EQ Magazine Middle East & Africa Launch Edition by EQ Int'l Solar Media Group

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CONT EN T

Middle East & Africa Issue #01

The data and information presented in this magazine is provided for informational purpose only.neither EQ INTERNATINAL ,Its affiliates,Information providers nor content providers shall have any liability for investment decisions based up on or the results obtained from the information provided. Nothing contained in this magazine should be construed as a recommendation to buy or sale any securities. The facts and opinions stated in this magazine do not constitute an offer on the part of EQ International for the sale or purchase of any securities, nor any such offer intended or implied

SAUDI ARABIA

PROJECTS: FINANCIAL CLOSE FOR 1.5-GIGAWATT SAUDI SOLAR PROJECT A WEEK AWAY

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

MORO HUB & HUAWEI TO BUILD SOLAR-POWERED DATA CENTER ON DUBAI SOLAR FARM

Restriction on use The material in this magazine is protected by international copyright and trademark laws. You may not modify,copy,reproduce,republish,post,transmit,or distribute any part of the magazine in any way.you may only use material for your personall,NonCommercial use, provided you keep intact all copyright and other proprietary notices. want to use material for any non-personel,non commercial purpose,you need written permission from EQ International.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

ABU DHABI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT COMPLETES WORK ON AMBITIOUS SOLAR-POWERED CAR PARK PROJECT

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

AFRICA

DP WORLD TO EXPAND ENERGY EFFICIENCY COLLABORATION WITH ETIHAD ESCO

SOLAR-POWERED MOTOR BIKES: CLIMATE-FRIENDLY TOOL TO FIGHT POACHING IN AFRICA

06 37

SAUDI ARABIA AUS AND PETROFAC JOIN JANDS TO IMPROVE SOLAR ENERGY EFFICIENCY

STATE OF KUWAIT MENA POWER INVESTMENTS MAY TOTAL $250 BN UP TO 2025: APICORP

ALGERIA

THE GOVERNMENT IS PREPARING A CALL FOR TENDERS FOR 1,000 MW OF CLEAN ENERGY

44 JORDAN

NORTH AFRICA

HOW SOLAR PUMPS BENEFIT EVERYDAY LIFE IN AFRICA...

EJ SOLAR SPARK: THE ROAD TO A CLEANER FUTURE

EGYPT

EGYPT PLANNING $4BN GREEN HYDROGEN GAS PROJECT

Saudi Arabia Pg. 04-14

SOUTH AFRICA

SOLAR INDUSTRY BODY SAPVIA ELECTS NEW BOARD HERALDING A NEW DAWN

ISRAEL ISRAELI ROBOTIC SOLAR CLEANING COMPANY, ECOPPIA, SIGNS FIRST LANDMARK DEAL IN THE UAE WITH THE SUPPORT OF IFIICC

Oman Pg. 40

United Arab Emirates Pg. 15-23

Algeria Pg. 41

Africa Pg. 24-32

Israel Pg. 42-43

ME & A Pg. 33-36

Egypt & Jordan Pg. 44-45

State of Kuwait Pg. 37-39

Saudi Arabia

SPANISH SOLAR POWER PLANT SUPPLIER OPENS FACTORY IN KSA PV Hardware Middle East will manufacture trackers, mounting structures, and cleaning robots for the Saudi solar market. The Kingdom aims to generate 50 percent of its energy from renewables by 2030, with the remainder provided by gas

Spanish firm, which manufactures parts for solar power plants, has opened a factory in Saudi Arabia as the Kingdom moves towards its goal of generating half of its energy from renewable sources. PV Hardware Middle East, a subsidiary of the Madrid-headquartered company, will manufacture trackers, mounting structures, and cleaning robots for the Saudi solar market. PVH announced in May 2019 it was planning to enter the Saudi market. Solar trackers help maximize solar production by making sure the panels follow the movement of the sun. They are generally used in large-scale utility facilities.

“Under this license, PV Hardware Middle East will manufacture its technology in the Kingdom, and will develop and train local manufacturers, equipping them with the knowledge to produce subassembly parts of this technology themselves,” the company said in a press release.

PVH announced in May 2019 it was planning to enter the Saudi market when it signed an agreement with Saudi steel manufacturer Al Yamamah Solar Systems Factory. The Kingdom is aiming to generate 50 percent of its energy from renewables by 2030, with the remainder provided by gas. Solar power is a major part of this goal as EDF Renewables, a subsidiary of French state-controlled power group EDF, has teamed up with Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company Masdar and privately-owned Saudi firm Nesma Co. to build a 300-megawatt utility-scale photovoltaic solar power plant. The plant is expected to be operational in 2022. At the same time, Saudi Arabia is eager to increase local production. During the first three months of 2021, the Kingdom issued 307 new factory licenses representing a total investment of SR17.72 billion ($4.73 billion). Only 240 licenses were issued during the same period last year, which is an increase of 27.9 percent year-on-year, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources’ official website. In terms of investment, $8.94 million was pumped in over the same period in 2020, meaning there was a 428.6 percent increase in total investment in the industrial sector during the first quarter (Q1) of this year. Source: arabnews

ABU DHABI TO HOST GREEN HYDROGEN AND AMMONIA FACILITY POWERED BY 800 MW OF SOLAR

Abu Dhabi to host green hydrogen and ammonia facility powered by 800 MW of solar. Plans have been revealed for a US$1 billion green hydrogen and ammonia facility in Abu Dhabi that will be powered by a dedicated 800MW solar project.

ccording to Abu Dhabi Ports, the facility will be constructed by special project vehicle company Helios Industry in the Khalifa Industrial Zone. At peak capacity, it will produce 200,000 tonnes of green ammonia from 40,000 tonnes of green hydrogen. Helios, which aims to develop the installation alongside both local and international partners in two phases, said it will be the first plant within Abu Dhabi to produce green ammonia from hydrogen using renewable energy. The 1.2GW Abu Dhabi Noor solar project. “Abu Dhabi Ports is proud to be the host of an innovative company like Helios Industry, and one of the region’s first green ammonia plants with zero carbon emissions,” said Abdullah Al Hameli, head of industrial cities and free zone cluster at Abu Dhabi Ports.

ME&A_JUNE 2021

Abu Dhabi is set to host another green hydrogen facility that is being developed by local renewables company Masdar in partnership with Siemens Energy and Marubeni Corporation. The initiative aims to establish a demonstrator plant at Masdar City to explore the development of green hydrogen, sustainable fuels and e-kerosene production for transport, shipping and aviation. Last week saw neighbouring Dubai inaugurate the Middle East’s first industrial-scale, solar-powered green hydrogen project, which is powered by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park and is expected to produce approximately 20.5kg of hydrogen per hour. With the United Arab Emirates looking to increase the contribution of renewables in its energy mix to 50% by 2050, recent research from consultancy Rystad Energy estimates that installed solar capacity in the country will increase from the current 2.1GW level to 8.5GW by the end of 2025. Source: pv-tech

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Saudi Arabia

MINISTER OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENT OF THE UAE VISITS DEWA’S R&D CENTER HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Chairman of World Green Economy Organization (WGEO), welcomed HE Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment of the UAE, to DEWA’s Research and Development (R&D) Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.

l Nuaimi headed a delegation from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) that included HE Sultan Alwan, Acting Undersecretary, and other senior officials. The two parties discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation to achieve the vision of the wise leadership of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE; HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; and HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to promote sustainability and innovation, as well as accelerate the development of a sustainable green economy, and strengthen the UAE’s pioneering ability to manage environmental and climate change challenges. This is done by using clean and renewable energy technologies, especially solar power, to balance economic growth with environmental sustainability for generations to come. Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Support and Excellence at DEWA, and Abdul Rahim Sultan, Director General of the World Green Economy Organization (WGEO), along with senior officials from WGEO and DEWA also attended the meeting.

HE Al Tayer and HE Dr Al Nuaimi toured the R&D Centre, 70% of whose researchers are Emiratis. The Centre’s research focuses on solar power, smart grid integration, energy efficiency, and water. It looks at Fourth Industrial Revolution applications, such as 3D printing and additive manufacturing. These are some of the innovative solutions being used to produce spare parts for DEWA’s generation, transmission, and distribution systems. The outdoor testing facilities of the R&D Centre include the Green Hydrogen project, the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa to produce green hydrogen using solar power. The station has been designed to accommodate future applications and test platforms of different uses for hydrogen, such as for industry and transportation. The meeting included talks on ways to increase cooperation and strategic collaboration between DEWA, WGEO, and MOCCAE. DEWA is building robust integrated strategic partnerships with all local and federal bodies.

This is in addition to exchanging information and best practices and experiences because of the importance of improving sustainable growth and addressing both climate change and development issues. The UAE will host the MENA Climate Week 2022, which is the first event of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa, on 2-3 March 2022 during Expo 2020 Dubai. The event aims to encourage more momentum to address climate change in the Middle East and North Africa.

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Al Nuaimi and the accompanying delegation were briefed on DEWA’s key projects, initiatives, and programmes. DEWA has adopted sustainability as part of its vision and has developed a strategy that targets the aspects of sustainability: the environment, economy, and society. This aligns with the efforts of the UAE, which has a clear vision and local and federal strategies to protect natural resources, increase the share of clean energy, and implement green development plans. This contributes to implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030. Al Tayer said that DEWA has a clear direction for the energy sector based on the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to provide 75% of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2050. DEWA employs the latest Fourth Industrial Revolution applications and disruptive technologies, including the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, and Smart Grids, to enhance energy efficiency and increase the happiness of all stakeholders, including customers. Thanks to the directives of the wise leadership, DEWA is moving forward with using clean energy, and currently has promising solar projects at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world with a planned capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030. Upon its completion, the solar park will cut over 6.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions every year. DEWA is also building the 250MW pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant in Hatta, which will use existing water stored in the Hatta Dam. DEWA has additional projects underway to use wind energy. DEWA has made significant achievements using clean energy. The share of clean energy capacity in Dubai’s energy mix has increased to 9%. This exceeds the percentage set in the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to provide 7% of Dubai’s total power capacity from clean energy sources by 2020. Al Tayer noted that these efforts have contributed to Dubai reducing its carbon emissions by 22% in 2019, two years ahead of the target to reduce it by 16% by 2021 in the Carbon Abatement Strategy. “Tackling climate change through implementing robust mitigation and adaptation measures is a strategic priority of the UAE. At the center of our efforts is the diversification of energy sources and increasing the share of renewables in the energy mix with the ultimate goal of reaching carbon neutrality. To achieve these objectives, MOCCAE actively collaborates with government and private sector stakeholders to integrate climate action in future strategies and directions,” said Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment. “DEWA is a key player in our drive to diversify energy sources in the UAE. In line with the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, its 5 GW Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park will boost the country’s renewables capacity and reduce carbon emissions by 6.5 million tonnes every year. The mega project has also contributed to lowering the global cost of solar power generation, as the bid for its fifth phase was less than 1.7 US cents per kWh,” Al Nuaimi added. The Minister applauded DEWA’s work that helps set the UAE on the right course towards carbon neutrality. Prime examples are the Hatta hydroelectric plant, the EV Green Charger Initiative, and the recently inaugurated Green Hydrogen project.

ME&A_JUNE 2021

Saudi Arabia

AUS AND PETROFAC JOIN JANDS TO IMPROVE SOLAR ENERGY EFFICIENCY The Renewable Energy Research Centre in AUS’ College of Engineering is currently working on projects focused on renewable energy. With solar energy a high priority for public and private organizations throughout the UAE and wider region, American University of Sharjah (AUS) and Petrofac have combined forces to increase solar farm efficiency.

US and Petrofac have developed an IoT edge device that can remotely assess the cleanliness of solar panels.For solar plant operators, knowing how clean individual panels are is essential in reducing costs, optimising power output and enabling preventative maintenance. Project researchers found that two months of soiling can reduce the power generation of a panel by 40 per cent, with dust the biggest obstacle to reliable solar energy production. However, large-scale cleaning of solar farms is costly, inconvenient and disruptive to grid security. Having multiple edge devices that can identify specific panels that require cleaning offers operators the opportunity to optimize energy generation without the traditional costs associated with panel maintenance. The edge device continuously measures solar panel performance using open-sourced technology, micro-controllers and smart sensors. Those responsible for operating the solar farm receive information about the state of panels through a wireless network and cloud-based server, allowing them to see, and act on, the data in realtime. In addition to reporting when panels need cleaning, the device is also capable of detecting faults and forecasting power output. The device can also measure temperature, humidity and solar radiation. It is intended for large-scale solar facilities such as Noor Project in Abu Dhabi and Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai. Such technology is of particular importance for the UAE, one of the world’s leading producers of solar energy. The country is currently building what will become the world’s largest solar energy plant, located in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

As part of the UAE’s National Energy Strategy 2050, launched in 2017, over $163 billion was allocated to meeting the country’s goal of increasing the contribution of clean energy sources to the total capacity mix to 50 per cent (with 44 per cent of the mix made up of renewables). The new technology has potential for widespread use as the industry develops. The Renewable Energy Research centre (RERC) in AUS’ College of Engineering is currently working on several projects focused on renewable energy. The centre is made possible through the AUS Petrofac Chair Endowment and involves faculty members, research assistants, undergraduate students and graduate students. Dr Rached Dhaouadi, Professor of Electrical Engineering at AUS and Petrofac Research Chair in Renewable Energy, noted the significance of the research: “The generous support of Petrofac through the Research Chair in Renewable Energy makes these important gains in solar energy outputs possible.

ME&A_JUNE 2021

While abundant sunlight makes the UAE a prime location for solar energy sites, solar energy production in the UAE does face environmental challenges such as humidity, dust and high temperatures. By mitigating many of these challenges, the edge device we have developed will allow the UAE to maximize the natural advantages it enjoys in solar energy production. By increasing the efficiency of solar panels, the edge device will play a role in meeting the UAE’s renewable energy ambitions and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.” The multidisciplinary team working on the device includes Dr Dhaouadi, Dr Imran Zualkernan from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, along with laboratory instructor, Salsabeel Shapsough and research assistant, Mohannad Takrouri. Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Special Envoy for Climate Change said recently that the UAE is well positioned to provide low cost, low carbon energy as global demand returns and is expected to increase in line with economic growth. Speaking during a virtual session of the Columbia Global Energy Summit, Dr. Al Jaber said that increased demand for cost-efficient, lower-carbon energy positions the UAE at a competitive advantage and the United Arab Emirates is focusing on low carbon production. “The UAE’s primary crude grade, Murban, is one of the least carbon-intensive in the world, with less than half the carbon intensity of the industry average. This creates a dual advantage for us – low cost and low carbon. “So, in a world that needs more energy with fewer emissions, the UAE is stepping up to expand our low carbon crude capacity,” said Dr. Al Jaber. He explained that oil and gas will continue to play a major role alongside a diversifying energy mix and that diversifying the country’s energy mix is not only the responsible way forward, but can provide new economic opportunities.

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Saudi Arabia

PROJECTS: FINANCIAL CLOSE FOR 1.5-GIGAWATT SAUDI SOLAR PROJECT A WEEK AWAY

Sudair PV IPP forms part of Saudi Public Investment Fund’s renewable energy programme. Saudi Arabia’s largest solar photovoltaic (PV) project, the 1.5-gigawatt Sudair PV Independent Power Project (IPP), will reach financial close in a week, a senior official from the developer consortium said.

he financial close for the 3.5 billion Saudi Riyal ($930 million) solar project “is just a week away and construction began a couple of weeks ago,” Rajith Nanda, Chief Investment Officer of ACWA Power said at an online event. India’s Larsen & Toubro was awarded the engineering, procurement and construction contract for the project last month. The first phase is expected to be commissioned in the second half of 2022. A Saudi man walks on a street past a field of solar panels at the King Abdulaziz city of Sciences and Technology, Al-Oyeynah Research Station. Sudair PV IPP recorded the second lowest cost globally for Solar PV electricity production of $1.239 cents/kwh, according to project information posted on ACWA Power’s website. The project forms part of the 70 percent of the target capacity of 58.7 GW of the Kingdom that has been assigned to PIF.

