RENEWABLE ENERGY SURVEY IN ALGERIA: POLICIES AND PERSPECTIVES

Currently, the electricity system of Algeria is principally based on gas to produce electricity. Moreover, the energy consumption is increasing significantly due to the rapid growth of the population in the last decade. The country ambition is to decrease the dependency on fossil energy, diversify the energy mix and reduce the CO2 emissions. The Algerian program on renewable energy and energy efficiency established the ambitious goal for the power system of installing 22 GW from renewable energy sources (RES) by 2030. In addition, 2000 MW of nuclear energy is envisaged until 2030. These changes in the traditional energy paradigm pose important questions and challenges to be considered in energy planning, with the main goal of reaching a sustainable energy system and to increase the overall social welfare. This work attempts to analyze different studies about the energy planning problems of Algeria related to the renewable energies, and its importance for environment and economic development. The main conclusions are summarized and recommendations are proposed in order to reach the clean energy mix goals in the short and long term.