Amer Barghouth is a sustainable development professional with over ten years of multidisciplinary work experience in clean tech entrepreneurship, climate policy and finance, private sector engagement, and market research and analysis. He has supported and led international project teams working on clean tech and sustainable energy issues, including technological innovation, business model development, on-grid and off-grid clean energy applications, access to finance, and gender mainstreaming.
Amer has launched strategic initiatives to catalyze private investments in sustainable energy deployment. He has worked with end users, clean energy solution providers, financial institutions and government agencies to build partnerships to accelerate the adoption of sustainable energy technologies throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Amer has published multiple reports on clean energy market trends. He has provided technical assistance and analytical work on assignments for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). He is fluent in English and Arabic and has working knowledge of Spanish.
amer@resilientmena.org
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Education
2013, Master of Arts, International Environmental Policy, Merit Scholarship, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Monterey, California
2009, Master of Arts, International Policy and Development, Merit Scholarship, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Monterey, California
2005, Bachelor of Arts, International Politics and Economics, Davis UWC Scholar, Middlebury College, Vermont
Project Experience
Renewable Energy Specialist, Powering Agriculture Support Task Order, Tetra Tech
Duration: August 2016—present
Providing technical support to 24 clean tech innovators in Africa, Asia and Latin America receiving financing from the USAID-administered Powering Agriculture initiative. The initiative focuses on new and sustainable approaches to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy solutions, which increase agriculture productivity and value in developing countries.
Short-term Energy Finance Expert, UNDP Bahrain, Sustainable Energy Unit
Duration: July 2016
Provided short-term technical assistance to the UNDP-hosted Sustainable Energy Unit of the Kingdom of Bahrain, such as reviewing of the drafts for the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) 2017-2020 and National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) 2017 – 2030 and building financial models to analyze the costs and benefits of the two plans.
Deputy Team Leader, Egypt Sustainable Energy Finance Facility (EgyptSEFF)
Duration: March 2015 – January 2016
Managed a multi-disciplinary team of international experts implementing a $30 million commercial financing facility to increase financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Egypt, funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and implemented by MWH Global and the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE).
Program Manager, Private Investments Promotion Program, Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE)
Duration: August 2013 – December 2015
Created a new program to improve access to capital for clean energy projects in the Middle East and North Africa through innovative financing strategies and public private partnerships (with support from GIZ and DANIDA).
Countries: Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen
Project Manager, Diesel to Solar (D2S) Initiative, RCREEE
Duration: June 2014 – December 2015
Launched a new regional initiative to promote private investments in off-grid and distributed generation systems, specifically small-to medium-scale solar-diesel hybrid systems (with support from the United Nations Development Programme).
Countries: Djibouti, Egypt, Sudan, and Yemen
Project Manager, National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP), RCREEE
Duration: October 2013 – June 2014
Managed a program to support MENA governments in developing, adopting, and implementing national plans to improve the energy efficiency of their electricity systems in partnership with the League of Arab States.
Countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan, and Yemen
Publications
Mashnik D., Jacobus H., Barghouth A., Wang E., Blanchard J. & Shelby R. (2017) Increasing productivity through irrigation: Problems and solutions implemented in Africa and Asia, Published in Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments Journal
Barghouth A. & Rovzar, A. (2016) Diesel to Solar Transformation: Assessing the Untapped Potential for Off-grid Solar Retrofits in the Arab Region, joint publication of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE)
Myrsalieva N. & Barghouth A.(2015) Arab Future Energy Index (AFEX) Energy Efficiency, Publication of RCREEE
Mahgoub M. & Barghouth A. (2014) Best Practices to Develop a National Energy Efficiency Action Plan, Publication of RCREEE
El-Khayat M., Barghouth A., Mahmoud M. & Myrsalieva N. (2014) Pan-Arab Renewable Energy Strategy 2030, Roadmap of Actions for Implementation, Publication of International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in collaboration with the League of Arab States and RCREEE
Aberg E., Alison M., Masuda S., Zhao C., Myrsalieva N. & Barghouth A. (2014) On the Horizon: Upscaling Solar PV for Self-Consumption in the Jordanian Market, Publication of RCREEE
Barghouth, A. (2013) To Hybridize or Not to Hybridize: A Levelized Cost of Electricity Analysis of Hybrid CSP-Fossil Power Systems
Resilient MENA 