MINIMAL PANDEMIC IMPACT The pandemic has had minimal impact on the Saudi developer’s operations, Nanda said. “We have 12 assets worth about $12 billion under construction and they have shown limited slippage. In some cases there have been couple of months of slippage and we have got the contractual time relief protection from the offtaker”, he said speaking at a panel discussion at the CEBC Annual Summit 2021 organised by the UAE-based Clean Energy Business Council. “We have not seen any project cancellations in the last 14-15 months although I do need to recognise that the bid cycle and the time to financial closing has definitely lengthened due to the pandemic”, he said. On the operational side all plants operated at pre pandemic levels, he said.

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GROWTH PROSPECTS Nanda said he sees really positive signs on the growth front for renewables. The pandemic has encouraged several jurisdictions to look even more closely at green initiatives and the energy transition to a decarbonised asset fleet, he said. “In the renewables space our project pipeline has never been so strong….We have more than a dozen transactions spanning solar PV, wind and green hydrogen in advanced development”. Totally 11 GW of renewables are under construction or advanced development, he said.

HYDROGEN’S ARRIVAL Nanda pointed out that ACWA power has taken a strategic view on green hydrogen and has several projects at various stages of development including the NEOM green hydrogen project in Saudi Arabia. “We see hydrogen in the same state where solar energy was five years back. It will for sure experience aggressive and promising cost and delivery outcomes over the next half a decade”, he said. Explaining the reasons for his optimism, he said, “Due to the rapidly decreasing costs of renewable energy, electrolysers and battery storage, green hydrogen is now starting to become commercially viable. Battery storage is also exponentially improving the dispatchability of solar technology”.

ME&A_JUNE 2021

Saudi Arabia

COMPANIES SET TO SUBMIT BIDS FOR 1 GW SAUDI RENEWABLES SCHEMES Projects part of kingdom’s target to build 58.7GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. The category B projects comprise two solar photovoltaic independent power projects in Al-Rass and Saad.

nternational and local utilities developers and investors are preparing to submit proposals by 3 June for the two Category B contracts under the third round of Saudi Arabia’s National Renewable Energy Programme (NREP). According to industry sources, firms that are planning to bid for the contract are expected to include:

1. Acwa Power/Al-Gihaz (local) 2. EDF Renewables (France) 3. Jinko Solar (China) 4. Masdar (UAE) Nesma (local)

It is unclear if Masdar, EDF, Nesma and Jinko are part of the same team or have formed different teams that may include other prequalified bidders. The category B projects comprise the 700MW solar photovoltaic (PV) independent power project (IPP) in Al-Rass and the 300MW solar PV IPP in Saad.

Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry received three bids for the 200MW category A projects under round three of its NREP. The category A projects comprise the 120MW Wadi al-Dawasir and 80MW Layla solar PV IPPs. The bidders are:

1. Acwa Power (local)/Public Investment Fund (local)/State 2. Power Investment Corporation (China) 3. Total Solar (France)/Al-Blagha (local) 4. Alfanar (local)

Energy Ministry’s renewable energy division issued the request for proposals (RFP) for category A and B projects under the third round of NREP in April last year. It prequalified 49 firms to bid for NREP’s third round. The list includes international, regional and local developers. The Energy Ministry is overseeing the procurement of 30% of the kingdom’s target to build 58.7GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. The ministry is expected to start the procurement process for a wind project in Yanbu and a concentrated solar power (CSP) project by year-end. Source: power-technology

NOOR ABU DHABI TAKES LEAD IN TRAINING UAE STUDENTS TO BECOME SOLAR PROFESSIONALS Noor Abu Dhabi, the world’s largest stand-alone operational solar photovoltaic (PV) plant located in Abu Dhabi’s Sweihan region, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Abu Dhabi University to offer internships to students in the company’s solar power plant.

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he move has made Noor Abu Dhabi an ideal platform for training national engineers and equipping them with the technical skills and hands-on expertise in renewable and clean energy. The partnership will provide Emirati students with training opportunities in the field including exchange of scientific and practical experiences in areas relevant to engineering and the energy industry, particularly in the field of renewable energy. It further aims to integrate innovation and creativity among Emirati youth, promote sustainability, as well as enhance the country’s competitive edge in this emerging sector. As part of the agreement, Noor Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi University will support their mutual research projects and share information to further promote research and development.

ME&A_JUNE 2021

Moreover, Noor Abu Dhabi will arrange site visits for the university students as well as conduct seminars, conferences, training programs, and lectures, both inside and outside the plant. Commenting on the development, Abdulla Salem Al Kayoumi, CEO of Sweihan PV Power Company PJSC, said: “Being the first PV plant of its kind in the region, we take responsibility to prepare a highly trained young engineers and equip them with practical skills and hands-on PV experience to lead the next stage of the development process. Through this initiative, we aim to work along with academic institutions to leverage the readiness and employability of their graduates in such a growing clean energy industry.” Commenting on the agreement, Professor Waqar Ahmad, the Chancellor of Abu Dhabi University, said, “We are excited to be collaborating with the world’s largest single-site solar project.

This MoU represents an important milestone for ADU as we are focusing on delivering exceptional educational and hands-on experiences in fields that are relevant to engineering and renewable energy. This collaboration will certainly equip our students with the right skills and expertise to the ever-changing market needs. I strongly believe this is only the beginning to a prosperous collaboration that will mutually benefit both ADU and Noor Abu Dhabi Station that will contribute to the development and the growth of our communities”. Noor Abu Dhabi is a 1.2-gigawatt power plant featuring more than 3.3 million record solar panels at a single site. The project reflects the UAE’s efforts to address rising energy demand by building a clean energy source, thereby putting the nation at the forefront of sustainable development. Source: zawya

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Saudi Arabia

ALEC ENERGY APPOINTED TO DELIVER SOLAR SOLUTION AT DEWA’S NEW HEADQUARTERS

The photovoltaic solar plant with a capacity of 4.8 MWp is designed to meet DEWA’s net zero targets. ALEC Energy has won the contract to provide a solar photovoltaic solution for Dubai Electricity and Water Authorities’ new headquarters based in the Al Jaddaf area of Dubai.

peaking on behalf of ALEC Energy, James Stewart, general manager said: “Winning this project has been a great endorsement of ALEC Energy’s ability to provide the most innovative, costeffective solution that not only meets, but exceeds the ambitious net zero targets set by DEWA. In delivering a solution that illustrates DEWA’s commitment to utilising clean energy we are also supporting the government’s high-level targets of reaching a 50% clean energy supply within the next thirty years.” In order to maximise the solution’s full potential, ALEC Energy provided a multi-tiered solution which includes the delivery of 21,139m2 of building attached photovoltaic (BAPV) panels on the roof, 1,021m2 of building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panels in the façade and 1,923m2 of podium fins as well as fibre optic collectors, shaded structure PV and solar trees, which collectively will generate 4.8 MWp upon completion, helping to ensure the new headquarters will reach its net zero targets within under a decade.

Working alongside other stakeholders including main contractor, Ghantoot Transport & General Contracting LLC and consultant, ATKINS, ALEC Energy are designing customised, walkable solar panels with a high transparency feature that matches the striking architectural design of the building. DEWA states that the building will be the “tallest, largest, and smartest government zero energy building in the world.” “The most energy efficient solar cells currently available worldwide are used for this project. Accredited laboratories will conduct numerous sophisticated performance tests, quality controls and rigorous durability tests prior to the manufacturing of the the PV panels. This project and the integrated solar design truly pushes the boundaries of solar power further,” Stewart remarked.

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James Stewart, General Manager, ALEC Energy

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO, DEWA

Named ‘Al Shera’a’, the Arabic word for ‘sail’, the built-up-area of the building will cover more than two million square feet over 15 floors, plus basement, plus four stories of parking with the capacity to host more than 5,000 people at any given time. Designed to be a Platinum-rated LEED building, Al Shera’a will consume less energy than it generates, hailing in a new era of government buildings. Speaking on behalf of DEWA when the project was initially awarded, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO, said, “We work to achieve the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai a global center for clean energy and green economy. By building Al-Shera’a, we establish a global benchmark for buildings that achieve a balance between development and the environment, to protect the right of future generations to live in a clean, healthy and safe environment. This supports the UAE Vision 2021 to make the UAE one of the best countries in the world, and the Dubai Plan 2021, to make Dubai the preferred place to live, work, and visit.”

ME&A_JUNE 2021

Saudi Arabia

SOLAR MANUFACTURERS FACE LAST DAY TO SUBMIT BIDS FOR SAUDI SOLAR POWER PROJECT

the deadline for solar manufacturing companies to submit proposals for Saudi Arabia’s layer category B solar power project. The bid deadline, which was originally set for May 24, has been extended to due to the pandemic. Solar manufacturing companies, such as UAE-based Masdar and Chinese Jinko Solar, will have a final opportunity to bid on contracts for the construction of solar photovoltaic independent power projects in the cities of Al-Rass and Saad. The renewable project will be regulated by the National Reneweble Energy Programme (NREP), an initiative under the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Energy.

ue to fluctuating oil prices and market unpredictability, the Saudi government aims to diversify its oil-reliant economy under the framework of the Saudi Vision 2030 development program, which is why renewable energy projects constitute special importance. Expect Saudi Arabia to continue its investment in solar panels, especially around areas with typical desert climates. Saudi Arabia’s long-term goal is to obtain one third of its electricity demand from solar power and generate 50% of its overall energy from renewables by 2030. Therefore, it will spend around $20 billion in this decade. Source : foreignbrief

SAUDI ARABIA INAUGURATES 1ST DESALINATION PLANT USING SOLAR, WIND ENERGY

The Red Sea Development Co. (TRSDC) inaugurated the first desalination plant using solar and wind energy in Saudi Arabia, as part of efforts to preserve the environment by limiting carbon emissions.

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hief of staff at TRSDC Ahmed Ghazi Darwish said that the project was launched in collaboration with Source Global, PBC, which specializes in renewable drinking water. “It keeps pace with the multi-product tourism sector in Saudi Arabia and will meet the tourists’ demands for a distinctive Red Sea destination through various means.” The solar-powered desalination plant will be the world’s largest, with a production capacity of 2 million 330 milliliter water bottles per year, he said. The production of 300,000 bottles per year will begin in the coming years, Darwish added, noting that reusable bottles will be used to help achieve carbon neutrality. During the first phase of the plant’s construction, experts selected an ideal plot of land and placed 100 hydrogen panels after conducting a virtual survey according to the plant’s specifications and requirements. A total of 1,200 hydrogen panels will also be added during the second and third phases, and the plant will be provided with necessary components and reusable bottles by companies operating in the Kingdom.

ME&A_JUNE 2021

The desalination technology used by TRSDC will fully depend on solar energy to raise condensation levels in the hydrogen panels to produce high-quality fresh water, Darwish explained. He pointed out that the performance of the panels will be monitored through a smart application that will show the volume of water produced, the environmental impact of the panels and maintenance alerts. Source : aawsat

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Saudi Arabia

UNCLE’S SHOP LAUNCHES SOLAR ROOF ‘ATUM’ IN UAE The first Atum project was signed with Shurooq (Sharjah Investment Authority) for a mosque project at Khrofakkan on the beach. The brand Atum comes with a base of cement board providing complete roof solutions for various applications.World’s first integrated solar roof ‘Atum’ was launched in the UAE recently by Uncle’s Shop in partnership with Visaka Industries Limited in Dubai, said Deepak Bhatia, managing director, Uncle’s Shop.

he brand Atum comes with a base of cement board providing complete roof solutions for various applications. The cement board base product is approved by Dubai Civil Defense and manufactured by Visaka Industries Limited with Uncle’s Shop as their business partners and sole dealer in the UAE region.

FIRST PROJECT IN UAE The first project with Atum was signed with Shurooq (Sharjah Investment Authority) for a mosque project at Khrofakkan on the beach. The project has been handed over recently. The project took around 30 days to complete from structure to commissioning of the EPC works, with an installed capacity is 26.6Kw with 82 panels in 164 square meters will generate an average of up to 120Kwh per day and has been installed on the rooftop of the mosque. “We compared Atum with traditional panels to discover we can achieve 20-40 per cent extra installation in the given same space where it can then generate more power. The product is a patented technology by Visaka is now with the research dept of Dewa in order to obtain the grid approval and registration with Dewa and other authorities across the UAE,” said Bhatia, The sustainable roof is made using GreenPro ecolabelled materials that can last over 50 years and can be a great alternative to metal sheets, sloped RCC, or clay tiles.

AL FARIS HANDLES OVERFLOW TANKS FOR SOLAR PARK

Al Faris Group was responsible for receiving, storing, transporting and lifting 30 overflow tanks, as part of the ongoing construction of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park project in UAE. Al Faris first off-loaded the overflow tanks, which were 52m long and 235t, and stored them on customised stools fabricated in-house by Al Faris at Jebel Ali Port. Due to time limitations and high volume storage at the port, extensive planning was required to reduce execution time.

he size and weight of the tanks presented challenges in terms of onroad transportation. Al Faris said the biggest challenge was to find a feasible route from Jebel Ali Port to the solar park. The route was analysed and surveyed by the company’s technical team. Significant road modifications, diversions and managing temporary traffic routes were also a requirement in order to carry out this project successfully. “Our team of engineers and technicians carried out the operation smoothly with utmost safety and efficiency with all approvals and safety measures in place and the help of police escort vehicles,” said Al Faris.

At the project site, the overflow tanks were lifted using Al Faris’s Liebherr 400t LR 1400/2 crawler crane, alongside other supporting mobile cranes, which travelled a distance of more than 100m before placing the load on the foundation. Source: cranestodaymagazine

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Bypass roads were made temporarily, in order to avoid the overhead height restrictions in the transportation route.

The heavy lift and transport specialist opted for a two-file combination of 30-axle Goldhofer THP/SL conventional hydraulic trailers, moving two tanks in one convoy.

ME&A_JUNE 2021

Saudi Arabia

Will The World’s Largest Oil Region Become A Hydrogen Hub?

The biggest oil-exporting region in the world, the Middle East, has set its sights on becoming a major clean energy exporter of green hydrogen. The largest oil producers in the Arab Gulf have jumped on the hydrogen bandwagon — especially its so-called green variety produced from water electrolysis using electricity from solar or wind — as it gains momentum with governments and the world’s largest international oil companies. Hydrogen is expected to play a prominent role in lowering carbon emissions from energy-intensive industries. And the Middle East doesn’t want to miss out on this opportunity.

n the one hand, it wants to show the world it can export clean energy—not only crude oil—as the global energy transition accelerates. On the other hand, the oil-dependent economies of some of OPEC’s largest producers are determined to diversify into green energy exports and away from oil. This past week, two announcements of green hydrogen projects in the Middle East made headlines: Dubai launched the first industrial-scale green hydrogen project in the region, while Oman announced plans to build one of the largest green hydrogen plants in the world. Dubai, one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is currently OPEC’s third-largest oil producer, launched the first industrial-scale, solar-powered green hydrogen facility in the Middle East and North Africa in collaboration with Siemens Energy, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), and Expo 2020 Dubai. During the day, the plant uses some of the photovoltaic electricity from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park to produce green hydrogen via electrolysis. At night, the green hydrogen is converted into electricity to power the city with sustainable energy, Siemens Energy says. The Solar Park is expected to generate as much as 5 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy by 2030 as the largest single-site solar park in the world. Companies in the region, international technology partners, and analysts believe that Dubai and the whole of the Middle East have a bright future in solar power generation, considering the abundant sunshine in the region.

“Against the background of low costs of electricity for solar PV and wind power in the region, hydrogen has the potential to be a key fuel in the energy mix of the future and could open up energy export opportunities for those areas with access to abundant renewable energies,” Siemens Energy said.

