Notre Dame University-Louaize’s (NDU) North Lebanon Campus (NLC) invited the Lebanese Institute for Market Studies (LIMS) to participate in the event, “Renewable Energy on the Municipal Level,” in the presence of NLC Director, Fr. François Akl, the District Administrator of Koura, Mrs. Catherine Kfoury Anjoul, LIMS President, Dr. Patrick Mardini, and Engineer Dr. Elie Greige, in addition to the mayors of Koura, NLC faculty, students, and staff, and various members from the local community.
Fr. Akl opened the event by relaying the impact of Lebanese scientist Hassan Kamel Al-Sabbah, a renowned electrical engineer who invented a prototype of the solar scale in 1930, a device that converted solar energy into uninterrupted electrical currents, granting him a place on the fellowship list of the Institute of American Electrical Engineers. Almost a century later, Fr. Akl added, Lebanon is slowly bringing Al-Sabbah’s mission to fulfillment with the implementation of solar panels, the NLC being among the first institutions to adopt solar energy for a large number of its buildings.
Mardini, in recognition of these eco-conscious achievements, congratulated the North Lebanon branch for being a role model for the surrounding community in Koura, particularly in encouraging sustainable and alternative energy systems at the municipal level. The use of solar energy has expanded to the Toula village, in the North, of which Mardini said: “In light of the severe power outages in Lebanon, the pioneering experience of the Toula solar farm stands out, which succeeded in securing 24 hours of electricity for the town.”
The Toula solar project is headed by Greige, responsible for its establishment, management, and success. He relayed the steps that were taken to ensure that the solar farm fulfilled its intended purpose, attributing this accomplishment to the cooperation between the Koura municipality, owners of generators, and investors in the private sector. The discussion is an example of the positive change that can arise when both the public and private sectors work in tandem and pool their respective resources.
The meeting concluded with a dialogue with the audience, brainstorming ways that the Toula solar farm can be replicated to benefit the residents of Koura as a whole.