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September 14, 2012 - Welcome to the MENA Solar Brief newsletter - Issue 1208
Serving the solar energy market in the MENA region. Solar energy associations, government organizations and companies in the GCC / MENA region are encouraged to submit solar news, articles, reports, job postings and event notices for publication in the monthly MENA Solar Brief.
* SASIA in the News
* ESIA in the News
* Regional & Global Solar News
* Project Leads & Updates
* Solar Technology Focus
* Solar Investing & Project Finance
* Conferences & Exhibitions
Submit your solar project listing !
Solar Middle East Exhibition & Conference - Feb.17-19, 2013 - will be the most comprehensive gathering of solar technology suppliers and industry experts ever seen in the region. It will provide an unrivaled opportunity for technology manufacturers and system integrators to build relationships with industry influencers and key decision makers within the solar market in the GCC.
Conference track and forums will include MENA solar policy review, MENA solar standards forum, solar education & training short course and introduction to new solar technologies.
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SASIA in the News:
News, job postings, upcoming events, solar reports and more. |
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ESIA in the News:
 News, job postings, upcoming events, solar reports and more.
- The Emirates Solar Industry Association is delighted to announce its first monthly networking event will be held on 18 September 2012 5:45pm to 7pm at Bar 44, Grosvenor House, Dubai in partnership with Meed.
We would like to welcome you to join us for an enjoyable evening of cocktails and refreshments with other ESIA members, the ESIA Board of Directors, and guest speakers of the MENA Renewable Energy Conference. This is an opportunity to meet industry professionals, to find out what is happening in the solar industry space, share ideas and promote your business and products.
ESIA members, and attendees of the MENA Renewable Energy Conference attend free of charge, for all other guests a nominal charge of AED 100 applies.
To register to attend please email sarah@emiratessolar.com. We look forward to seeing you on the 18th September, and if you have any questions at all please contact me. - Dubai Chamber Ecopreneur Award - Apply now - "An Ecopreneur is a successful business which is helping UAE society develop more sustainably by providing ecologically friendly products and services or operating in a way which helps solve environmental challenges. Their green solutions help individuals and/or businesses in the UAE reduce pollution and conserve resources.
- MEED MENA Renewable Energy conference, taking place from 17 - 19 September at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Dubai.
 For more information contact:
Sarah Fitzgerald
sarah@emiratessolar.com
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Solar Energy News Summary:
Top Stories
* SPI Update - Sept. 12, 2012 - A host of new photovoltaic technology advances and new products were unveiled during the Solar Power International show in Orlando this week, alongside concerned conversations about the U.S.-China trade case, and new partnerships companies are seeking in order to survive the crippling price pressure in the industry.
Qbotix Tracking System (QSR) - monorail-mounted robotic motor driver, which services the realignment of an entire array of dual-axis solar trackers by traveling between each individual tracker * Saudi Arabia: Saudi could become net oil importer by 2030. A new report by Citigroup has suggested that Saudi Arabia could risk becoming a net oil importer by 2030 as a result of rapidly growing energy consumption. The report, obtained by Bloomberg and the Daily Telegraph, argues that the Kingdom may have no oil available for export within 20 years if current energy usage trends continue.
* UAE: Adnan Amin, Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency, explains how his organisation is making the case for renewables.
As a young organisation charged with supporting the growth of global renewable energy, it would perhaps be understandable if the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and its Director General Mr Adnan Z. Amin, had taken tentative first steps in a fairly massive task. This has certainly not been the case. - the Renewables Readiness Assessment - and its role in reviewing applications for a share of the Abu Dhabi Development Fund's US $350 million budget, the organisation has an impressive list of concrete achievements it can point to over its short existence.
* UAE: Dubai homes to generate their own solar power. Households in Dubai could soon generate their own electricity using solar technology and feed any excess back into the power grid. Energy experts and government officials are "in the final stages" of a plan to remove the obstacles to such a scheme - a lack of regulations and clear framework for usage and costs - and make it easier for residents to install photovoltaic (PV) panels on roofs to transform sunlight into electricity. The aim, said Waleed Salman, chairman of the Dubai Carbon Centre, is to reach "not less than 800 megawatts" of installed capacity by 2030. Dubai's existing solar capacity is 4.5MW.
* Qatar - Qatar's FIFA World Cup drives PV demand. As it prepares to host one of the biggest sporting events - the FIFA World Cup 2022 - Qatar is exploring ways to power and cool the stadia and other buildings using PV panels, solar heat collectors and BIPV.