The UAE could become an exporter of hydrogen, Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch told CNBC’s Dan Murphy in an interview this week. “I do believe it must be, it will be, it should be, one of the key future commercial models in the UAE and the wider region, to be also, in future, an energy exporter for the world,” Bruch told CNBC. Another oil producer in the Middle East, Oman—not an OPEC member but part of the OPEC+ alliance—also made a major announcement involving green hydrogen this week. Oman’s state-held energy company OQ, Hong-Kong-based green fuels developer InterContinental Energy, and Kuwait’s governmentbacked clean energy investor and developer, EnerTech, announced a plan for one of the biggest facilities of green hydrogen in the world. The plant will be powered by 25 GW of renewable energy and could cost as much as US$30 billion. “Given the site’s strategic location between Europe and Asia, as well as excellent solar irradiance and wind resource facing the Arabian Sea, the development is well-positioned to offer a secure and reliable supply of green fuels globally at a highly competitive price,” InterContinental Energy said. “Alternative energy is a key driver for OQ’s long-term growth and a cornerstone of its strategy. It is also in line with the country’s ambitious Oman Vision 2040 that aims to diversify the nation’s resources and maximize the financial value derived,” said Salim Al Huthaili, CEO Alternative Energy at OQ. The region’s top oil producer and the world’s largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, is also eyeing green hydrogen projects and a share of the emerging clean hydrogen market. NEOM, the future sustainable city promoted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, signed last year a deal with Air Products and Saudi ACWA Power for a $5 billion green hydrogen-based ammonia production project, which will export the product. All these plans suggest that the oil powerhouse Middle East is not immune to the energy transition and growing global demand for clean energy products. Source: oilprice

ME&A_JUNE 2021

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Saudi Arabia

GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN SQUEEZE, SOARING COSTS THREATEN SOLAR ENERGY BOOM

Soaring shipping freight rates along with higher costs for fuel, copper and labor are also pinching project costs, company executives said lobal solar power developers are slowing down project installations because of a surge in costs for components, labor, and freight as the world economy bounces back from the coronavirus pandemic, according to industry executives and analysts interviewed by Reuters. The sun rises before the inauguration of the Cerro Dominador Solar Power Plant, in Maria Elena, Chile. The situation suggests slower growth for the zeroemissions solar energy industry at a time world governments are trying to ramp up their efforts to fight climate change, and marks a reversal for the sector after a decade of falling costs. It also reflects yet another industry shaken up by the supply chain bottlenecks that have developed in the recovery from the coronavirus health crisis, which has businesses from electronics manufacturers to home improvement retailers experiencing huge delays in shipping along with soaring costs.

“The narrative is shifting,” S&P Global Platts clean energy analyst Bruno Brunetti said in an interview, citing the costs inflation. Among the biggest headwinds for solar is a tripling in prices for steel, a key component in racks that hold solar panels, and polysilicon, the raw material used in panels. Soaring shipping freight rates along with higher costs for fuel, copper and labor are also pinching project costs, company executives said. Research firm IHS Markit warned last week that its global solar installation forecast for the year could slide to 156 gigawatts from a current projection of 181 GW if price pressures do not ease. Wall Street has also punished the sector in recent weeks, sending the MAC Global Solar index down 24 percent this year after it tripled in 2020. Project developers in the United States, the No. 2 solar market behind China, told Reuters they are struggling to price projects for 2022 given the lack of clarity on how long price spikes will last. Solar engineering, procurement and construction firm Swinerton Renewable Energy said some of its customers have also put “soft holds” on projects slated to start later this year while they wait to see if prices trend down. “We’ve just become accustomed to such a low cost energy source,” said George Hershman, Swinerton’s president. “Like anything it’s hard to accept that you’re going to start to pay more.” Contract prices for solar were already up 15 percent in the United States in the first quarter compared with last year due to higher interconnection and permitting costs, according to a quarterly index by LevelTen Energy. US panel manufacturer First Solar Inc. told investors in April that congestion at American ports was holding up its module shipments from Asia. And a US maker of solar mounting systems, Array Technologies Inc, withdrew its forecast for the year last month due to steel and freight costs. In Europe, some projects that do not have strict timelines for when they need to begin delivering power are being delayed, according to executives and analysts.

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“The situation has not resolved itself because prices have stayed high, so those who have capacity to wait are still waiting,” said Jose Nunez, chief financial officer of Spanish solar tracker maker Soltec Power Holdings SA. Nunez said Soltec was seeing project delays in all of the markets it serves. Supply constraints could put upward pressure on relatively stable European solar prices later this year as companies seek to preserve profit margins that are already razor thin, according to LevelTen. In China, the world’s top solar product maker, producers are already raising prices to protect margins, leading to slower orders.According to three solar panel makers in China polled by Reuters, prices for panels are up 20-40 percent in the past year, following the surge in costs for polysilicon, the raw material for solar cells and panels. “We have to manufacture the product, but on the other hand, if the price is too high, the project developers want to wait,” Jack Xiao, marketing director at BeyondSun Holdings, a panel maker that exports 60 percent of its products, said. A state-backed solar cell factory manager who asked not to be named told Reuters that output has dropped because customers are reluctant to fulfill orders at current prices. China’s Canadian Solar Inc, a top panel producer, said last month that its product prices were up 10 percent in the first quarter from the previous three month period, an increase it plans to pass on to customers. “We will continue to take price up, and we’re willing to give up some volume in order to protect margins,” Yan Zhuang, president of the company’s module making division, said on a conference call with investors last month. Source: arabnews

ME&A_JUNE 2021

saudi arabia

KSA’S SOLAR ENERGY INVESTMENT PIVOTAL TO ACHIEVING CLIMATE ACTION AND ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES OF VISION 2030 The opening of the Sakaka solar power plant coupled with the announcement of seven new solar power projects as part of the new Saudi Arabia Green initiative makes a powerful statement that one of the world’s leading oil producers is absolutely committed to being a leader in the global fight against climate change.

he opening of the Sakaka solar power plant coupled with the announcement of seven new solar power projects as part of the new Saudi Arabia Green initiative makes a powerful statement that one of the world’s leading oil producers is absolutely committed to being a leader in the global fight against climate change. The country plans to employ a healthy mix of solar, wind, green hydrogen and nuclear to eliminate more than 130 tons of carbon emissions using clean energy technology. But solar power will serve as the core pillar of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to producing 50 percent of all electricity in the nation through renewable energy sources.

Solar energy is expected to represent nearly 70% of Saudi’s future clean energy capacity. A recent report by the Riyadh Chamber showed the current pipeline of solar projects in the Kingdom represents SR60 billion ($15.9 billion) in project investments and that at least half of all families in the country want to use solar in their homes. The Saudi commitment to and investment in climate action will do far more for the country than just combat climate change. It will build the foundation of a new Green Economy that will reshape the country’s economic future and play a key role in achieving Vision 2030 economic objectives. Investment in clean energy is an essential component of Saudi’s economic diversification, industrialization and job creation strategy. That’s why development of renewable energy technology, infrastructure and facilities represents a core strategic pillar of the new ‘Made in Saudi’ comprehensive manufacturing and industrialization strategy. Yasser Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) which owns 50 percent of ACWA Power, one of the nation’s leading energy companies that is the owner and developer of the Sakaka solar plant, said the opening of the plant “embodies our commitment to invest in the sectors that will shape the future of the global economy.” Saudi Arabia, which ranks 6th globally in potential capacity for solar energy, is far from the only GCC or MENA country relying on the power of the sun for a new clean energy and green economy strategy. Today solar energy represents 94% of the current installed capacity of renewable energy across all GCC countries, with most of that coming from large utility-scale solar PV projects. Solar also represents 91% of the potential power generation currently in the pipeline in the GCC, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) “Renewable Energy Market Analysis: GCC 2019.” There are a number of reasons why solar is dominating the renewable energy mix across the region.

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It starts with the dramatic decline in the cost of solar energy production, with cost per kilowatt hour falling from $0.5 to $0.135 in the just the last 5 years. That’s a near 75% reduction in energy production costs. This rapid cost decrease directly correlates to an increase in solar efficiency ratings, with new solar plants operating at up to 99% efficiency. Contributing to improved efficiency is solar power plants becoming smarter and producing far more energy than ever before thanks to solar innovation. Solar innovation is key to improving performance and efficiency of solar plants not only in Saudi Arabia but across the GCC and MENA region. This is a region blessed with abundant sunshine, which is obviously an advantage for solar. But it’s also a region where the solar plants are often developed in desert conditions. Bifacial technology being used in many new solar plants across the region captures direct sunlight on one side of a solar panel and reflective sunlight on the other. The Nextracker solar tracking software uses artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to squeeze more energy from the system, maximizing the capture of sunlight while integrating advanced digital operations and maintenance and robotic cleaning solutions to minimize the operating costs. By 2030, based on the current national commitments and project plans, GCC countries are on track to save the equivalent of 354 million barrels of oil through the deployment of renewables. That represents a 23% reduction in oil consumption that would come with it the creation of more than 220,000 jobs. It would also reduce the power sector’s carbon dioxide emissions by 22% while cutting water withdrawal in the power sector by 17%. Nextracker is partnering with a wide range of government regulators, owner-operators and technology companies across the region to bring to life some of the largest and most technologically advanced solar projects in the world that will contribute to achieving this vision. That includes ACWA Power’s Sakaka plant as well as the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai and other projects in UAE, Benban Solar Park in Egypt and the Sohar Solar Plant in Oman. These projects, along with many others across the region, will play a significant role in realizing national decarbonization pledges while forming the foundation of a new sustainable green energy economy. They will deliver far-reaching environmental and socio-economic benefits and measurable impact for years to come while helping provide for and protect the wellbeing of future generations. And the Saudi Green and Middle East Green Initiatives are poised to lead the way for the region to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 60 percent in the years ahead. Source: saudigazette

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united arab emirates

MORO HUB & HUAWEI TO BUILD SOLAR-POWERED DATA CENTER ON DUBAI SOLAR FARM

Companies claim 100MW facility will be largest solar-powered Tier III-certified facility in the region. Moro Hub has signed an agreement with Huawei to build a solar-powered data center in Dubai, UAE. The new 100MW facility will be located in the 3,000MW Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park outside of Dubai to the southeast of the city. Timelines of construction were not shared. Moro Hub – a subsidiary of Digital DEWA, the digital arm of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) – claims the new facility will be largest solar-powered Uptime Tier IIIcertified facility in the Middle East and Africa. “The new center positions Moro Hub as a leading contributor to the UAE’s circular economy, while significantly aids DEWA’s progress towards sustainable development,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA. “Moro Hub’s green data center will help customers in their sustainability initiatives to reduce their carbon emissions and become carbon neutral.”

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“We are pleased to associate with Moro Hub as the key technology provider for the largest green data center in the region. This is an important association, and it allows us to strengthen our partnership with Moro Hub and take part in fortifying the UAE’s sustainable development goals,” added Charles Yang, president of Huawei Middle East. “There’s been significant growth in the renewable sector, and we are optimistic that this agreement will reinforce our endeavors to implement and strengthen the adoption of carbon-neutral digital technologies.” The solar farm was announced in January 2012, with construction beginning in 2013. The new facility is Moro Hub’s second solar-powered facility, with the company having a 3,402 sqm (36,600 sq ft), 8.8MW Tier III-certified data center in the Dubai Marina. Source: datacenterdynamics

ME&A_JUNE 2021

united arab emirates

DP WORLD TO EXPAND ENERGY EFFICIENCY COLLABORATION WITH ETIHAD ESCO Collaboration will be expanded to renewable solar power installations across DP World’s assets in the UAE. General view of a stock yard of DP World’s fully automated Terminal 2 at Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

P World, UAE Region, and Etihad Energy Services Company (Etihad ESCO), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), announced plans to expand their ongoing energy efficiency collaboration into renewable solar power installations across DP World’s assets in the UAE. They signed a Memorandum of Understanding during a virtual ceremony in the presence of Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, and Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO, DP World. The MoU provides a framework to facilitate existing collaboration to cover DP World, UAE Region’s changing requirements in line with its overarching energy efficiency and sustainability programmes. These include Energy Performance Contracting Projects, Solar On-Grid Installations, and IT Solutions and Technologies including Command and Control Centres, IoT, Smart Automation and Network Operations. Al Tayer commented, “Since 2015, Etihad ESCO and DP World have collaborated in projects that are actively reducing DP World’s carbon footprint and supporting sustainability goals.

ME&A_JUNE 2021

This MoU is a significant milestone for Etihad ESCO, building on our long partnership. We look forward to strengthening mutual cooperation and exchanging the best international experiences of energy efficiency to continue this sustainable development journey, for a greener future for all.” For his part, Bin Sulayem said, “At DP World, we use innovative technologies to ensure that our practices comply with the Green Building programme of the Government of Dubai. Our efforts go beyond saving costs to strengthen our contribution to the Emirates Green Agenda 2030. DP World and Etihad Energy Services have a long record of collaboration. With this MoU, we open a new chapter in improving energy efficiencies across our assets in the UAE Region. DP World focuses on measuring and managing its direct environmental impact to contribute to the pressing challenge of climate change. Etihad Energy’s knowledge and expertise combined with DP World’s experience with energy efficiency will help achieve our common goals.” In June 2019, Etihad ESCO had financed and completed the first and second phases of a major retrofit project for the staff accommodation areas of the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), where nearly 40,000 people live. The project achieved 32.6 per cent savings in energy consumption, surpassing initial targets, upon completion of one year of Measurement and Verification period. The environment has benefited tremendously since, with 17,000 tonnes of reductions in annual CO2 emissions, equivalent to removing 3,600 cars from roads for a year. Etihad Energy Services is also currently working on retrofitting buildings in DP World’s Dubai Maritime City, in a project that is expected to save up to 20 per cent in energy consumption of the targeted facilities. Both parties look forward to enhancing their fruitful cooperation for the interest of all. Source: zawya

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United Arab Emirates

UAE SET TO DOUBLE CLEAN ENERGY OUTPUT IN 2 YEARS AS IEA EYES NEW GLOBAL RECORD

Renewable power generation grew worldwide at the fastest rate in two decades in 2020, and that trend is set to continue in the aftermath of the pandemic led by countries including the UAE, which is on course to double clean energy production by 2030.

new report released on Tuesday by the International Energy Agency (IEA) said renewable energy added last year jumped 45 per cent to 280 gigawatts (GW), marking the largest year-over-year increase since 1999. The UAE has been a key contributor to this clean energy drive, having increased its renewables portfolio by over 400 per cent in the last 10 years. The Paris-based IEA envisions this worldwide rate of growth to become the “new normal.” IEA sees 270 GW added in 2021, followed by 280 GW in 2022. These estimates are 25 per cent higher than the agency’s prior forecasts given last November.

“Wind and solar power are giving us more reasons to be optimistic about our climate goals as they break record after record,” said Fatih Birol, IEA’s executive director. “Last year, the increase in renewable capacity accounted for 90 per cent of the entire global power sector’s expansion.” The UAE, for instance, is well on track to double its clean energy portfolio after becoming the first country in the region to deliver safe, commercial and peaceful nuclear power. On April 6, this year, the UAE’s first nuclear facility, Barakah unit 1, entered commercial operation. The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) said the unit, which is operated by Nawah Energy Company, has been the single largest electricity generator in the UAE since reaching 100 per cent power in early December. The 1400-megawatt unit, which is in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, is now providing “constant, reliable and sustainable electricity around the clock”. As a result, ENEC says it is “now leading the largest decarbonisation effort of any industry in the UAE to date.” Masdar, which currently has around $20 billion in investments, as part of its global expansion seeks to focus this year on projects in Central Asia and South-East Asia, where it has recently signed a number of agreements.

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The company is focusing on Asia, where economic growth and the regulatory environment are conducive to investments. Masdar made its first entry into South-East Asia through Indonesia’s first floating photovoltaic power plant, a 145 MW project that is being developed in partnership with PT PJBI, a subsidiary of Indonesia’s state electricity company PT PLN (Persero). IEA said policy decisions in China and the U.S., among other things, fuelled the growth, counteracting the impact of supply chain disruptions from the coronavirus. In its report, IEA said solar installations will continue to break records, and predicts more than 160 GW installed annually by 2022. The agency said that’s almost 50 per cent above 2019’s prepandemic installations. Utility-scale projects are expected to propel the growth, rising from over 55 per cent of annual additions to nearly 70 per cent per cent by 2022. “Following the pandemic-induced slowdown of the first half of 2020, U.S. residential and commercial markets recovered fully and even grew in the latter part of the year,” the report said. Global wind capacity additions jumped more than 90 per cent in 2020 to hit 114 GW, although IEA envisions a slowdown in growth during both 2021 and 2022. Renewable capacity growth in China is poised to stabilize below 2020’s record level thanks to production that was pulled forward, but any slowdown will be balanced by acceleration in other regions. Source: khaleejtimes

ME&A_JUNE 2021

united arab emirates

ABU DHABI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT COMPLETES WORK ON AMBITIOUS SOLAR-POWERED CAR PARK PROJECT Abu Dhabi Airports and renewable energy company Masdar have announced the completion of Abu Dhabi’s largest solar-powered car park. The new facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport will save the production of the equivalent of 5,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

he three-megawatt solar photovoltaic project has been installed on the car shading at the short-term car park of the Midfield Terminal at the airport, with 7,542 solar panels producing electricity. The energy generated by the gridconnected project will be used to power the car parking facility, with excess energy fed to other parts of the airport. Abu Dhabi Airports Chief Executive Officer Shareef Al Hashmi said: “The Midfield Terminal is designed to not only deliver a state-of-the-art smooth and seamless passenger experience but also safeguard the UAE’s beautiful natural heritage.

