In the framework of the preparations by the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) to organize the 4^th network meeting for the Regional Meeting of Solar Heating Arab Mark and Certification Initiative (SHAMCI) at the 5^th Beirut Energy Forum in September in Lebanon, Eng. Mazen Chanar, (SHAMCI) Program Manager visited Lebanon on 14 August, 2014. 

During his visit, Eng. Chanar met Eng. Pierre El Khoury, Director of the Lebanese Centre for Energy Conservation (LCEC) and a member of RCREEE Board of Trustees, and Mr. Ziad El-Zein, Public Relations Officer at the Lebanese Centre for Energy Concentration, and RCREEE Focal Point in Lebanon, and Eng. Ellie Abou Gouda, where Eng. Chanar informed the Lebanese side of the points that will be discussed at the fourth meeting of SHAMCI network.  

The tour included a visit to the Industrial Research Institute, where Eng. Mazen met Dr. Imad El Hajj Shehata, Development and Technology Director, who showed the ability and willingness of the Lebanese side to apply and adopt SHAMCI program. Eng. Mazen also visited the Solar Energy Laboratory for heating water and found it ready for the complexes tests according to SHAMCI rules.

Following that, Eng. Chanar and Eng. Ellie Abou Gouda visited two Solar Water Heaters factories; the first is KYPROS, where Mr. Hanna Akr, the factory partner, gave a detailed explanation of the production stages and the technology used in the manufacturing process. He also visited El Tofaily factory for the manufacturing of Solar Heaters, where Mr. Hussein explained the production process in the laboratory.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in the Kingdom of Jordan, in coordination with Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization (JSMO) started the preparation for the Jordanian SHAMCI rules to obtain SHAMCI mark, which is an important step in the field of Solar Water Heaters quality, towards opening up Arab markets as a prelude to entering global markets. Jordan is considered as one of the advanced countries in the field of renewable energies at the regional and international levels.  

It is worth mentioning that the Arab Republic of Egypt has put the final draft for the Egyptian SHAMCI guide to obtain SHAMCI certificate, which will be presented to SHAMCI network next September, and it is expected to begin in 2015.

The Solar Heating Arab Mark and Certification Initiative (SHAMCI) is a quality certification scheme for solar thermal products and services in the Arab region. The project provides a regional industrial and regulatory compliance framework for policy makers, industrial sector, and end-consumers. The project promotes adopting standard quality measures, accreditation systems and quality labels across the Arab region.

SHAMCI is a project of the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) and the Arab Industrial Development and Mining Organization under the umbrella of the League of Arab States.

For more information about the solar initiative, please visit SHAMCI website