in Canada.

Healthcare, lack of health care, the need for family doctors... in a country where doctors with experience and surgeons can't directly practice and have to go through lengthy procedures to have their degrees certified.

Human rights and indigenous people - Missing and murdered indigenous women - that is: Women were killed or went "missing" in Canada!

Need for clean water in 2019! Yup. Clean water! There is a video that shows black water in the tub in a First Nations Community in Canada!

Need to keep kids with their families to keep their language. Isn't this obvious? Well, if you did not study Canadian history... children were taken away from their families and were sent to residential schools and were not allowed to speak their language, to wipe away their identity. This went on for 149 years.

Quebec wants to leave Canada, and there were two previous referendums that did not go through. Quebec considers itself a separate part of Canada. "What could Canadians do that Quebecois do not do?" Quebec and Provinces.. although Quebec is one of the Canadian provinces.

In Quebec, Bill 21 bans public servants from wearing religious symbols. So would this mean that Jagmeet Singh would not be able to wear his Turban should he become a Prime Minister.

Quebec does not want a pipeline through its lands.

Jagmeet Singh, National Democratic Party, was referred to as Sheer more than once. As Andrew Sheer told him - we look so much alike! No wonder he had to grow a beard and cover his long hair with a Yellow Turban! Jagmeet is a lawyer, was born and raised in Canada. He was told to cut off his turban to Look like a Canadian while he was in Montreal. His answer was polite. A Canadian can look like whatever they want.

Have you seen Canada on the list of countries that give foreign aid to other countries? Well, some parties think that the money should stay in Canada and foreign aid should be cut down.

Inequality between men and women. Women actually get paid less for being women... Why promote the term Equality if there is no Equality?

A new source of revenue for the government: Imposing tax on people who make over $20 million. But the problem is that they would assign a lawyer and they would not pay the tax!

Did no one look at tax system since the sixties?! What was that about?

Canadians pay Provincial Taxes, and Federal Taxes. It would be a good idea for the Federal government to recognize that there is a Provincial Government, and to keep money with the Provinces - and Quebec!

Healthcare is not Federal issue. It is a Provincial issue. So why are Canadians paying Federal taxes if they are not getting services?

Andrew Sheer (Conservative) told Justin Trudeau to apply for Ontario's liberal party as there is a vacancy there.

Elizabeth May told Andrew Sheer that he is not going to win the Federal elections! She can't stand listening to the National party leader, who does not deserve a platform as Jagmeet Singh told him, with his anti-immigration policy. Does he not know that "Proud Canadians" come from different backgrounds, and it's not just him who is a "Proud" Canadian? His grandfathers were immigrants too!

Bloc Quebecois is not interested in Federal leadership, and wants to have Quebec on its own. Elizabeth May totally has unrealistic "Green targets" plus her "white" privilege in the year 2019 is false. Thinks it is so easy to just stop using fossil fuels and go Green?! Will Jagmeet Singh win? He did make sense, referring to Mr. Delay and Mr. Deny. But what would happen to his Turban if Quebec goes Solo?

Renewable Energy Status in Jordan. June 4, 2019

This blog starts with an interview on the renewable energy sector in Jordan, followed by energy fund projects. It also includes opportunities for energy storage.

Engineer Samer Zawaydeh, Renewable Energy expert, provides an overview of the Renewable Energy status in Jordan. This overview highlights renewable energy regulations, Wind and Solar Energy projects, Utility and Residential Scale PV implementation, and Electric Mobility status.

Jordan started the integration of renewable energy into the grid after the issuing of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Law 13 in the year 2012. Under this law, two bylaws were issued. Bylaw 10 for customs exemptions and tax exemption for all energy efficiency and renewable energy products that enter the country. Bylaw 73 for all regulated products and services in energy efficiency.

The two Main renewable energies in Jordan are Wind and Solar. Utility scale wind energy is installed in the south in Tafila, Maan, and Shobak.

As of 2018, the following Wind projects are online:

• Atafila 117 MW using Vestas Wind Turbine generators V112x3.0 MB Turbines
• Maan 80 MW using Gamessa 2.0 x 84 Wind Turbine Generators
• Shobak 86 MW
• Fujaij 89.1 MW

It is worth mentioning that the first utility scale wind turbine was installed in Hofa North of Jordan in 1998 using 5 Turbines 0.225 MW. This means that the size of turbines increased by 50 times in the last 20 years.

Solar energy was developed on both the utility scale and consumer scale since 2012. Utility scale projects started with developing Solar Park 1 at Maan development area. 9 projects out of 12 projects that were completed after the first auction (Expression of Interest #1) were developed and commissioned and Solar Park 1 in Maan by September 2016.

Feed-in-Tariff was used to purchase the energy generated from these projects. The purchase price was 0.12 JD per KWh. The largest project was Shams Maan 52 MW AC generating 160GWh per year.

The second auction was issued on a competitive bidding basis instead of the Feed-in-Tariff because the prices for the solar PV components were declining and the efficiency was increasing. The purchase price for the electricity generated from the second expression of interest was 0.049 JD per KWh (0.069US$ per KWh). The lowest price was 0.043 JD per KWh.

The second Expression of Interest project was developed North of Jordan. Three projects (150MW total) were developed in Mafraq area and one project in Safawi.