“Throughout its development, we have integrated technology which enables sustainability, protects the environment, and creates a cleaner, greener, and more ecologically friendly building.” He added: “Net-zero development has been a central ethos in the design and construction of the Midfield Terminal. By making smart and sustainable choices during its development in our use of double glazing, efficient lighting, and environmental controls, we have achieved considerable reductions across the building’s wider energy use.”

Abu Dhabi International now hosts the largest solar-powered car park in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Masdar’s Energy Services department provided a full turnkey solution for the project, including financing, design, procurement and construction. Under the terms of the lease agreement, Masdar will also provide operation and maintenance services for a 25-year period. Masdar Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi said: “The delivery of this landmark project for the new Midfield Terminal highlights the commitment of Masdar and Abu Dhabi Airports to supporting the UAE’s Energy Strategy 2050 and its climate change mitigation goals, as well as demonstrating Masdar’s strength as a preferred partner in renewable energy project collaborations. “We look forward to leveraging our local and international experience to enable our partners to advance their clean energy goals through similar projects.” The UAE’s Energy Strategy 2050 aims to increase the percentage of clean energy in the country’s energy mix to 50%. Source: moodiedavittreport

ME&A_JUNE 2021

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united arab emirates

ZAHID GROUP INTEGRATES SOLAR SOLUTION INTO NEW FACILITY In line with its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint, Zahid Group has signed an agreement with Safeer for the installation of a 1.5 MWp solar rooftop and carport hybrid system on the premises of its new headquarters, Zahid Business Park.

ahid Business Park will be located on the northern outskirts of Jeddah and host the group’s new 11-floor head office, six large-scale facilities for independent Zahid Group companies, a community center and the Zahid Learning Institute. The renewable energy component was integrated in the initial design of Zahid Business Park. This innovative approach will help the group to significantly reduce its carbon footprint through clean power production.

The system will annually produce ~2.5 GWh of clean energy and will offset nearly 1,800 metric tons of CO2 emissions, corresponding to approximately 7,000,000 kilometers driven by an average passenger vehicle or equivalent to more than 30,000 tree seedlings grown for 10 years. The planning and construction of the solar hybrid system combining photovoltaic and conventional energy generation will be completed by Safeer, a joint venture between Altaaqa Alternative Solutions (a Zahid Group company) and Total Solar Distributed Generation. Barig Siraj, vice president of group affairs at Zahid Group, said: “Supporting sustainable development is a priority at Zahid Group.

Whether it is via significant investments in renewable energy or turning to renewable energy solutions for our own business needs, Zahid Group is an active participant in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 for the development and promotion of renewable energy generation.” Francois Ganneau, managing director of Safeer, said: “After the recent creation of the Safeer joint venture, it is our pleasure to implement this iconic project for one of our parent companies. This complex project introducing photovoltaic hybrid technology on rooftops and carports of the new Zahid Business Park will showcase Safeer’s capabilities and commitment to excellence and will act as a case study in highlighting the benefits of integrating renewable energy solutions in commercial and industrial settings.” Source: arabnews

UAE’S MASDAR SET TO MAKE FIRST RENEWABLE PUSH INTO GREECE

Clean energy major announces plan to develop a 65MW solar project on site 65km north of Athens. Masdar, the Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy company, and Taaleri Energia have agreed to develop a 65-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Greece. The project will be managed through the companies’ joint venture Masdar-Taaleri Generation (MTG), a statement said.

he co-development was announced at a virtual signing ceremony, attended by Dionyssios Zois, Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to the UAE, and Sulaiman Hamed Salem AlMazroui, Ambassador of the UAE to the Hellenic Republic. The project is Masdar’s first investment in the Greek market and will be developed by MTG alongside local partners, the Constantakopoulos family and Autohellas. Zois said: “We congratulate all the business groups involved and specifically Masdar on their very first investment in the Greek renewable energy sector and we hope that this agreement will pave the way for additional Emirati investments in Greece, either from Masdar or other UAE entities.” “Today’s signing is a milestone occasion that will enhance the longstanding cooperation between Greece and the United Arab Emirates. We are pleased to support the country’s climate change efforts and contribute to their goal of producing 35 percent of their energy mix from renewables by 2030,” added AlMazroui.

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The project is located in the region of Viotia, approximately 65km north of the Greek capital, Athens, and is in the advanced development stage, with construction expected to be completed in 2023. It is intended that the project will participate in Greece’s feed-in-tariff premium auction scheme in late 2021. When complete, the solar PV plant will produce over 100 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity annually. According to Greece’s National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), the country aims to produce 35 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. The plan also targets production of over 60 percent of the country’s electricity consumption through renewables by the same year, doubling its current contribution. The Masdar-Taaleri JV was first announced at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2019, and is a development vehicle for renewable energy projects in central and south eastern Europe. Masdar and funds managed by Taaleri Energia are co-investment partners in the 158 MW Čibuk 1 wind farm in Serbia, and recently acquired an equal share in two ready-to-build wind farms in Poland, the 37.4 MW Mlawa Wind Farm and the 14 MW Grajewo Wind Farm. In the Middle East, the two companies have jointly invested in the development and construction of the Baynouna Solar Energy Project, a 200 MW solar PV plant in Jordan, the largest single-site solar PV project in the country.

Source: arabianbusiness

ME&A_JUNE 2021

united arab emirates

UAE-BASED SOLAR ENERGY START-UP PAWAME SECURES $2.5M AND LAUNCHES $5M SERIES A ROUND

With a team of 80 employees and over 200 contract agents and technicians, Pawame plans to provide electricity to over 1 million people in sub-Saharan Africa that do not have access to grid power by 2025. Pawame plans to provide electricity to over 1 million people in sub-Saharan Africa that do not have access to grid power by 2025. UAE-based off-grid solar start-up Pawame has secured $2.5 million in funding and is set to launch a $5m Series A round as the company plots expansion in Africa.

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awame, which employs a pay-as-yougo business model and uses mobilemoney to make solar affordable, received five grants totalling $1.7m, plus $750,000 in equity, including $250,000 from Launch Africa VC. Alexandre Allegue, chairman and cofounder, said: “I am extremely proud of this announcement, as despite facing challenges during the pandemic, Pawame delivered exceptional results in 2020, including achieving bottomline profitability and positive cash flow for the first time. We accomplished this thanks to our unique and sustainable value proposition, alongside a costeffective execution and an exceptional team.” Pawame offers a portfolio of innovative, high-quality solar home systems in remote areas of Kenya on a micro-financed basis, using mobile money repayment, making it affordable for everyone to access safe, clean and reliable energy.

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The business model also uses energy as a bridge to help families build a credit history and then gain access to other life-changing products through Pawame, which they would otherwise be unable to access or afford. Grants and funding were received from all over the world, including the Netherlands and Kenya. With a team of 80 employees and over 200 contract agents and technicians, Pawame plans to provide electricity to over 1 million people in sub-Saharan Africa that do not have access to grid power by 2025. The start-up is also planning to extend its product range to other life enhancing products, including income generating appliances such as water tanks, solar water pumps and solar refrigerators, which will empower many families in rural areas to start their own business, and enable farmers to extend the life of their crops. Maurice Parets, CEO of Pawame, said: “Energy is just the beginning, supplanting dirty kerosene lamps, our solar products help protect as well as change the lives of off-grid families.” Pawame is on target for its geographic expansion within and beyond Kenya, with the series A fundraising set to further accelerate its growth. Its current investors are primarily GCC based, with its largest shareholder being senior executives from the largest power utility companies of the Middle East as well as Launch Africa VC. Source: arabianbusiness

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united arab emirates

UAE GOVERNMENT REAFFIRMS ITS COMMITMENT TO CUT CO2 EMISSIONS

“A more responsive and interconnected power system is emerging. This changing energy landscape offers new opportunities”. UAE government reaffirms its commitment to cut CO2 emissions.

he UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, HE Suhail Al Mazrouei, has reiterated the UAE’s commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 70% and increase clean energy use by 50% by 2050 during the inaugural Middle East Energy virtual event.

“Today, renewables alongside new technologies and services are transforming the business of supplying and delivering power. For this energy transition, a more responsive and interconnected power system is emerging. This changing energy landscape offers new opportunities for both leadership and action,” HE Suhail Al Mazrouei said. “Over the past 50 years, the UAE has been at the forefront of the ongoing energy transition in the region and among leading nations worldwide. We were among the first nations to ratify the Paris Agreement, thereby showing our commitment to the efforts toward a low carbon economy, which requires a low carbon energy system,” he added. During the opening session on energy diversification and the race to meet clean energy targets – strategies to reach net-zero, HE Eng Yousif Al Ali, the assistant undersecretary – Electricity, Water and Future Energy at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, said: “The UAE is well-positioned to be one of the top producers of hydrogen in the world. “The UAE is committed and working with confidence to reduce the nationwide carbon footprint, by working on the demand side, supply-side and working on our different energies and future technologies to reduce our carbon footprint.” Other notable speakers included Mohammed Angawi, Regional Climate Change Coordinator, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) West Asia; David Rennie, Global Head of Energy, Scottish Development International (SDI); Eva Ramos Torreblanca, Director – Environmental Analysis and Economics, Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi; and Farid Al Awlaqi, Executive Director – Generation, TAQA Global – with all underscoring a commitment to low carbon, renewables and clean energy through solar, wind and tidal as well as green hydrogen.

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Elsewhere on the agenda on the opening day were high-level discussions and presentations, including Realising the potential of green hydrogen – will this be the game-changer for the energy transition. The use of solar was highlighted in the session Increasing output of solar panels: latest innovations in PV module design and installation, which was led by Daniel Barandalla, Solar Advisory Lead EMEA, UL Renewables. Rounding out the panel discussions on day one was the Introduction to Utility Connected PV System and Design led by Kristopher Sutton, Middle East and Africa program Manager, Solar Energy International. Claudia Konieczna, Exhibition Director, Middle East Energy, said: “The breadth of discussion on the opening day has underscored the eagerness of the energy industry to come together and plan for the future with clean and sustainable alternatives. Insights from around the world are reiterating the commitment of countries to diversify their energy portfolio and reduce carbon emissions.” The Renewable and Clean Energy Sector week continues until 19 May. Discussions on the agenda on day two include Enabling the adoption of Green Hydrogen in the region, Opportunities for floating solar, Latest developments in rooftop solar and Financing the energy transition.

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united arab emirates

HELIOS TO INVEST $1BN IN THE UAE’S FIRST SOLAR POWERED GREEN AMMONIA HUB

New facility will be built in phases and aims to produce 200,000 tonnes of green ammonia to export to regional and international markets. According to Helios Industry, the newly announced facility will be the first production plant within Abu Dhabi to produce green ammonia from hydrogen using renewable energy. Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD), a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Ports, announced the formation of a green ammonia production facility, the first of its kind in the UAE.

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elios Industry, a privately-owned special project vehicle company, plans to invest over AED3.67 billion ($1 billion) in the construction of the facility over several years, which it aims to develop with local and international partners in two phases. It is projected to produce 200,000 tonnes of green ammonia from 40,000 tonnes of green hydrogen targeting regional and international markets, a statement said. The Helios facility located in KIZAD (pictured below), will be powered by a dedicated 800-megawatt solar power plant in the near future, with capacity of 100MW in phase 1, it added. Abdullah Al Hameli, head of Industrial Cities & Free Zone Cluster, Abu Dhabi Ports, said: “The adoption of sustainability and green technology has gained significant traction within the GCC and greater MENA region over the past few years.

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“Abu Dhabi Ports is proud to be the host of an innovative company like Helios Industry, and one of the region’s first green ammonia plants with zero carbon emission. We are committed to the growth and success of our customers and strive to continue supporting responsible manufacturers who are helping bring about increased sustainability across industries, whilst simultaneously enhancing the level of green knowledge and awareness within the UAE.” The plant will use solar power to electrolyse water and split molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. At peak capacity, 40,000 tonnes of the green hydrogen released in this process will be used to produce 200,000 tonnes of green ammonia. MK Saiyed, managing director of Helios Industry, said: “Caring for the environment is a shared responsibility. We are committed to pioneering investment and development efforts to produce sustainable and clean energy for the future in the UAE. “Our project is an excellent illustration of our vision: to create, innovate, accelerate, and drive the transition to cleaner energy for a sustainable and better world.” According to Helios Industry, the newly announced facility will be the first production plant within Abu Dhabi to produce green ammonia from hydrogen using renewable energy. Upon completion, the plant is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by an excess of 600,000 tonnes annually, equivalent to the amount of pollution generated by roughly 140,000 vehicles if conventional methods are employed for ammonia production. Source: arabianbusiness

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united arab emirates

DUBAI LAUNCHES REGION’S ‘FIRST INDUSTRIAL SCALE’ GREEN HYDROGEN PLANT Hydrogen has a diverse range of applications and can be deployed in sectors such as industry and transport.

Dubai is part of the United Arab Emirates, which is a significant producer of crude and gas but also blessed with a huge amount of sunshine, the crucial ingredient for solar power installations. Workers photographed walking past a section of solar panels at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai on March 20, 2017.A Dubaibased project described as the “first industrial scale, solar-driven green hydrogen facility in the Middle East and North Africa” has been inaugurated, with those behind the development hoping it will help catalyze the region’s renewable energy sector.

n a statement, Siemens Energy said power for the pilot project — a collaboration with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority and Expo 2020 Dubai — would come from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, a vast solar facility slated to have a production capacity of 5,000 megawatts by 2030. Described by the International Energy Agency as a “versatile energy carrier,” hydrogen has a diverse range of applications and can be deployed in sectors such as industry and transport. It can be produced in a number of ways. One method includes using electrolysis, with an electric current splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen.

If the electricity used in the process comes from a renewable source, such as wind or solar, then some call it “green” or “renewable” hydrogen. Currently, the vast majority of hydrogen generation is based on fossil fuels, and “green” hydrogen is expensive to produce. In an interview with CNBC’s Dan Murphy, Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch was asked when the plant in Dubai — which is based at a DEWA testing facility at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park — would be commercially viable. Bruch explained his firm was “investing a lot of money” to develop the technology. “But I think we’re now in a situation where some of these elements could accelerate very fast,” he said, going on to draw parallels with other sectors. “If I look back on photovoltaics, it is not so long ago that everybody … said ‘it will never fly commercially,’ right?” Photovoltaic refers to a way of directly converting light from the sun into electricity, with the technology used in solar panels. “Wind (was) the same … ‘this is never going to be competitive against hydrocarbons, it will not work’,” Bruch said. “It went much, much, much faster than we all believed once it got scaled,” he added. “And the same thing we may see here. We still have some way to go. So we still need bold movers and this pioneering spirit but I think now, with these types of projects, we can accelerate.”

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Dubai is part of the United Arab Emirates. A member of oil cartel OPEC, the UAE is a significant producer of crude and gas but is also blessed with a huge amount of sunshine, the crucial ingredient for solar power installations. While it’s a major player in fossil fuels, Bruch was asked how much green hydrogen the UAE would be able to produce, and whether he could see a future where it became an exporter of hydrogen. “I wouldn’t see the limitation, really, on it from the UAE perspective, seeing also the massive resources you have on the renewable side.” “I do believe it must be, it will be, it should be, one of the key future commercial models in the UAE and the wider region, to be also, in future, an energy exporter for the world.” Source: cnbc

ME&A_JUNE 2021

africa

FIGURES OF THE WEEK: AFRICA’S RENEWABLE ENERGY POTENTIAL In a recent article from the International Monetary Fund’s quarterly publication Finance and Development, researchers explore how scientific advances in renewable energy technology, its falling costs, and the continent’s geography can contribute to renewable energy becoming a prominent, affordable, and competitive source of electricity in Africa.

ndeed, while access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa is expanding, with the region’s population expected to double from 1 billion people in 2018 to over 2 billion in 2050, researchers with the IMF forecast that demand for electricity will increase 3 percent annually. Right now, the main sources for the region’s energy—coal, oil, and traditional biomass (wood, charcoal, and dry dung)—are associated

Africa’s energy mix: Present and projected

However, while wind and solar have become increasingly cost-competitive, the implementation of renewable energy in Africa continues to lag behind much of the rest of the world: Solar and wind together constituted 3 percent of Africa’s generated electricity in 2018, versus 7 percent in other regions of the world. Given that technological advances in energy storage have mitigated supply fluctuation issues with renewable energy and, thus, bolstered its reliability, the authors suggest financing renewable energy in Africa is now the most significant challenge. They contrast the comparatively inexpensive cost of building a new fossil fuel plant, which is expensive to run, and the high installation costs of renewable sources, which are inexpensive to operate.