* Bahrain: Bahrain announces new 5MW smart solar project. Bahrain's Economic Development Board (ECB) has praised Petra Solar, Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) and the National Oil & Gas Authority (NOGA) after the group announced an agreement on a 5 MW distributed smart solar energy project. The deal will see the trio utilise smart grid technology to provide solar power at a number of locations, including at BAPCO's Awali township and the University of Bahrain.
* North Africa - Maghreb countries are preparing for the solar sector,
With its high solar radiation and growing demand for energy, North Africa is set to become a big future solar market. pv magazine spoke with expert Badr Ikken, director and co-founder of Moroccan-based National Institute IRESEN about the current situation in the region, and its potential.
* Pakistan - Punjab government turns to solar - The Chief Minister of Punjab has issued a request for proposals for the installation of half a million solar home solutions in low income households. In addition to raising awareness of alternative energies, the aim is to reduce dependency on the national electric grid and improve environmental conditions in the province.
* MENA region - 85%-plus of MENA land can churn out solar electricity.
Solar power offers the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region tremendous environmental and economic advantages. To achieve them, solar power would need a level playing field to gain access to MENA's electricity industry, Amin Mohseni, a consultant in the FPDCE unit at the World Bank, said in an article on The World Bank Group website.Removing fossil fuel subsidies would be a necessary first step in this direction, he added.
* Global - WSJ: China's Solyndra Economy - Government subsidies to green energy and high-speed rail have led to mounting losses and costly bailouts. This is not a road the U.S. should travel.
Research - PV microinverters and power optimizers set for significant growth, On the back of 180% market growth in 2011, the latest industry figures indicate that microinverter and power optimizer shipments will grow over 70% in 2012. By 2016, they are expected to comprise 10% of the photovoltaic inverter market. Three suppliers currently dominate the landscape.
Solar Technology Focus -
Skilled Work, Without the Worker - Robotics and solar manufacturing , Yet in the state-of-the-art plant, where the assembly line runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there are robots everywhere and few human workers. All of the heavy lifting and almost all of the precise work is done by robots that string together solar cells and seal them under glass. The human workers do things like trimming excess material, threading wires and screwing a handful of fasteners into a simple frame for each panel.
BIPV to add 4.6 GW of new capacity by 2017 - Between 2011 and 2017, the building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) market is forecast to add 4.6 GW of new capacity, thus making it one of the fastest growing solar industry segments. Pythagoras Solar is one of Pike Research's BIPV companies to watch.
Solar Investing & Project Finance
- Presentations from SPI in Orlando, Florida,
Solar Education - Presentations from SPI , Orlando, Florida - Sustainable Energy for All: An Opportunity for the Solar Industry in Emerging Markets
Upcoming Solar Energy Events, Exhibitions & Conferences -
September 19-21 PPA RSA , Johannesburg, South Africa
September 26-28 2012 Arab Water & Power Forum (AWPF), Dubai, UAE
September 26-28 World Clean Technology Summit (WCTS) - Kampala, Uganda
October 22-24 APVIA 2012 - PV Asia Pacific Expo , Singapore
October 30-31 Power, Infrastructure Finance & Investment MENA, Abu Dhabi
November 5-8 The Big 5 MIddle East, Dubai, UAE
November 13-14 Solar Industry Summit - Middle East 2012, Dubai, UAE
November 14-16 EnerSol - WSEF 2012 ,Tunis , Tunisia
November 26 - December 7 Qatar COP 18 , Doha, Qatar
December 1-4 SolarTec 2012 Cairo, Egypt
December 2-4 Saudi Water & Power Forum, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
December 8-11 Saudi Arabia Smart Grid Conference & Exhibition
2013 Calendar:
January 15-17 World Future Energy Summit, Abu Dhabi, UAE
February 4-6 2013 Power-Gen Middle East, Doha, Qatar
February 17-19 2013 Solar MIddle East, Dubai , UAE
September 3-5 GulfSol 2013, Dubai , UAE
The program will offer relevant and applicable talks on current pressing issues facing the solar sector, covering technology presentations on PV and CPV and overview presentations on main solar markets in the region, their growth potential and business models. Networking opportunities will be many during networking breaks and the Delegates' Dinner on November 14. Send in your proposal and become an active part of the conference.
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MENA Solar Brief
Editor: Browning Rockwell
Email: browningr@horizoninc.com
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