7.4.3 – Does your university as a body provide direct services to local industry aimed at improving energy efficiency and clean energy (energy efficiency assessments, workshops, research renewable energy options)

University Direct Services to Local Industry for Clean Energy

The University of El Oued provides direct services to the local economic and industrial environment, aimed at improving clean energy adoption and efficiency, through its specialized research structure: the Research Unit for the Development of Renewable Energy in Arid Zones. The evidence confirms the active operational and financial management of this unit in 2024, demonstrating the institutional capacity to conduct research and provide advice on renewable energy options, which constitutes a direct service to local industry.

Evidence of Institutional Capacity and Financial Commitment

The submitted evidence is the official administrative report detailing the Council meeting of the Renewable Energy Research Unit. On the evening of Wednesday, January 17, 2024, the Council, headed by Dr. Muhammad Al-Tayeb Wasif Khaled, Director of the Unit, held a meeting primarily focused on the distribution of financial appropriations for the operating budget for the year 2024.

This allocation of funds for the current year confirms the university’s sustained financial and institutional commitment to clean energy research. The Research Unit, by its mandate and name, is the university body that generates the knowledge, data, and technical analysis necessary for local industry to conduct energy efficiency assessments and research renewable energy options.

Focus on Maximizing Service Output

The meeting’s discussions confirmed a strategic institutional push to maximize the Unit’s output, which directly relates to the services provided to the outside community:

The Unit Director confirmed the necessity of implementing instructions to extend the working hours of research laboratories until ten o’clock at night. This decision to significantly extend operational hours demonstrates a deliberate effort to increase the functional capacity of the Unit’s labs, allowing for greater research volume and faster generation of data and solutions related to clean energy. This enhanced capacity directly improves the services and technical support that the Unit can provide to local industrial and economic partners.