Podcast: UNDP Lebanon's Energy Espresso Hosted by NRGI's Laury Haytayan

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As host of this eight-episode podcast series produced by UNDP Lebanon, with funds from the European Union, NRGI Middle East and North Africa director Laury Haytayan spoke with energy experts about the status and future of energy in Lebanon and how renewable energy can support the energy transition.

Energy Espresso is an Arabic-language podcast available to watch with English subtitles.


What Future Is There for Financing Renewable Energy in Lebanon? 



In the first episode, released on 2 February, Energy Espresso hosted Carol Ayat, energy and project finance specialist, to discuss the current financial obstacles preventing Lebanon from solving its energy crisis and how to overcome them.


Lebanon’s Energy Crisis & Foreseeable Solutions 



For the second episode, released on 9 February, Energy Espresso hosted Karim Osseiran, a senior energy expert, to discuss Lebanon's energy status and the steps and obstacles toward solving its problems.


Electric Mobility for Lebanon? 



In the third episode, released on 16 February, Energy Espresso had Marc Hadded, PhD, associate professor of systems engineering and engineering management, as its guest to talk about the benefits that hybrid and electric vehicles bring to the current situation of the Lebanese population and why Lebanon needs to initiate the transition to this technology.


Renewable Energy: Challenges and Mitigations 


For the fourth episode, released on 23 February, Energy Espresso had Pierre El Khoury, LCEC president/director-general, as a guest to explore the extent to which renewable energy is a solution to Lebanon's current electricity crisis and what reforms are absolutely necessary to fix the energy sector.


Sustainable Buildings: Are They Part of the Solution?



In the fifth episode, released on 10 March, Aram Yeretzian, assistant professor at AUB, and Riad Assaf, PhD, in engineering and LGBC project manager, talked about what sustainable buildings are and how they can contribute to a better quality of life and a cleaner environment.


Energy Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Lebanon 



For the sixth episode, released on 23 March, Energy Espresso had Nadim Zaazaa, managing partner of Nucleus Ventures, as a guest to talk about a new economic model that could solve Lebanon's economic crisis while promoting a green economy, and why startups are essential to achieving this goal.


Distributed Renewable Energy as a Mitigation for the Lebanese Crisis


In the penultimate episode of the podcast, released on 27 April, Energy Espresso hosted Jassica Obeid, an independent energy policy consultant, to explore what policies should the Lebanese government put in place to integrate the private sector in energy production, the cost of solving Lebanon's energy problems, and how the energy mix could contribute to that cause.


Energy in the Industrial Sector: Challenges and Mitigations


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In the last episode of the Energy Espresso podcast, produced on 5 May, Paul Abi Nasr, CEO of POLYTEXTILE and board member of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI), talked about the energy challenges in Lebanon's industrial sector and how to boost Lebanon's economy by practically and economically expanding and structuring its industry.


Laury Haytayan is NRGI’s Middle East and North Africa director, based in Beirut.