MENA Solar Brief March 2012
November 2,  2012 - Welcome to the MENA Solar Brief newsletter  - Issue 1209

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 & Exhibition
 
Newsletter Sponsors :  
Solar Praxis - Nov 14, 2012 Dubai
On 14th November 2012 (Dubai, UAE) regional and international project developer, supplier and manufacturer have the opportunity to meet governmental bodies, decision makers, investors, consultants and potential business partners.

http://www.solarmiddleeast.ae/SASIAemailbanner        
Solar Middle East Exhibition & Conference - Feb.17-19, 2013 - (Dubai, UAE)  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 influencer's and key decision makers within the solar market in the GCC/MENA region. 

Conference Agenda - speaking and panelist opportunities are available  
Keynote speech : "The Future of Solar Energy in the Middle East " 
Track 1: Solar policy update for the GCC and MENA region  - best practices 
Track 2: Solar standards for the GCC and MENA region - best practices 
Track 3: Solar education and training  - 1 Day Solar Workshop certificate course
Track 4: Emerging solar technologies and R&D presentations
 
SASIA  in the News:  
SASIA block
News, job postings, upcoming events, solar reports and more. 

For more information contact:   

Join SASIA Now - 

info@saudi-sia.com  

Website:  www.saudi-sia.com 

Linkedin SaudiSolar  

ESIA in the News:  
 
ESIA newsletter banner News, job postings, upcoming events, solar reports and more.   
  •  UAE Solar Survey 2012 launch has been incorporated into the Solar Industry Summit Middle East to be held on 14 November 2012 at the Meydan Hotel, Dubai. Taher Diab, Director Strategy & Planning,  Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Ahmad Lootah, Project Manger, Policy and Strategy Ministry of Cabinet Affairs, Prime Minister's Office and Hannes Reinisch, Senior Manager Energy, Utilities & Mining from Pricewaterhouse Coopers are confirmed speakers. The survey report will also be released during the conference. ESIA members will have access to a copy. 
  • As a special offer to ESIA members only, Solar Praxis are offering members a 50% discount off the normal ticket price to attend the full day Solar Industry Summit conference on 14 November.  The normal ticket price is 700 Euro, and ESIA members will pay just 350  Euro.    
  • The ESIA 2012 Solar Awards will be presented on 14 November at the Meydan Hotel at 6:30pm. Register Now.    
  • https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07e6difvlg16799974&oseq=  
  • The Emirates Solar Industry Association is pleased to invite you to take part in the ESIA Solar Awards 2012. This inaugural event takes place on 14 November 2012 at The Meydan Hotel in Dubai, in association with the Solar Industry Summit Middle East. The format for the evening includes the presentation of the Awards followed by a cocktail reception. This event will bring together top dignitaries from the UAE's solar power sector, including government officials from Dubai Supreme Energy Council, DEWA, ADWEA, and the Prime Minister's Office. During this gathering, you will have the chance to meet with some of the top solar performers in the region as well as government decision-makers.   
  • Financial Advisor of the Year
    Legal Advisor of the Year
    Technology of the Year
    Utility Company of the Year
    Solar Entrepreneur of the Year
    Media Personality of the Year -
    Policy Maker of the Year
    Local Company of the Year
    Project of the Year
    Lifetime Achievement Award    
  • ESIA signs media partnerships with following publications: Megwhat    S
   

For more information contact:  

Sarah Fitzgerald  

sarah@emiratessolar.com  

Solar Energy News Summary: 

Top Stories

    * Solar Insights: PV costs set for another 30% fall in 2012
     * Siemens AG (SIE) plans to give up its unprofitable solar-energy business after failing to turn the unit around, in a blow to the German engineering company's effort to win more revenue from its so-called green portfolio.

      * Siemens will significantly scale PV inverter business back   

      * Saudi Arabia: Why Saudi Arabia is taking a shine to solar. The Saudis are raising $100 billion for solar-power development, which could ease its rapidly growing demand for electric power. Though natural gas would be cheaper, the Saudis may prefer solar. Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud, an important member of the Saudi royal family, announced last week that his hope was that Saudi Arabia would replace 100 percent of its power generation with renewables within his lifetime.
 
     * Saudi Arabia: Makkah solar project bids to be opened in new year. Bidding for a 100MW solar project in Makkah is to open in the first week of 2013, the city's mayor, Osama bin Fadl Al-Bar, has revealed.