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with severe environmental and health damage. Integrating and designing an energy mix largely reliant on renewable energy would, according to the authors, simultaneously support strong growth, low emissions, and ecologically sustainable development. However, as the authors illustrate in Figure 1, Africa’s current energy mix is almost entirely composed of fossil fuels and biomass.

Cost of generating electricity with renewable sources

The high upfront cost of renewable energy necessitates greater capital expenditure. Consequently, the authors propose that African countries “mobilize public, private, and multilateral and bilateral donor financing to raise funds” for renewable energy infrastructure projects to mitigate the expensive upfront costs. In addition, they also encourage advanced economies to honor the 2015 Paris Agreement—in which those advanced economies committed to “0.12 percent of the world’s GDP a year through 2025 to address the needs of developing economies” —as a means to finance renewable energy infrastructure development and facilitate the transition to a low-carbon energy economy in Africa. Source: brookings

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africa

SOLAR-POWERED MOTOR BIKES: CLIMATE-FRIENDLY TOOL TO FIGHT POACHING IN AFRICA Tracking ivory poachers in Africa takes skill, courage and lots of climate-unfriendly fuel, right? Perhaps not for much longer — a Swedish company has developed solar-powered motorbikes to tackle illegal wildlife crime and lessen the climate burden.

he Kalk AP (anti-poaching) electric ‘bushbikes’ developed by Stockholm-based electric motorcycle company CAKE are due to be tested between June and August 2021 in South Africa. The electric ‘bush-bikes’ developed by Stockholm-based electric motorcycle company CAKE are due to be tested between June and August in South Africa. And because electric motorbikes are largely silent, they will allow rangers to move with much more stealth than on normal motorbikes, making them real game-changers. The Kalk AP (the AP stands for anti-poaching) model is based on CAKE’s regular electric bikes, says Klara Edhag, a brand manager for the company. But there are crucial modifications. These include thick off-road tyres, high mudguards made from recycled plastic and solar panels and a portable power station to charge the bike’s batteries. A number were done in consultation with staff from the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC). The college is situated near South Africa’s famed Kruger National Park, which last year saw 245 white rhinos killed for their horns and 16 elephants poached for their ivory, according to official figures.

UNFORGIVING TERRAIN “We had a discussion with the (SAWC) team to understand how we could build the best bike due to their circumstances and environment,” Edhag told RFI. “We will have a weekly update from them (during the trials), both regarding the bikes and how the technique is working and of course also how they work in the field,” she added. The kind of terrain the bikes will have to contend with in some parts of Africa will almost certainly be unforgiving: rough roads made impassable by heavy downpours or heavily rutted during the dry season. Under an initial offer, the company will put 50 motorbikes up for sale. A buyer will get two, one of which will be donated to the SAWC along with the solar panels and power unit developed by Goal Zero, a solar product firm that is a partner in this initiative. The collaboration came about through CAKE founder and CEO, Stefan Ytterborn, and a friend of his with contacts at the SAWC. The college has trained more than 18,000 people from 56 countries around the world, many from Africa. Kalk Anti-poaching bikes, manufactured by Swedish electric motorcycle company CAKE, ready to be shipped to South Africa in 2021.

ELEMENT OF SURPRISE Edhag said the company was honoured to be part of supporting anti-poaching efforts. “This is the most incredible project we have done so far,” she said. The silent motor and four-hour battery range will give rangers the element of surprise. Conventional petrol engines, in addition to gobbling up thousands of litres of fuel doing a year’s-worth of patrols, can be heard approaching from kilometres away and give poachers an early warning. One disadvantage: the price.

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The electric bush-bikes, which have a top speed of 45 kilometres per hour, don’t come cheap: the dual set under the initial offer (one for the buyer and one for SAWC) will sell for just over 25,000 USD (20,550 euros). CAKE hopes companies and organizations that support anti-poaching initiatives will purchase and donate its bikes for use in various national parks in the region, where wildlife departments have long been cash-strapped and where Covid-linked tourism losses won’t have helped them move further towards the green.

DANGEROUS ANIMALS Others in the wildlife sector are looking on with interest. Mark Brightman, conservation manager with the Bumi Hill Anti-Poaching Unit in northern Zimbabwe said motorised trail bikes were used effectively in the Zambezi Valley in the 1980s, when poaching of black rhinos was at its height. “They were good to get into places where vehicles couldn’t go. They enable more ground to be covered than on foot too,” he told RFI. At the time bikes with four-stroke petrol engines were used as they were quieter than noisier two-stroke ones. “This model being electric is ideal,” he said. But he cautioned that anyone riding the bikes would need to be experienced in dealing with dangerous animals, especially lions and elephants. “Elephants, especially cows, detest motorbikes and readily give chase. However, this may be a factor of the engine noise, which is an irritant.” Source: rfi

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africa

SOLAR MINIBUSES FOR AFRICA? DATA SEEN AS KEY TO GREEN TRANSPORT SWITCH As emissions from African transport surge, governments need to find ways to encourage a shift to cleaner, healthier electric vehicles, especially among the minibus and motorcycle taxis that dominate transport in many cities, researchers said. Investment in generating more solar-powered electricity to charge electric vehicles (EVs) could encourage their use, cut pollution and costs for passengers, and help stabilise unreliable energy systems, they said in a commentary published in Nature Sustainability.

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ut most African governments lack the data on privately run mass transport systems needed to make the case for financial institutions and development banks to put money into building electric charging infrastructure, they added. Co-author Katherine Collett, a fellow with the Oxford Martin Programme on Integrating Renewable Energy, described it as a “chicken and egg” problem. “Nobody wants to invest in electric vehicle charging before there are enough EVs to make it profitable. But nobody wants to buy an EV that they are unable to charge,” she said in a statement. The University of Oxford researchers noted that in 2018, carbon dioxide emissions from sub-Saharan Africa contributed only 2.3% of global emissions. Less than 12% of those African emissions came from transport. But with populations growing, migration to cities from rural areas accelerating and the continent’s middle class expanding, demand for road transport in the region will increase, they said. “Unless there is disruption to business-as-usual, the related emissions will also increase,” the commentary said, calling for “urgent action” to find ways of decarbonising of transport in sub-Saharan Africa.

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Transport emissions in Africa grew by 84% between 2010 and 2016, the researchers noted, citing data from the Belgiumbased Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport. From Kenya to South Africa, where both ownership of private family cars and official public transport is limited, the majority of urban journeys are undertaken using informal private transport – often old and imported second-hand minibus taxis or two- and three-wheeled vehicles. Mostly, the drivers do not follow formal, fixed routes and many vehicles are not properly registered, making for poorly documented systems and a “drastic lack” of data, the paper said. At the same time, many poorer areas have limited access to electricity or struggle with frequent grid power outages, which would make reliable electric vehicle charging a challenge. The best solution in many places would be to install off-grid solar panels alongside charging points, said the researchers, noting Africa’s abundant sunshine, the need to curb planet-warming emissions and the falling price of technology. They also recommended mandatory vehicle registration and insurance, along with GPS tracking for informal transport operators. Governments, meanwhile, should promote the use of cashless payments and mobile apps to better track and understand transport user behaviour. Such changes would generate data to demonstrate the market size and business opportunities for electricity companies, EV manufacturers and other firms that could, for instance, retrofit existing vehicles with batteries, the researchers added. “Cleaner air, cheaper transport and stable access to electricity is within grasp for sub-Saharan Africa – we just need to mobilise the data and investment to make it happen,” said coauthor Stephanie Hirmer of the University of Oxford’s Energy and Power Group. Source: reuters

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North africa

AFRICA: PROPARCO INVESTS $10 MILLION IN SOLAR KIT SUPPLIER D.LIGHT The solar home systems supplier d.light has just raised $10 million from Proparco, the subsidiary of the French Development Agency (AFD) group responsible for private sector financing. d.light will use this investment to develop its activities worldwide, particularly in Africa.

roparco enters the capital of d.light. The subsidiary of the French Development Agency (AFD) group has invested in this supplier of solar home systems as part of a fundraising operation. Proparco is thus injecting 10 million dollars into a fast-growing company providing an essential service, access to electricity. The company, founded by Ned Tozun and Sam Goldman, offers kits ranging from solar lanterns to solar home systems, capable of powering several LED light bulbs, as well as mobile phones and a radio or small television. In Africa, this equipment is mainly distributed in rural areas where households have limited purchasing power and low access to electricity. The distribution of solar home systems is facilitated by pay-as-you-go, which in turn is facilitated by mobile banking, available everywhere, even in remote areas. “Proparco’s alignment with our mission and its commitment to job creation and development make it an ideal partner for d.light as we enter our next phase of growth. We are confident that we will continue to accelerate and deepen this impact as we expand our geographic presence and product portfolio to satisfy our customers,” says Ned Tozun, d.light’s co-founder, president and CEO.

To date, the company founded in 2006 is present in at least 70 countries around the world, many of them in Africa. In these countries, d.light supports electrification policies. To date, the company, based in San Francisco, California (USA), claims to have up to 100 million customers, with 30,000 points of sale worldwide. d.light wants to electrify 1 billion people by 2030. Source: afrik21

GUINEA’S FIRST GRID-CONNECTED SOLAR PROJECT SIGNS PPA The 40-MW Khoumagueli solar project in Guinea has taken a step forward with the signing of a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Electricite de Guinee (EDG). The independent power producer (IPP) project will be the first grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) array in Guinea.

he PPA milestone was announced by InfraCo Africa, which is developing the project with the support of Aldwych Africa Developments Ltd, in partnership with French solar developer Solveo Energie SAS. It comes after a concession agreement was signed in February 2019. The Khoumagueli solar project will complement the nearby 75-MW Garafiri hydroelectric plant to optimise renewable energy supply to the national grid. The solar facility is expected to reduce the impact of fluctuating rainfall on the Garafiri plant’s generation. “The signing demonstrates the ongoing commitment of EDG and the Government of Guinea to developing the country’s clean energy sector,” said InfraCo Africa chief executive Gilles Vaes. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) sourcing for the project is at a mature stage, according to the announcement, and talks with lenders have started. InfraCo Africa is part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG). Through PIDG’s publicly funded trust it receives funding from governments in the UK, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

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Source: renewablesnow

ME&A_JUNE 2021

north africa

How Solar Pumps Benefit Everyday Life In Africa...

Solar pumps have had a huge impact on agriculture and daily life across Africa, with the highest percentage of off-grid solar systems found in Kenya. The solar pump market in the country is thought to be at around $1 billion, and this has huge implications. With the chance of making a farmer’s income more steady and dependable, the use of solar pumps across the continent could prove to be a game changer. Solar pumps are powered by solar panels, which absorb the sun’s rays and convert them into solar energy. Water solar pumps are easy to use, and are cheap compared to pumps powered by fossil fuel. The difference they can make is significant. So just how is everyday life in Africa benefiting from the technology?

IMPROVEMENT OF LIVES OF WOMEN The water solar pump industry in Africa has changed the lives of women dramatically. In African culture, the role of fetching and ensuring there is water for domestic use is often left to the woman. This can be a strenuous activity, especially if the source of water is far away, and it can have implications for health, safety and hygiene. Regular contact with water increases exposure to certain diseases, and carrying heavy weights can cause injury. Water solar pumps, on the other hand, provide an easy and safe way of getting water. This also changes domestic life. Able to get water to their homes through the use of a solar water pump, women gain time, allowing them to concentrate on other tasks. Since water solar pumps can operate even when not attended to, the amount of time saved is significant.

PROVIDING SAFE AND RELIABLE WATER SUPPLY In Africa, rains are unpredictable. Therefore, Africans don’t have a stable and reliable source of water. A lack of water can cause all kinds of problems to a community. Due to the water solar pump industry, the community can get water from a reliable source. This boosts their health status, preventing them from getting water-borne diseases from using water that is not safe.

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Getting safe and reliable water saves the community from diseases spread by germs, ensuring the community health is in check. Water solar pumps can also be used to power other household appliances that contribute to the safety of a household. For example, they can be used with a humidifier for the home, which can reduce respiratory problems and make the home environment more comfortable. In hot, dry climates, this can have a significant impact on health. The use of water solar pumps in Africa has also helped in reducing the need for movement around the continent. Some African communities are forced to move in search of water and pasture for their cattle. With the ability to generate water more easily, this is less necessary for communities with access to a solar pump. After getting water to drink and hydrate their cattle, they can even irrigate and ensure healthy pastures for the herd without needing to move.

CLIMATE AND AGRICULTURAL BENEFITS Unlike fossil fuel-generated sources of energy or electric sources that have been found to emit CO2, water solar pumps are very safe to use. The pump solely operates on energy from the sun, and does not emit harmful substances. This has helped to improve the the climate in regions where pumps are used. With Africa’s unpredictable rain, farming can be a challenging process. The water solar pumps industry in Africa has helped farmers to irrigate their farms no matter how little rainfall there is. This is made possible without having to incur the cost of buying fuel for generators because solar energy is free. Now Africans can irrigate their farms regularly, enjoying good harvests and boosting the economy of their countries. The presence of the water solar pump industry in Africa has already made a significant difference to daily life. Generating water is made easier, and the pumps are easy to maintain and require less labour. As they begin to become more widespread, these benefits can only increase. Source : pumps-africa.com

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south africa

SCATEC AWARDED SOLAR PROJECTS WITH 1,140MWH BATTERY STORAGE IN SOUTH AFRICA GOVERNMENT TENDER Scatec has been awarded Preferred Bidder status for 540MW of solar projects with 225MW / 1,140MWh of battery storage through a government tender in South Africa.

he Norway-headquartered renewable energy developer and power producer participated in the South African Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s technology agnostic Risk Mitigation Power Procurement Programme (RMPPP). The expedited programme has been seeking resources that can dispatch energy to the grid when it is most needed, to help reduce shortfalls in capacity on the grid. Scatec is developing the capacity across three sites in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa and has been awarded 50MW of contracts for each of the Kenhardt 1, 2 and 3 projects, on which it will now be seeking financial close this year and targeting grid connection by the end of 2022. Scatec will be responsible for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) as well as being the projects’ operations and maintenance (O&M) and asset management service provider.

Developers participating in the tender were given a July 2021 deadline for financial close, due to the urgent need for the projects to go online quickly. As with other awarded projects announced in March by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, Kenhardt 1-3 must provide dispatchable power to the grid between the hours of 5am and 9:30pm daily. Set to receive payment under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with a paid capacity charge, Scatec did not disclose the value of its awarded tariffs, but said that they lie “within the range” of those previously awarded through the tender. The weighted average price of the already-announced Preferred Bids, which included various technologies like natural gas as well as renewables with about 430MW / 1,300MWh of energy storage, was R1,575 (US$106.63) per MWh, Energy-Storage.news reported in March. Scatec has estimated that project CapEx will be around US$1 billion for the three solar-plus-storage projects. The company expects to raise project finance debt funding from a consortium that includes commercial banks as well as Development Finance institutions with an 80% expected debt leverage.

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Scatec will own 51% equity in the Kenhardt portfolio, while H1 Holdings, a local Black Economic Empowerment partner — one of the requisite conditions for taking part in the tender was local, black-owned business involvement — holding the remaining 49%. The Norwegian company also has an established presence in South Africa, having won six solar plant contracts through the country’s Renewable Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP) which have already been constructed and commissioned. Active in numerous countries, in March Scatec unveiled a US$11.7 billion plan to expand its renewables portfolio to 15GW in the next four years. In announcing its latest South Africa project awards, the company revealed that around 15% of its project development pipeline consists of hybrid projects that pair various kinds of renewable energy with energy storage. Source : Energystoragenews

ME&A_JUNE 2021

south africa

SOLAR INDUSTRY BODY SAPVIA ELECTS NEW BOARD HERALDING A NEW DAWN South Africa’s leading member association for the promotion of solar PV, the SA Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) is stepping into a second decade of success with the election of a new board. In a year packed with online meetings and events, SAPVIA’s Annual General Meeting was hosted virtually and brought together players from across the solar PV and renewables value chain.

