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Welcome to the MENA Solar Brief Newsletter -
March 6, 2013 - Issue 1303
Serving the solar energy market in the GCC / MENA region.
* SASIA in the News
* ESIA in the News
* Regional & Global Solar News
* Project Leads & Updates
* Solar Technology Focus
* Solar Investing & Project Finance
* Conferences & Exhibition
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SASIA in the News:
News, job postings, upcoming events, solar reports and more.  | SASIA - JF4 Solar PV Briefing & Networking Event - Feb. 20, 2013
Sheraton Olaya, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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- PV Briefing and Networking Forum Saudi Arabia - Riyadh - Under the motto "Saudi Arabia targets 41 GW of solar by 2032" - what does this mean today?", the PV Briefing & Networking Forum Saudi Arabia was held on Feb. 20th to assess the rapid shift in Saudi's energy policy revealing best practice examples for economic and technological implementation. Together with our partners EuPD Research, Intersolar and the Electricity and Co-Generation Regulatory Authority of Saudi Arabia (ECRA) we are proud to present our premier event in the MENA region. Over 165 delegates attended the 1 day event which culminated in the release of the K.A.CARE White Paper and Competitve Procurement Program (CPP). Press release - click here
- Presentation: Khaled Masri, President Standards Associates & SASIA Technical Director - Assessing Solar Policy and Standardization Frameworks for Saudi Arabia.
- Report - Roadmap for developing PV manufacturing industry in the GCC and Arab region.
- Stronger by Association - IPVEA and SASIA form new cooperation agreementRiyadh, KSA /Hanau, Germany, 27 February 2013- The International PV Equipment Association (IPVEA) and the Saudi Arabia Solar Industry Association have (SASIA) formed a new mutual cooperation agreement designed to help each association promote the benefits of Photovoltaic (PV) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional markets which is expected to grow to 3.5 gigawatts (GW) by 2015.
- K.A.CARE White Paper released - response due April 5, 2013
- Saudi's Go Solar - Riyadh wants to generate one-third of the kingdom's electricity needs by 2032 to save 523,000 barrels of oil per day, currently used to fuel power stations, for export, particularly with oil prices at more than $100 a barrel.
SASIA 2013 - Membership Application and SASIA Brochure
New members include: SunPower , SMA , Canadian Solar Middle East, SkyPower Global, TSMC, ERADA Advanced Projects Co. Ltd. , Soitec Solar, First Solar, Air Liquide and Shoals Technologies Group.
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ESIA in the News:
News, job postings, upcoming events, solar reports and more.
 
For more information contact:
Sarah Fitzgerald
sarah@emiratessolar.com
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Solar Energy News Summary:
Top Stories
* Saudi Arabia: KSA oil can fulfill energy needs for 80 more years.
Saudi Arabia has adequate oil reserves to meet its energy requirements for 80 years, Asharq Al-Awsat daily reported yesterday, quoting a member of the International Association of Energy Economies (IAEE).
* Saudi Arabia: April 23-24 Riyadh - K.A.CARE Saudi Sustainable Energy Symposium: Value Localization Series aims at creating a common understanding between all stakeholders including but not limited to government entities, private sector organizations, local companies, international players, original equipment manufacturers, and potential investors concerning the development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's sustainable energy program.
* UAE: Clean energy expert urges Middle East to adopt cleaner sources of power
. Without a greater effort to adopt solar power and other clean energy sources many Middle East nations face trouble.The man who once-led Richard Branson's efforts to combat climate change yesterday criticised the Middle East's modest adoption of solar power...
 * Qatar - Qatar mulls solar plants - Qatar is considering setting up concentrated solar power plants, according to top officials at Qatar Petroleum (QP). Every square kilometer of land in Qatar is receiving solar energy equivalent to 1.5m barrels of crude oil in a year. The country also has an average daily sunshine time exceeding 9.5 hours and abundant free land space which are considered to be the right conditions to build a large-scale solar power plant.
* Jordan - Jordan signs 30 accords to generate wind,solar power. The ambition is to generate up to 1,000MW worth of renewable energy projects in five years.
* MENA region - Desertec: Why it still makes sense - "We are enablers for a renewable energy market at the system level in North Africa, the Middle East and Europe. We clearly see the need for affordable and clean energy has not diminished," he says.
Solar Industry News - Solar Photovoltaic Demand in 2012 Falls Short of 30 GW Mark, Reports NPD Solarbuzz - Annual growth rate declines to ten-year low as industry prepares for emerging markets to drive new opportunities. This is the first time in a decade that year-over-year market growth in the PV industry has been less than 10%.
Solar PV specialist First Solar has claimed a new world record for cadmium-telluride (CdTe) PV solar cell conversion efficiency - recording an 18.7% cell efficiency in test that were confirmed by the US Department of Energy.
Solar Investing & Project Finance - SolarCity CEO talks the future of solar power. If investors merely went by labels in making buy-sell decisions, SolarCity would have been doomed by its name. Companies involved in solar energy have been toxic on Wall Street of late. The culprit has been cheap solar panels from China that have whacked established manufacturers, like First Solar, and rendered stillborn well funded startups, including Solyndra (now bankrupt) and Miasole (recently sold on the cheap).
Solar Project of the Month - KARSARC , Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 
Saudi Aramco President and CEO Khalid A. Al-Falih inaugurated the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center's (KAPSARC) 3.5 megawatt solar energy field in Riyadh on Dec. 25, 2012. The solar energy field was built over an area of 55,000 square meters and is currently recognized as the biggest ground-mounted solar installation connected to the electricity grid in the Kingdom.The solar energy field will feed-in the center loads and electricity grid by about 5,800 megawatt hours of electrical energy annually. The field uses 12,684 fixed-angle Polycrystalline PV panels provided by Suntech with 14.4 percent efficiency and maximum power of 280 watts at standard test conditions. The DC power generated by the panels is collected and inverted to AC power through four inverters.
Project profile - click here
Upcoming Solar Energy Events, Exhibitions & Conferences - 2013 Calendar:
Featured Event: 
Date : 10th - 12th March 2013
Venue : Radisson Blu Hotel, Riyadh, KSA
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is at the forefront of a massive drive to develop smart or intelligent cities. The prime drivers for Saudi Arabia's e-city development are the Saudi General Investment Authority (SAGIA), which is heavily promoting its "10 by 10 strategy" for four major e-city developments. Six economic cities have either been proposed or are under development within the Kingdom. The developments happening with regards to the different planned cities demands for a common platform to debate and discuss important topics and issues for the smart city development.
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MENA Solar Brief
Editor: Browning Rockwell
Email: browningr@horizoninc.com
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