In Rashmaya, the microgrid model emerges to fill the gap left by EDL

Since June, the village of Rashmaya in the Aley district, has been producing part of its electricity through a 256-kilowatt-peak solar park managed by the municipality. At its inauguration on June 21, Energy and Water Minister Joe Saddi said he intended to support "all initiatives that promote decentralized clean energy production." Dalia Farah, Rashmaya's mayor, in whose jurisdiction one of Electricité du Liban's (EDL) hydroelectric plants is located, described the project as "pioneering."What makes this microgrid unique? Like a handful of similar projects launched since the start of Lebanon's crisis — including one in Bshaaleh in the Bekaa — the electricity generated by the photovoltaic panels is distributed directly to residents, not through EDL's public grid but via the network of private...