APVIA this year celebrates 10 years of pushing boundaries in the renewables sector through proactive policy advocacy and lobbying efforts. The association has been at the forefront of transforming South Africa’s economy and energy sector. The Board and Members have adapted to the rapidly changing industry and embedding best practice to create a world-leading renewables sector. The AGM on 18 May saw the election of three new Board Members to the 10-commissioner board.

The 2021 SAPVIA new Board Members are: 1. Sunette Smith of Reatile Group, 2. DeVilliers Botha of Solereff, 3. Daniel Goldstuck of SOLA Group, 4. Chanda Nxumalo of Harmattan Renewables (2nd term) 5. Richard Doyle of juwi Renewable Energies (2nd term). Outgoing board members are Jo-Anne Dean, Boitumelo Kiepile and Vuyo Ntoi. “We are so grateful for the continued support of the members and the willingness to commit time, energy and expertise to building the solar PV industry in South Africa.” says Niveshen Govender, Chief Operating Officer of SAPVIA. These new board members will be joining the current Chairperson – Wido Schnabel of Canadian Solar, Rainer Nowak of Webber Wentzel, Norman Moyo of Distributed Power Africa, Frank Spencer of Bushveld Energy and Maloba Tshehla of ED platform to complete the 10-commissioner board.

SAPVIA’s growth over the past 10 years reflects the flourishing renewables sector and from just 6 members a decade ago, the Association now boasts 544 members across the solar PV value chain. “Our ambition is to support and attract members who are as diverse as the industry itself. We have restructured our membership categories to promote inclusivity and diversity. This is supported by our working groups, through which we are fostering networking and knowledge sharing that encourages participation of all industry players to address challenges facing the industry” Govender stated. SAPVIA is now recognised as the go-to point of contact for all things solar PV. The recently launched PV Industry Jobs Report showed the increase in employment through solar PV and the future projection that could become a reality with the continued roll-out of renewable energy and solar PV across South Africa. SAPVIA continues to evolve to meet the needs of members, demonstrated most clearly through programmes like the PV GreenCard programme, PV Professionals, PV Spotter and PV Marketplace. These programmes support quality and safety in SSEG installation practices; enable information sharing and access to building opportunities for new entrants; feature installed projects across the country and showcase the best products and services to facilitate a localised marketplace that supports the South African economy.

“We have come a long way since our formation and as a body we are excited to step into this new chapter with a multitalented team steering us,” says Govender. “Our focus for the year ahead is navigating a post-covid economic recovery that has renewables and solar PV at its heart.” The new board will serve a two-year term of office.

Source: esi-africa

ME&A_JUNE 2021

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south africa

SENEGAL’S SCALING SOLAR INITIATIVE HAS COMMISSIONED TWO NEW PLANTS ENGIE, Meridiam and FONSIS (Senegal’s Sovereign Strategic Investment Fund) announce the commissioning of two solar PV power plants as part of the Scaling Solar programme with a total production capacity of 60MW.

he power plants Kahone Solaire SA (35MW) and Kael Solaire SA (25MW) are located respectively in the regions of Kaolack and Diourbel, in the centre of the country. These plants are part of the Scaling Solar initiative in Senegal, jointly led by the Senegalese authorities and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which aims to promote investment in solar energy. The plants are the first electricity generation projects by private operators tendered in Senegal. They will contribute directly to the country’s ambitious goal of increasing the share of renewable energy in its energy mix to 30%. With Senergy and the Ten Merina plants, ENGIE, Meridiam and FONSIS now own and manage four solar plants in Senegal with a total production capacity of 120MW, representing more than 50% of the country’s solar capacity. The project company managing the concession over a 25-year period is held by Meridiam (40%), ENGIE (40%) and FONSIS (20%), the Senegalese sovereign wealth fund. The proposed tariff will be among the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, at less than 4 euro cents/kWh (25 XOF). To reinforce the local communities, social-economic projects are being implemented, including the establishment of a credit cooperative in favour of the population impacted by the installation of the solar power plants. Scaling Solar aligned with four SDGs Director-General of FONSIS, Papa Demba Diallo, stated:”Scaling Solar is the realisation of the cooperation between FONSIS and several private sector actors including ENGIE, Meridiam, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Proparco and the European Investment Bank (EIB).

“We are delighted with this collaboration, which allows our country to achieve several objectives of the ‘Energy Component’ of the PES; in particular the diversification of the energy mix, the development of clean energy allowing a reduction of pollution, in line with the conclusions of the COP21, but also the reinforcement of universal access to sustainable and affordable energy.” The Kahone and Kael solar power plants are expected to provide 540,000 people with affordable and renewable electricity, creating over 400 direct and indirect local jobs. The two plants will avoid 89,000 tons of CO2 emissions each year. Kahone and Kael solar plants will therefore directly contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and especially:

1. SDG #7 (provide affordable and clean energy), 2. SDG #8 (Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth), 3. SDG #9 (build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation) 4. SDG #13 (strive for climate action).

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Philippe Miquel, CEO North Africa at ENGIE

Mathieu Peller, COO of Meridiam Africa

Mathieu Peller, COO of Meridiam Africa, commented: “After the Senergy and Ten Merina solar power plants, these projects are Meridiam’s 3rd and 4th developments in Senegal. They illustrate how committed we are to supporting Senegal’s transition to cleaner, cheaper energy while creating economic opportunities for local communities.” Philippe Miquel, CEO North Africa at ENGIE, added: “The Senegalese government has set a target of 30% renewable energy in the electricity mix by 2025. We are pleased to be able to contribute, with the Kahone and Kael photovoltaic plants, to providing clean and sustainable energy to the population. We also welcome the excellent collaboration between the various parties involved.” Source : esi

ME&A_JUNE 2021

south africa

JOHANNESBURG SEEKS $278 MILLION FOR SOLAR, GAS AND BATTERIES South Africa’s biggest city plans to seek at least 3.8 billion rand ($278 million) in investment in solar and gas-fired power as well as battery storage to improve electricity supply.

he City of Johannesburg will issue a request for information for the construction of a 150-megawatt solar plant, 50 megawatts of rooftop solar panels and the refurbishment of an idle gas-fired plant that could generate 20 megawatts in September, the municipality said in a presentation on Thursday. It will also seek information for the installation of 100 megawatts of battery storage.

“We would need to go out to the market to ask for independent power producers for an expression of interest to find out how many of them are able to come with their own capital,” Paul Vermeulen, chief engineer for renewable energy at City Power, Johannesburg’s power company, said in an interview. Johannesburg would “simply buy the power from that plant,” he said. The plans, which aim to see power provision by 2024 and 2025, come after South Africa said last year municipalities could buy electricity from providers other than Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., the state utility that’s subjected the country to intermittent outages for over a decade.

ME&A_JUNE 2021

City Power is looking into implementing a new tariff structure that would allow independent producers to use Eskom’s grid to transmit electricity to customers, a process known as wheeling. “Wheeling has the potential to unleash significant private investment in clean energy at no cost to Johannesburg city,” said Vermeulen. In addition, City Power wants to produce solar energy from the rooftops of its own buildings and purchase some battery storage. That could produce 8 megawatts of electricity and 78 million rand has been set aside for that in the next financial year, he said.

RENEWABLE TARGET The city would prefer to spend money on fixing its rickety transmission system, which currently results in frequent outages. Land around disused mines, some of which is owned by the city, could be leased to independent power producers to set up solar plants, Vermeulen said. The city has set itself a target of getting 35% of its power from renewable resources by 2030. Ultimately the city could need 350 megawatts of solar-power generation and 250 megawatts of battery storage to supplement purchases from Eskom, according to the presentation. Peak demand in winter is more than 1,200 megawatts. Source: Bloomberg

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Middle east

FUSION FUEL GREEN PARTNERS WITH CCC TO DEVELOP GREEN HYDROGEN DEMONSTRATOR PLANTS IN MIDDLE EAST

Ireland-based electrolyzer company Fusion Fuel Green PLC will collaborate with Consolidated Contractors Group S.A.L. (Offshore) (CCC), to develop green hydrogen plants in the Middle East. CCC and Fusion Fuel have agreed to cooperate on projects involving the production of green hydrogen for potential clients in the refining and petrochemical industries in order to reduce their carbon footprint.

he companies plan to develop demonstrator plants in several countries in the region, namely Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar.We are delighted to be partnering with the CCC to open this new market. The Middle East represents a big opportunity and a very promising region for us, given the high levels of solar exposure, strong appetite for green hydrogen projects, and strategic geographic position between Europe and Asia. We are excited to bring Fusion Fuel’s revolutionary technology to the Middle East.

HEVO is Fusion-Fuel’s proprietary miniaturized PEM electrolyzer. It has been specifically designed to be small, lightweight and possible to be mass produced. Its simplicity allows it to be versatile in its use. It can be combined with a high-efficiency solar cell and attached to a specifically designed concentrated photovoltaic solar panel. CCC is a globally diversified company specializing in Engineering and Construction. Since its formation in 1952, CCC has become one of the leading international contractors with a worldwide turnover of more than US$4 billion and managing 60,000 personnel composed of more than 80 nationalities. Commenting on the news, Richard Thompson, Editorial Director at MEED, part of GlobalData, said: For nearly a century, the Gulf’s abundant supplies of accessible hydrocarbons has put it at the center of a gas-guzzling global economy. Territories that were largely desert in the middle of the 20th century are now thriving oil economies. However, as the world strives to tackle climate change by decarbonizing energy sources and cutting the use of fossil fuels, the Middle East’s oil producers have identified a new opportunity that they hope will keep them at the heart of the global energy ecosystem throughout the 21st century: green hydrogen. Still in its infancy as a commercially viable fuel, hydrogen produced sustainably by using renewable energy to power the electrolysis of water can provide vast quantities of clean fuel. Further, it allows Middle East producers to store and transport the other energy source that they have in abundance: sunlight. It is already possible to envisage vast solar farms across the deserts of the Middle East that are used to generate clean hydrogen fuel. It is this vision that has triggered a slew of recent green hydrogen investment deals in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

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Many more will follow. However, the cost is one very large fly in the ointment. At present, it is much cheaper to produce blue hydrogen as a byproduct of fossil fuels than it is to use solar power and electrolysis. Until green hydrogen becomes price competitive, it cannot fulfil its promise. In this regard, green hydrogen is currently in a similar position to that of solar power a decade ago. Advances in technology and economies of scale will bring down the costs of green hydrogen production over the next ten years, meaning that the eye-catching investments being announced are simply the bow wave of a long-term surge in green hydrogen project spending in the region. The announcement of this partnership came shortly after Fusion Fuel reached a collaboration agreement with the Elecnor Group for the development of green hydrogen projects in Spain using Fusion Fuel’s HEVO-SOLAR technology. HEVO-SOLAR combines more than one hundred of Fusion-Fuel’s HEVO electrolyzers with a specially-designed high efficiency concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) solar module to make optimal use of both the electrical and thermal energy from the sun. This collaboration will target the development of solar-tohydrogen plants, leveraging Elecnor’s extensive commercial footprint and expertise in the engineering, construction, and development of renewable energy infrastructure projects, as well as its diversification into green hydrogen production. Elecnor also has a significant presence in the design and construction of industrial process plants, many of which are potential consumers of green hydrogen produced by Fusion Fuel’s technology. Source: greencarcongress

ME&A_JUNE 2021

Middle east & africa

Wind vs. Solar: What Wins The Job Race? While President Biden’s clean energy goals promise to create a wind power ecosystem on the East Coast, his plans could fall flat without a massive retraining effort, a report warns. Heaping clean energy onto the electric grid would reshape the nation’s labor market, a new report says, creating a broad jobs rally, reinvigorating unions and creating a wind power ecosystem on the East Coast to rival that of solar on the West Coast. But without a massive retraining effort, a shortage of workers could become a big brake.

he report on the clean-energy labor supply was released by the American Clean Power Association trade group and carried out by the BW Research Partnership, which studies economy and workforce issues. The analysis comes as President Biden’s infrastructure plan hangs in the balance before Congress. Biden has proposed a 100% carbon-free grid by 2035 to stem the runaway effects of climate change, and the promise of jobs has been his constant refrain. The report, which did not mention Biden by name, looked at four fields — solar power, onshore wind, offshore wind and battery storage — and modeled what would happen if the U.S. achieved 50% or 70% clean energy by 2030. One of its projections is that a variety of jobs would crop up all across the country.

Brendan Casey, who co-wrote the report as ACPA’s manager of research and analytics, said, “There will be jobs in every state, for every job qualification, at every stage of their career.” Some jobs will be in extremely high demand, and the study was not sure where the workers will come from. The study took federal government estimates of how many jobs the economy will need and added the accelerant of a zero-carbonby-2035 goal. It found that by 2030, the U.S. may need 12,000 new wind turbine technicians, 10,000 solar installers, 5,600 semiconductor technicians and 185,000 electricians. The new ecosystem would be centered on manufacturing and construction and be buttressed by demand in diverse other fields, including finance, law, engineering and architecture. The report tallied most of its results not in jobs, but in job-years. A job-year equates to a job that employs one person for a year. The authors chose that metric because it’s more useful for employers, said Philip Jordan, a vice president at BW Research. Getting to 50% clean energy by 2030 would create almost 5 million job-years, while the 70% mark would create 6 million job-years. But who will fill those jobs? As the economy stirs from its pandemic coma, employers are already facing an acute shortage of workers who are still shying away from the job market. “If we reach a point where we’re developing all over the country and we’re short on workers, that could be as serious as some of the bottlenecks we see now,” such as chokepoints on electricity transmission, Casey said. “But at the same time, the shortage is a huge opportunity,” Casey added.

ME&A_JUNE 2021

The report called for invigorating job-training systems at community colleges, union apprenticeships and nonprofits to train workers. These workers — if they materialize — will enter this workforce in a better bargaining position than they have had for decades. “They’ll be paying well, they’ll be in high demand,” Casey said. Manufacturing and construction are already among the most unionized of jobs and command higher-than-average salaries.

WILL WIND BLOW PAST SOLAR? One of the biggest findings is that wind power could surge past solar power as the energy industry’s biggest job creator. For years, solar power — along with energy-efficiency jobs like weatherizing homes — has been the leading source of new jobs in energy. But wind is poised to take over as a job creator, despite playing a smaller part on the electric grid. The report pointed out that last year, solar added 19 gigawatts of new electricity to the grid, while wind added 14 GW. One reason is the sheer size of wind equipment, which gets larger every year as the industry finds larger turbines are more efficient. “You’re not going to build a 250-yard blade in China or Europe and ship it in,” said Jordan. “Local manufacturing makes a lot more sense.” Another big reason is the nascent offshore wind industry. It is a new maritime endeavor that will require fabricating not just turbine parts, but the factories to build them and the ships to transport them to sea. Jordan pointed out that many budding offshore wind projects, such as Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts, are being organized as project labor agreements that incorporate union labor. By contrast, many solar components such as photovoltaic cells and modules are manufactured cheaply in Asia, making it hard for U.S. manufacturers to compete and resulting in fewer manufacturing jobs. Today’s solar industry is dominated by California, which claims 36% of the country’s 316,000 solar jobs as well as the dominant share of the 67,000 jobs in battery storage. The wind sector leader right now is Texas, which has 22% of almost 117,000 jobs. The growth in manufacturing and construction in offshore wind promises to be a serious source of jobs on the Eastern Seaboard. “From North Carolina to Maine, this is a huge economic opportunity, and it’s central to most of those states meeting any carbon goals they have,” Jordan said. The offshore wind industry could see an increase of 560,000 to 743,000 job-years “due to domestic production of towers, blades, array and export cables, nacelles, rotors, drivetrains, and other wind turbine components,” the report said. Wind power would create 2.5 million job-years by 2030 under a 50% scenario and almost 3 million job-years under a 70% scenario. Onshore wind would account for about 70% of that growth. Solar, the traditional job leader, would fall behind wind. It would create 2 million job-years under a 50% scenario and almost 3 million job-years under a 70% scenario. Big, utility-scale solar farms would account for almost 60% of that growth. Source: energynews

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Middle east & africa

ORANGE LEADS SOLAR PANEL DEPLOYMENT ACROSS AFRICA, MIDDLE EAST As the world marked World Environment Day on June 5, Orange continues to accelerate its solar projects in Africa and the Middle East to reduce its carbon footprint to zero by 2040.

cross the entire region, many sites are not connected to the electricity grid and when they are, the quality of the grid often requires alternative backup solutions. To avoid using generators that run on fuel (fossil energy that emits CO2), Orange is putting in place several initiatives such as solar panels. In several of its subsidiaries, Orange is deploying innovative solar solutions and the latest generation batteries with partners specializing in energy. To reduce its environmental footprint, the Group is positioning itself in these countries as the biggest deployer of solar panels, with a renewable energy use rate already at over 50 percent for Orange Guinea, 41 percent for Orange Madagascar and 40 percent for Orange Sierra Leone. These solar panel solutions have also been or will soon be deployed in other African and Middle Eastern countries where Orange is present, like Liberia, for instance, where 75 percent of Orange’s telecom sites are equipped with solar panels. In total, Orange has installed solar panels at 5,400 of its telecom sites (some 100 percent solar, others hybrid) saving 55 million liters of fuel each year.