     * Saudi Arabia: Isofoton, Saudi Arabian company INDSYS announces 300 MW PV projects in Saudi Arabia. Under the agreement, the parties plan to jointly develop and construct significant PV projects in the Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and India region, including Saudi Arabia  
 
     * UAE: Dubai plans for 2,500MW through rooftop solar.
Dubai has started laying down the framework to integrate its solar power as the emirate launches a bid to boost its renewable energy capacity through rooftop solar power sources. Speaking at the Word Energy Forum in Dubai yesterday,  Saeed Al Tayer, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (Dewa), said technical, commercial and legal frameworks were being put in place to facilitate the integration of solar power in Dubai

     * UAE:  Emirates Energy Award Scheme launched by Supreme Council of Energy

     * UAE: First Solar awarded 1st stage Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Park  
First Solar awarded contract for 13 MW MENA installation.  DEWA is managing and executing the solar project, and the initial 13 MW installation will be connected to the DEWA grid. The utility reports that it received six bids to the tender, issued June 26, from international photovoltaic players. First Solar has been selected to provide both modules and EPC services and the project is set to be completed by October 2013.

  

     * UAE:  Masdar awards Irena HQ contract.  Masdar, the leading renewable energy company in Abu Dhabi, has awarded the contract for the design and construction of its new 32,000 sq m headquarters complex to Sydney-based Brookfield Multiplex. It will be fitted with 1,000 sq m of rooftop photovoltaic solar panels - supplying renewable electricity to its tenants - and reduce water usage by more than 50 per cent compared to a typical Abu Dhabi building. 

      * Qatar - Qatar seeks wider use of solar power. Qatar is conducting research on how solar energy can be harnessed for use in air-conditioning and to produce desalinated water, among other things, the head of a key national solar energy development project has said. 

    * Kuwait - Japanese, KCCI held seminar on ways to cut energy consumption. Focus on Concentrated Solar Power technology. JCCME held roundtable talks with Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) prior to the seminar. Based on the insights gained from the meeting, Hirota said that Kuwait is going to face an acute increase in power and water demand in the near future, "which in turn will lead to heavy consumption of fossil fuels." 
 
    *Jordan -  Trina Solar Ltd, the world's fourth largest solar panel maker, is poised to invest up to US$200 million in a major solar power project in Jordan.
This would be one of the first commercial solar projects in the country and it has been driven by Jordan's drafting of a law in 2009 which cleared the way for investment in renewable energy projects.

   * Iraq -  Iraq unveils $1.6 billion renewable energy plan. Laith al-Mamury, head of the planning and studies department at the Ministry of Electricity reportedly said that $200 million will be spent in 2013 to add 50 MW to the grid next year. He added that solar and wind should account for 2% of power in Iraq in the future. 
 
    * India -  Tamil Nadu unveils ambitious solar policy. Tamil Nadu is the next Indian state to introduce a specific solar policy. With the aim of installing three GW by 2015, it is ambitious in its scope. It is also the first policy in India to introduce net metering guidelines. 
 
    * MENA region - Lack of renewables knowledge stalls Middle East sustainable energy drive.  Johan de Villiers, President, Power Systems, of power and automation technology group ABB in the Gulf, said the region is blessed with an abundance of the proven renewable energy source, sunlight, but more needs to be done through multi-stakeholder collaboration to ensure the benefits of the free energy resource are maximized.

    * Global  - Dead manufacturers walking: Study predicts solar firms' survival. By 2015, seven out of nine of the world's leading solar module manufacturers will be China-based; and two will be U.S. firms, following a round of flameouts and takeovers in the industry, according to a report just released by Boston-based GTM Research. 
 
Research - AREVA integrates energy storage in its Solar CLFR design at Sandia National Labs. AREVA Solar is collaborating with Sandia National Laboratories on a new concentrated solar power (CSP) installation with thermal energy storage. The CSP storage project combines AREVA's modular Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) solar design with Sandia Labs' proven molten salt storage system. 
 
Solar Project Leads & Updates: Members only: 
Solar Technology Focus -
 Alion, a Stealth Solar Firm, Pivots Its Business Plan -
How does a VC-funded solar startup navigate and survive the perfect storm of the current solar market? Faced with plunging PV module costs, an uncertain policy framework, and vast global manufacturing overcapacity, how can the CEO of a solar startup raise capital and execute on a credible business plan?

Solar Investing & Project Finance
Solar Guys tap Islamic finance for 50MW Indonesia project.
Queensland solar company The Solar Guys has tapped into the huge Islamic finance market to fund a 50MW solar PV project in Indonesia, the first in a series of projects under an agreement struck with the Indonesian government. The Solar Guys are proposing to build 250MW of solar PV under a plan it has dubbed the "One Solar Watt Per Person" campaign. The target of 250MW translates into 250 million watts, which roughly equates to Indonesia's population.

  Upcoming Solar Energy Events, Exhibitions & Conferences -    

2012 Calendar
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  Power-Gen Middle East, Doha, Qatar
February 17-19  2013 Solar MIddle East, Dubai , UAE

May 16-18, 1st International Trade Fair on Renewable Energy, Lahore, Pakistan
September 3-5   GulfSol 2013, Dubai , UAE  
MENA Solar Brief 
Editor:  Browning Rockwell
Email: browningr@horizoninc.com
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