The third auction (Expression of Interest #3), brought in the lowest prices per KWh during September 2018 when the prices were revealed and the lowest price was 0.0176 JD per KWh (0.0248 US$) per KWh.

In addition to the expressions of interest, direct proposals were allowed since 2012 when the Renewable Energy Efficiency Law REEEL 13 for the year 2012 was introduced.

Philadelphia Solar completed the first utility scale on grid project by building a 10MW project that came online in 2015. Later on, Philadelphia Solar expanded their 12.6MWh lithium ion battery storage with 17MW on grid system. The lithium ion batteries were manufactured by the US supplier “Tesla”.

Consumers started installing Solar PV projects to cover 100% of annual electricity needs. The first project was 2.2KW residential system that was installed in Fuheis on November 29, 2012. As of end of 2018, the local distribution company in the middle of Jordan, JEPCO, installed 250MW for consumers using both net metering on site and wheeling (off site projects). Wheeling projects are used to cover up to 100% of the annual electricity needs for the urban consumers that do not have enough space in big cities to install the solar PV system and they purchase or rent land away from the cities where space is available near the electricity distribution networks.

The use of electric vehicles started in Jordan in 2014, to reduce dependency on imported fuel and reduce pollution in large cities. In 2015, the Greater Amman municipality started a project for electric public transportation using 30 Nissan Leaf vehicles. Passengers can use Electric Vehicles on specific routes for 0.5JD (0.7US$). Electric vehicles use increased considerably in the following years because the government was not charging any customs or sales taxes. In 2018, the average number of electric vehicles in Jordan was 1500. The majority of car companies already have EV maintenance capabilities at their maintenance facilities. The two most sold brands are Nissan Leaf and BMW I3. In addition, Tesla opened 10 charging stations across Jordan.

The government of Jordan bought 300 Tesla vehicles for ministers and top employees in 2015. In addition to being best in class, Electric Vehicles are reducing the operational cost of transportation for the government.

In 2019, the government of Jordan removed the tax exemption on electric vehicles and announced 25% customs on Electric Vehicles. This resulted in a decline of EV sales and the civil society's action to cancel this decision.

The Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission, EMRC, has already issued regulations for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations at each new gas station in anticipation of the growth of Electric Vehicles market. The selling price of electricity at the charging station is JD 0.135 per KWh. Jordan remains the 4th best country in the world for generating electricity from solar sources and the opportunities for electrification are limitless.

Jordan Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Fund (JREEEF)

According to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the Energy Fund implemented renewable energy and energy efficiency projects for the value of JD 50 million over the past four years (2015-2019). The fund contributed JD 19 million, and the rest was paid by project owners and donors. The program supports households (solar water heating, solar PV, LED lighting), government buildings, heating schools, and different sectors, including agriculture, tourism, services, industrial, mosques.

An initiative was launched in 2015 to equip all 6000 mosques in Jordan with solar rooftops. The renewable energy fund provides 50% subsidy, and the rest is based on donations. An annual program supporting mosques in cooperation with the ministry contributes a total value of JD 4 million. 483 solar PV systems were installed to generate electricity at mosques.

The fund supported the agricultural sector through the installation of small-scale renewable energy systems, by providing JD 15,000 loans. The renewable energy fund provides the full amount of interest and fees for the loan, to help farmers reduce their electricity bill, and to increase their competitiveness and turn them into clean energy.

Industrial sector: The fund cooperates with the chamber of industry, empowering factories with energy efficiency programs, to reduce the electricity bill, increase competitiveness of the industrial sector, and reduce pollution and emissions.

Educational sector: Project with duration of 5 to 7 years covering 2600 schools with solar energy and energy efficiency programs, to reduce electricity bills, install LED lighting, solar water heating, and install solar PV cells. Heating 128 schools – insulation, LED lighting, heating and cooling, solar water heating,

Households: 22,000 solar water heating systems were installed, with 50% subsidy. Funding was provided for 3500 poor households, that were provided with solar water heating systems, LED lighting, and 1600 PV systems were installed to generate electricity from solar energy.

PV/ EV Integration Opportunities

Additional benefits of solar photovoltaic cells would be to store the energy for later use, and charging electric vehicles. An example of such a system is "DC Energy Hub" system from Ferromap". Using this system allows for fewer conversion losses - DC from the solar cells to charge batteries, to AC for the electricity grid and vice versa, and allows for flexible cabling.

The challenges for applying such a system, would be the cost of implementation of both the PV system, battery system, and the cost of Electric Vehicle. Removing the customs exemption on Electric Vehicles reduces competitiveness of EVs in Jordan.

More funding and subsidies would be needed to reduce the cost of the system and to increase implementation of PV/ EV integration. This can be an opportunity for banks to introduce new energy funding plans. More marketing would also be needed to increase awareness of the benefits of solar energy not only for generating electricity, storing energy for later use, but also for electric vehicles.

The advantage of such a system would be reducing the cost of fuel, and reducing CO2 emissions. The sun is available 300 days per year in Jordan. Benefiting from solar power through PV installations, and coupling the system with energy storage systems, and EV charging would reduce load on the grid, reduce the imports of petroleum products used for electricity generation and would reduce the national electricity bill. Energy storage would help reduce the load on the network during the peak hours, reduce the need to invest in physical infrastructure expansion for the grid; and would provide an uninterrupted power supply in case of power outages. 

Last edited on: Nov 16, 2019

Prepared by Serene Zawaydeh, mba.