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Furthermore, in Jordan, Orange has launched three solar farms to switch to clean and renewable energy helping to reduce its carbon footprint. In 2020, these solar farm projects covered over 65 percent of Orange Jordan’s energy needs. Since 2018, the company has successfully reduced its CO2 emissions by 45 kilotons thanks to this solar infrastructure. Alioune Ndiaye, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa says: “We are proud to be the first company by number of solar panels in 5 countries in Africa and the Middle East.

As a stakeholder in the energy transition, Orange has included in its Engage 2025 strategic plan the objective of meeting 50 percent of the Group’s electricity needs from renewable sources by 2025. We are aiming for net zero carbon by 2040.” Orange is present in 18 countries in Africa and the Middle East and has around 130 million customers as at March 31, 2021. With €5.8 billion in turnover in 2020, Orange MEA is the Group’s main growth region. Orange Money, with its mobile-based money transfer and financial services offer is available in 17 countries and has 50 million customers. Orange, a multi-service operator, benchmark partner of the digital transformation, provides its expertise to support the development of new digital services in Africa and the Middle East.

Source: en

ME&A_JUNE 2021

middle east & africa

SAHARA SOLAR CONTAINERS ARE AWARDED “BEST INNOVATION FOR 2020” IN MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

The Middle East Solar Energy Industries Association “MESIA” announced that Desert Technologies “DT”, a closed joint stock company, received the “Best Innovation” award in the field of renewable energy in the Middle East and North Africa for the year 2020 for its Sahara containers, which are considered a scientific and technologic revolution in renewable energy. DT produces the containers at its factory in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

his came during the award ceremony held recently in Dubai in its ninth edition for the year 2021, which is an annual event that serves as a platform to identify and celebrate exceptional talents and achievements and honor pioneering projects in the solar energy market in the Middle East and North Africa. This happens through the evaluation of competing projects by an elite group of judges specializing in the field of renewable energy from international and regional institutions. Mr. Khaled Ahmed Sharbatly received Desert Technologies’ award in the presence of Mr. Ahmed Nada, President of the Association, and a large group of specialists and workers in the manufacturing and production of solar energy.

In a statement on this occasion, Mr. Khaled Ahmed Sharbatly, the Managing Partner of DT said: “We are happy to receive the Middle East Society for Solar Industry’s Award for the “Best Innovation Category” for the year 2020, which is one of the most prestigious global awards in the field of solar energy, because of its neutrality.”. He added that this victory not only reflects the entrenchment of creativity and innovation in Desert Technologies, but also confirms the added value resulting from strong collective work as a catalyst for innovation.

ME&A_JUNE 2021

This comes within the framework of the company’s keenness to support the development of Saudi industries and contribute to achieving the goals of the “Made in Saudi Arabia” program, which is a fundamental program for achieving the goals of the Kingdom’s 2030 Vision, diversifying sources of income for the national economy and strengthening the position of Saudi products at the global level in accordance with the highest standards of reliability. Thus, contributing to stimulating local investments, attracting foreign investments, creating job opportunities, and enhancing export capacity. In a statement on this occasion, Eng. Nour Moussa, the founder and CEO of Desert Technologies commented: “Nothing compares to the immense pride we take in this achievement; this recognition motivates and drives us to produce more creativity. Since its foundation, DT has made a clear impact on the competitive scene in the renewable energy industries in the Middle East and North Africa. SAHARA solar containers are a landmark in the solar energy industry, allowing us to live and work to our full capacity off-grid anywhere with sunlight generating electricity in events, settlements, defense operations, disaster relief, and more. DT lunched two containerized solar systems of SAHARA, 40ft in height and 20ft in height which generate up to 100 kwp of pure solar energy which provide power during the day directly from the solar system while allowing for electricity through a battery bank during the night. They are easily installed and operate silently 24/7, unlike Diesel generators, and require minimum maintenance. DT showcased the power of the 40ft SAHARA containers to the world during the 2021 Dakar Rally, and before that in Africa supplying electricity to areas peripheral to the main grid, where one container is sufficient to meet the basic needs of about 70 small homes, to provide immediate sustainable energy in remote areas and is the best alternative solution for costly conventional energy in implementation and maintenance.”

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State of Kuwait

MENA POWER INVESTMENTS MAY TOTAL $250 BN UP TO 2025: APICORP Power investments in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region amount to $250bn between 2021 and 2025, Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (Apicorp) said in a report. The sector’s total investment amount is the highest of all energy sectors – with an estimated $93bn and $157bn in committed and planned projects, respectively, over the next five years, Apicorp said.

ith a share of around 40%, renewables form a significant part of those investments as countries push ahead with their energy diversification agendas. In the GCC, Saudi Arabia’s Renewable Energy Project Development Office and Public Investment Fund projects continue to progress. North African countries are also showing measurable development in renewables realm, with Algeria establishing an independent authority to oversee the development of country’s strong pipeline of projects, and Egypt working to resolve regulatory issues related to its wheeling scheme and the unbundling of its power market.

This shift to renewables is a chief factor behind the rising share of investments in transmission and distribution (T&D) in the power sector value chain, as the integration of renewables into power grids requires significant investments to enhance and digitise grid connectivity, not to mention storage to accommodate the surplus power capacity they generate. As a whole, Apicorp expects the Mena region to add an estimated 3GW of solar power in 2021 – doubling its total from 2020 – and almost 20GW by 2025. Wind and other sources such as hydropower are also coming into their own as countries step up their energy diversification plans. Jordan, for example, managed to increase the percentage of power generated from renewables from just 1% in 2012 to around 20%. Morocco’s 4GW of renewables (wind, solar and hydro) constitute around 37% the country’s total generation mix and almost 90% of its current 3.5GW project pipeline. Egypt’s total installed renewables capacity amounts to around 2.3GW, including 1GW of solar PV and 1.3GW of onshore wind. In the UAE, renewables constituted around 6% of total installed capacity and 3% of power generated as of 2020. Although it may just miss its short-term targets, the UAE’s solar capacity is projected to grow the fastest in the region with nearly 5GW of solar projects in the pipeline.

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In Saudi Arabia, only 330MW of utilityscale solar PV projects and just one 2.5MW wind demonstration project developed jointly by Saudi Aramco and General Electric were operational as of 2020. Even when combined with the tenders under its National Renewable Energy Program, the total renewables capacity of the Kingdom totals 3.3GW, around 24GW short of its stated target of 27.3GW by 2024. Despite ongoing procurement of largescale utility projects, Oman is also far from achieving its short-term target of generating 10% of its power from renewables by 2025, with a single 105MW utility solar PV project and a 50MW onshore wind project commissioned over the past 2 years. As for Iraq, the first solar bid round for projects totalling 755MW capacity was announced in May 2019 and bids of shortlisted companies were disclosed in September the following year. Overall, the country aims to reach 10GW of solar power generation capacity by 2030 and generate 20% of its power from solar. The expanding share of renewables, growth in power demand, and balancing supply and demand on a real-time basis necessitates the integration of modern, digitised energy storage solutions. Despite its significant potential in this area, the Mena region suffers from the limited role of storage in networks. To overcome this, regulations will need to evolve to reflect energy storage’s current functions, including leveraging flexibility from consumer aggregation or grid congestion, Apicorp noted. Source: m.gulf-times

ME&A_JUNE 2021

State of Kuwait

AMBASSADORS VISIT KUWAIT’S RENEWABLE ENERGY COMPLEX The US Ambassador to the State of Kuwait along with envoys of European countries based in the country visited Al-Shagaya Renewable Energy Park, run by Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), in Jahra, north of Kuwait City.

ISR said in a statement the delegation grouped the US Ambassador to the State of Kuwait Alina L Romanowski, German Ambassador Stefan Mobs, French envoy Anne-Claire Legendre, the ambassador of Italy Carlo Baldocci, the ambassador of Austria Marian Alexander WRBA, the ambassador of Belgium Leo Peeters and the ambassador of the EU Dr Christian Tudor. The American Ambassador, as cited by KISR’s statement, said she was elated to examine the complex, thanked KISR’s Acting Director Dr Manea Al-Sdirawi for the gesture and affirmed necessity of cooperation between her nation and partners around the world to stem climatic change and the atmosphere overheating. Renewable energy is quite necessary for coping with such perils, for achieving objectives of the Paris Agreement on climatic change (aimed at substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions), lauding Kuwait for taking such a gigantic move, building the renewable energy complex.

Meanwhile, ambassador Mobs said the KuwaitiGerman partnership achieves goals of the sustainable development, noting that German establishments and companies were ready to cooperate with Kuwait at this level because protecting the environment has become very much pending more than any other time ever. The EU envoy for his part expressed readiness to cooperate with Kuwait as part of an approach to manage resources in Kuwait and the EU countries. The complex’s director, Dr Ayman Al-Gattan, said the site included in the first phase three stations, the thermal solar station (50 MW), the photoelectric unit (10 MW) and the wind farm (10 MW). Overall annual energy output from the park is in the range of 245 MW per hour; sufficient to supply energy to some 2,000 residential units. He has affirmed the strategy to secure 15 percent of the electric power from the complex for Kuwait by 2030. – KUNA

Source : kuwaittimes

GERMANY EAGER TO PARTNER WITH WEST AFRICAN COUNTRIES ON GREEN HYDROGEN

germany

The German government is taking firs steps to partner with West African nations in the development of a hydrogen production. Federal education and research minister Anja Karliczek presented the “Green Hydrogen Potential Atlas” outlining the immense potential for a partnership between Germany and West Africa. “Many African countries have very good prerequisites for the production of green hydrogen,” Karliczek said. “We would like to start a cooperation with them.” West Africa has the potential to generate up to 165,000 terawatt hours of green hydrogen per year – about 1,500 times Germany’s estimated hydrogen demand for 2030, the ministry said. “Green hydrogen offers a real opportunity to initiate a development in Africa that is being driven by the African states themselves,” Karliczek added, noting that the region could become a global green hydrogen powerhouse. She stressed that Germany only wants to import energy from the region once the local market is supplied.

escribing it as a win-win situation, Karliczek added: “Africa can supply itself with energy and benefit from hydrogen exports. Germany covers its need for green hydrogen and benefits economically from the export of technology.” Green Party MP Ingrid Nestle said in a press statement that although it was important to pursue such projects, the German government had still not defined clear social and ecological criteria for the import of green hydrogen. “Improvements are urgently needed here. While the huge production possibilities for cheap green hydrogen are emphasised by the government, the transport question and its costs remain unclear,” Nestle added. The research ministry is funding the joint H2 Atlas-Africa Project from 2020 to 2022 with around 5.7 million euros. A feasibility study aims to identify suitable locations for green hydrogen production and carry out production, transport and processing tests. The project will include the 15 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

ME&A_JUNE 2021

The initial results of the study show that three-quarters of West Africa’s land area is suitable for wind turbines and the electricity production costs are only about half of the comparable costs in Germany. By using wind and solar energy, West Africa could produce up to 165,000 terawatt hours of green hydrogen annually, 120,000 of which could already be produced for less than 2.50 euros per kilogram. By comparison, green hydrogen in Germany currently costs between 7 and 10 euros per kilogram. Green hydrogen is a key part of Germany’s climate protection efforts.

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State of Kuwait

KUWAIT’S MEW PLANS EIGHT POWER PLANTS TO PRODUCE 17,300 MW OF ELECTRICITY

A report issued by the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy revealed a plan that includes the establishment of eight future plants to produce 17,300 megawatts to ensure the country’s needs of electricity and water in the face of the “Kuwait 2035” Vision and the increasing demand, which is expected to reach 30,000 megawatts during the next 15 years.

he report, a copy of which has been obtained by the Al-Seyassah daily, clarified that the ministry has begun to raise the production of electrical energy in anticipation of the expected rise in demand during the coming years by building new stations, pointing out that these accelerated steps come as a result of the construction and expansion of new residential cities.

COMBINED The report indicated the plants operating under the combined cycle system will constitute 61 percent of the total electricity generation capacity in 2035, while the steamoperated stations will constitute about 19 percent, and these stations using oil and gas to generate power. The report pointed out that renewable energy projects is vital in the ministry’s future, especially in light of the government’s desire to generate 15 percent of the total energy demand from renewable energy by 2035, as there is a plan to launch eight future power plants with a generating capacity of 17.3 thousand megawatts, including the North and South Az-Zour station, Doha, Sharqiya, Al Khairan, Nuwaiseeb, Al Subbiya, Al Shaqaya, and Al Shuaiba South. The report indicated that there are projects being implemented, others that the ministry is preparing to offer, and a third that will be put forward through the Public- Private Partnership Projects Authority, so that the ministry will be able to supply the housing cities that are being implemented and others to be implemented in the future, especially the islands development project, with the needed electricity and water. The report stated at the beginning of this year, the Public- Private Partnership Projects Authority announced the third phase of the Shaqaya Complex for Renewable Energy Project, which is one of the projects submitted by the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. It is an integrated project to produce renewable energy with no less than 2,000 megawatts through solar power, photovoltaic panels, and concentrated thermal energy. By Mohamed Ghanem Al-Seyassah, Arab Times Staff. Source: zawya

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ME&A_JUNE 2021

oman

NEW PARTNERSHIP TO HELP SET UP SOLAR, WIND POWER PLANTS IN OMAN New solar and wind power plants could soon be set up in Oman, under an agreement between local company Anvwar Asian Investments (AAI), and a consortium of international investors. The move is expected to reduce Oman’s dependence on fossil fuel-based sources of energy, such as oil and gas, which is also part of the objectives of Oman Vision 2040. Under the agreement, solar and wind power systems could be either set up as joint ventures, build, operate and transfer (BOT) schemes, or a build, operate, own and transfer (BOOT) arrangement, with the government. “Oman wants to expand its electricity generation capacities through renewable independent power projects (IPPs),” said Anvwar Al Balushi, the Chairman of AAI. “IPPs are expected to create tremendous job opportunities for the Omani workforce. “Oman has one of the highest solar densities in the world, according to the Authority for Electricity Regulation in Oman,” he added. “Solar energy has the potential to provide sufficient electricity to meet all of Oman’s domestic electricity requirements.” “Oman wants to expand its electricity generation capacities through renewable independent power projects (IPPs),” said Anvwar Al Balushi, the Chairman of AAI. As far as wind energy is concerned, prospects of setting up facilities in the coastal areas in southern Oman, as well as in the mountains to the north of Salalah, the capital of the Dhofar region, are being looked at. There is also significant potential in building offshore wind platforms to generate energy. Source: timesofoman

OMAN PLANS TO BUILD A 25 GW WIND-PLUS-SOLAR BASE FOR POWERING THE PRODUCTION OF GREEN HYDROGEN A consortium composed of Oman’s state-run energy company OQ, US-based green hydrogen developer InterContinental Energy, and Kuwait Investment Authority’s subsidiary Enertech announced a plan to build a 25GW wind-plus-solar base for powering the production of green hydrogen. The base will be located somewhere in the Al Wusta Governorate, which is situated in central Oman. According to the coverage of this announcement by various media outlets, the wind-plus-solar base will have sufficient generation capacity to support millions of metric tons of annual production capacity for green hydrogen. he consortium has stated that the hydrogen can be The local labor force will also benefit from the consumed locally, directly exported to other countries, or introduction of the technical expertise related converted into green ammonia for export. The gas can to solar photovoltaics and wind power. Further also be used in the synthesis of aviation fuels. While the details about the technological and financial wind-plus-solar base will provide the energy, the water aspects of the project are expected to be revealed for the electrolysis will be drawn from the Indian Ocean later. Besides the 25GW wind-plus-solar base in that borders the governorate. The consortium has yet to Al Wusta, Oman also has another green hydrodisclose the exact project site and the construction sched- gen project that is in development in the SOHAR ule. However, it has said that the location of the base will Port and Free Zone. The project in the free zone benefit from strong solar irradiance during the day and was first announced in November 2020 and strong wind at night. Furthermore, Oman is strategically will install 3.5GW of photovoltaic generation. positioned between Europe and Asia. The operation model Green hydrogen is also making inroads in other of the country’s existing oil and gas industry can be replicountries around the Middle East. In Dubai, for cated and modified for the development of a green hydroexample, Siemens Energy is working with govgen industry. With the base, the country can supply green ernment-run utility DEWA to build a green hyfuels reliably to many parts of the world at highly competidrogen plant that will be powered by an adjacent tive prices. The consortium began the development of solar park. Like other oil-producing countries in this project in 2019 with an analysis of the wind and solar the region, Oman recognizes the risks of continuconditions in the coastal areas of Al Wusta. Given the ing to rely on fossil fuels to drive its economy. The scale of construction as well as the number of renewable country has set the target of having renewable generation systems that will be deployed, the consortium energies account for at least 30% of its domestic believes that the project will contribute to the formation of a local supply chain for renewable energy technologies. electricity generation by 2030.

Source: energytrend

ME&A_JUNE 2021

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Algeria

ALGERIA: THE GOVERNMENT IS PREPARING A CALL FOR TENDERS FOR 1,000 MW OF CLEAN ENERGY The Algerian government is preparing to launch a call for tenders for independent power producers (IPPs). The aim of this call for expressions of interest is to select companies to produce 1,000 MW of renewable energy, with some conditions for foreign investors.

n terms of renewable energy production, Algeria lags behind its Moroccan and Egyptian neighbours. But the country wants to diversify its electricity mix. This is what justifies the call for tenders that Algiers is currently preparing. The aim is to obtain a new installed capacity of 1,000 MW. This electricity will be produced from renewable sources, the most abundant of which in this North African country is solar. In a decree published on April 29th, 2021 in the official gazette, the Algerian government empowered Chems Eddine Chitour, the Minister of Energy Transition and Renewable Energies, to manage and supervise the entire operation. The call for tenders, which will be launched between June and July 2021, will be divided into 10 lots of 100 MW each, open to foreign investment.

WITH A FEW CONDITIONS In the wake of this, the Algerian government is preparing to set up a bankable electricity purchase agreement (in dollars) for the independent power producers (IPPs) that will be selected at the end of the process. According to Mouloud Bakli, president of the Algerian think tank Club Energia, these investors will however have to meet certain requirements, such as the use of equipment manufactured locally in Algeria.

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These are mainly solar panels, assembly structures and electrical cables. Algeria already has several factories manufacturing equipment for the production of solar energy. In the Boukherana industrial zone, near Chelghoum El Aid (400 km from Algiers), the Algerian company Milltech has a factory capable of supplying 100 MW of solar panels per year. In the wilaya of Ouargla, another factory will soon produce 160 MWp of solar panels per year. In June 2020, the Algerian company SPS (Système Panneaux Sandwiches) and Qi-Energy, a company based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, launched a joint venture for the manufacture of mounting structures for the modules.

A NEW COMMITMENT Local sourcing of construction materials for renewable energy plants will reduce electricity purchase prices in Alngeria. According to Business France, the North African country has an installed capacity of 21,000 MW (2019). This electricity is 99% produced from hydrocarbons, notably natural gas (98%) and oil. In the Algerian Programme for the Development of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (PENREE) launched in 2012, the authorities were counting on an installed capacity of 20 000 MW of renewable energy, including 13 575 MW of capacity for solar and 5 000 MW for wind by 2030. The chances of meeting this target are slim. Source: afrik21

ME&A_JUNE 2021

israel

ISRAELI ROBOTIC SOLAR CLEANING COMPANY, ECOPPIA, SIGNS FIRST LANDMARK DEAL IN THE UAE WITH THE SUPPORT OF IFIICC This deal represents the first multilateral collaboration with the UAE, Israel and India. Ecoppia, an Israeli world leader in robotic cleaning solution for solar with its manufacturing base in India and over 2,700MW of global projects in its portfolio, became the first-of-its-kind success story of a multilateral collaboration with the UAE-Israel-India Trilateral by signing its first landmark deal in the UAE with the support of the International Federation of Indo-Israel Chambers of Commerce (IFIICC).

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he deal includes a multilateral collaboration with a leading global renewable energy partner of IFIICC. Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin, President of the State of Israel; Dr. Ron Malka, Ambassador of Israel to India; Pavan Kapoor, Indian Ambassador to the UAE; Dr. Ahmed Abdul Rahman AlBanna, UAE Ambassador to India; Sanjeev Kumar Singla. Ambassador of India to Israel, who are all founding patrons of IFIICC, and Jonathan Miller, Special Envoy for Energy, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs congratulated Ecoppia’s CEO Jean Scemama and IFIICC Founder & Chairperson Merzi Sodawaterwala for this landmark achievement. Ecoppia’s innovative fully autonomous, water-free robots will allow this arid region to achieve optimal productivity while saving precious water resources. The announcement comes as the Abraham Accords peace agreement signed between Israel and the UAE have certainly paved the way for friendships and business partnerships across the region. India being a friend of both the UAE and Israel is clearly the preferred partner to leverage the global potential of the UAE, Israel and India Trilateral.

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At a recently held exclusive event of the IFIICC in Dubai organised by its Founder and Chairperson Merzi Sodawaterwala, Diplomats of the UAE, Israel and India representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had pegged the innovation and international business potential of the UAE, Israel and India Trilateral to be $110 billion by 2030. Reuven Rivlin, President of the State of Israel and founding patron of IFIICC in his letter to IFIICC wrote, “This belief in shared existence is the legacy I received from my father, and this spirit and belief is what I see in the peace agreements, the Abraham Accords, reached between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain. I also see this spirit and belief in your work together to foster business links that are based on understanding and friendship among the peoples of the region. Business is a great connector between peoples. I encourage you to dream big dreams that make the most of what each of us has to offer and making our world a better, safer place. I wish you all success for your discussions together, and that they form the basis of new friendships and partnerships across the region.”

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israel Dr Ron Malka, Ambassador of Israel to India and founding patron of IFIICC, who was the first to identify and highlight the potential of Israel-UAE-India Trilateral congratulated Ecoppia and IFIICC for the success and said that he was proud to witness that the seeds sown by us are bearing good fruit. He added, “This confluence of Israeli cutting-edge technology, manufactured in India, and imported from India to UAE for the benefit of its citizens, have so much potential, and this is only the beginning of it. I applaud the vision, determination, leadership and commendable achievements of the IFIICC by creating such landmark multilateral partnerships that will result in significant impact for all nations.” Dr Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al Banna, Ambassador of the UAE to India and founding patron of IFIICC, said, ”There is tremendous potential in the trilateral cooperation between Israel, the UAE and India and multilateral cooperation with other countries and I welcome such great success stories of Ecoppia through the IFIICC led by Merzi Sodawaterwala, who is leading from the front in harnessing the innovation and international business potential of the Abraham Accords that will benefit the world.” Pavan Kapoor, Ambassador of India to the UAE and founding patron of IFIICC, who was the Ambassador of India to Israel from March 2016 to September 2019, said, “Global goals of sustainable development can only be achieved through international cooperation. This requires players to come together to share know-how and efficient manufacturing techniques. The project by Ecoppia, involving collaboration between Israel and India and the UAE, exemplifies how such efforts can bear fruit in this direction. Full credit to Merzi Sodawaterwala and IFIICC for making this happen.“ Sanjeev Singla, Ambassador of India to Israel and founding patron of IFIICC said, “The project by Ecoppia can go a long way in realizing the potential of collaborations among India, Israel and the UAE, and in advancing the goal of sustainable development. My felicitations to everyone who is working to make it a success.” Upon signing this landmark agreement, Ecoppia’s CEO Jean Scemama said, “We are delighted to become the first-of-itskind success story for the Israel-UAE-India trilateral partnership by bringing our innovative world leading technology in solar cleaning robotic solution, from Israel, manufactured in India for a landmark project in UAE through a multilateral collaboration with a leading global renewable energy partner of IFIICC.

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This new treasured global business relationship for Ecoppia was established with the support of the IFIICC in record time, and I wish to both thank and congratulate Merzi Sodawaterwala for this achievement. This is indeed a significant milestone for Ecoppia in a market segment which is estimated at $4-5 billion annually and long term contracts like these with duration of 25 years enable a sustainable growth for us. This is an initial deal in a relatively small site with this global energy leader and we are expecting many more to follow.”

On his part, Sodawaterwala credited the commendable success of IFIICC to the shared vision, belief and spirit of the founding patrons of IFIICC and the trust and support of its partners. He added, “Ecoppia is a world leader in autonomous robotic solar cleaning. The water-free and energy independent certified robots have cleaned more than 3 billion panels to date. I am confident that Ecoppia’s robotic solar cleaning solutions will be greatly appreciated and adopted across the Middle East and internationally where billions of liters of a scarce resource like water is currently wasted in manual cleaning. It was an absolute pleasure and honor to collaborate with the amazing team of Ecoppia – Eran Meller, Jean Scemama, Anat Cohen Segev and Arye Lumelsky to forge this trusted sustainable strategic partnership with our global renewable energy partner. I salute and honor the belief and spirit of IFIICC founding patrons and the trust of our partners towards building a sustainable future.” Established in 1819, the prestigious ESCP Business School (École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris) which is considered to be the world’s first business school and the only pan-European institution with campuses in Paris, Berlin, London, Madrid, Turin and Warsaw, recently highlighted the global potential of trilateral ties between Israel, the UAE and India in a global seminar. ESCP also recognized the pivotal role and applauded the commendable trilateral and multilateral business achievements and strategic initiatives of IFIICC led by Merzi Sodawaterwala. IFIICC also received endorsements from several eminent dignitaries including leading global cultural influencers like Maestro Zubin Mehta and business leaders like Sir Ratan Tata, Chairman Tata Trusts and Chairman Emeritus Tata Group who endorsed the vision and achievements of IFIICC led by Merzi Sodawaterwala saying, “I think having this federation of associations between these countries is a great thing which should perhaps have happened many years ago. I salute you for what you have brought together in this period of time.” Source: gulfnews

ME&A_JUNE 2021

egypt

EGYPT PLANNING $4BN GREEN HYDROGEN GAS PROJECT The Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy has set a goal for 42 percent of the total energy produced in Egypt to be sourced from renewables by 2035.

gypt is planning to invest up to $4 billion in a project to generate green hydrogen gas through water electrolysis, according to the Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker. The minister pointed out that the project is currently in the feasibility studies stage, in consultation with the Sovereign Fund of Egypt and a group of concerned ministries, and will be presented next week.

Egypt is also home to the Benban solar plant, the largest solar power plant in the world, with a total capacity of 1,465 MW. Shaker said that an area of more than 7,000 sq. km has been allocated for renewable energy production projects in Egypt, from which it can produce about 90,000 megawatts (MW). The Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy has set a goal for 42 percent of the total energy produced in Egypt to be sourced from renewables by 2035. By the end of this year, it will have raised the total to 20 percent, a year ahead of schedule. Egypt is also home to the Benban solar plant, the largest solar power plant in the world, with a total capacity of 1,465 MW. Shaker revealed that the volume of investments in the electricity sector since the beginning of the reform until now is estimated at EGP500 billion ($32 billion).

He estimated that the total investment in the development of electrical distribution companies is around EGP36 billion, while the Decent Life initiative, which aims to improve the country’s distribution networks, is set to provide funds between EGP60 and EGP70 billion. Source: arabnews

EGYPT: SUNGROW TO INSTALL INVERTERS FOR THE KOM OMBO SOLAR POWER PLANT (200 MWP)

Chinese company Sungrow Power Supply has been chosen by Saudi Arabian independent power producer (IPP) Acwa Power to supply the inverters for the Kom Ombo solar photovoltaic plant.

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he facility, which is being built by India’s Sterling and Wilson, will have a capacity of 200 MWp, making it one of the largest solar power plants in Egypt. A new player has entered the Kom Ombo solar project in the governorate of Aswan in Egypt. It is Sungrow Power Supply. The company, based in the Chinese city of Hefei, has been chosen by the Saudi Arabian independent power producer (IPP) Acwa Power to supply inverters for the construction of the Kom Ombo solar park. Sungrow will work closely with Indian company Sterling and Wilson, which has been awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the plant, which will feed 200 MWp into the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) grid. Given the Saharan climate and the two-sided solar panels that are installed at the project site, the choice of inverters is critical.

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PLANT TO BE OPERATIONAL IN 2022 “The Sungrow SG250HX-IN-20 inverter and its MVS6650-LV turnkey medium voltage station can withstand complex environments such as extreme temperatures, dry and dusty conditions. This is thanks to their IP66 and C5 protection rating and intelligent forced air-cooling technology,” says Sungrow, adding that the inverters are compatible with two-sided solar panels and solar trackers. Sungrow’s entry into the project marks the effective start of construction of the Kom Ombo solar power plant. Acwa Power has already secured the necessary financing for the installation of its plant. Loans totalling $114 million have been provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Opec Fund for International Development (Ofid), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Arab International Investment Bank (AII). Acwa Power plans to start commercial operation of its plant in the third quarter of 2022. The plant will supply 650 GWh per year to at least 130,000 Egyptian households. According to the Saudi energy company, the solar power plant will also avoid the emission of 336,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Source: afrik21

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egypt

CONTRACT AWARDED FOR SOLAR-PLUS-STORAGE PROJECT AT SUKARI GOLD MINE, EGYPT Juwi Renewable Energies, the South African subsidiary of Germans Juwi Holding AG, together with Giza Systems, a leading systems integrator in the MEA region, have been awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for a solar-plus-storage project at Sukari gold mine in Egypt.

he announcement was made by Centamin Plc, a mineral exploration, development, and mining company that together with the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources exploits the mine which is located in the Nubian Desert/Eastern Desert near the Red Sea. Currently, the mine operates off-grid and relies completely on a diesel power station, a situation that Centamin expects to change through the establishment of the approximately US$ 37M new energy solution that takes advantage of the location of the mine, characterized by high solar irradiance. The area has an average of over ten hours of sunshine a day throughout the year.

PROJECT OVERVIEW Giza Systems will install the solar farm component while Juwi will design, supply, and integrate the 36-MW solar plant and the 7.5 MW battery unit into the existing diesel power system. The solar portion of the project will utilize bifacial PV modules and a singleaxis tracking system. The entire project will be integrated into the existing off-grid network using Juwi Hybrid IQ micro-grid technology to support the diesel units. In a separate statement, the renewable energy company said that it will operate and maintain the hybrid plant, which is expected to start operation in the second quarter of next year, post-commissioning.

BENEFITS OF THE PROJECT “The renewable energy solution is expected to lower operating costs at the Sukari mine, save between US$ 9M and US$ 13M in annual fuel costs, and reduce exposure to fuel price volatility, among other benefits,” said Centamin. Source: constructionreviewonline

jordan

EJ SOLAR SPARK: THE ROAD TO A CLEANER FUTURE The ultimate mission for East Jordan Middle and High School students is clean, renewable energy. Teacher and Shoe Club advisor, Matt Hamilton, is passionate about teaching his students to set goals, dream big, and give back to the community. Every year, the Shoe Club does a project to inspire the student body, but also their community. Matt Hamilton says the students made presentations, held his year’s project was EJ Solar Spark, to fundraisers, go fund me’s, wrote grants, “there was really promote renewable energy education. Thirty no option off the table…anything and everything we can East Jordan students gave up their time and energy to their school and community a betthink of to raise money, we did.” Senior and mentor in the ter place. They set up a goal of $70,000 to Shoe Club, Nathan Newman says, “the inspirational aspect put in 30 kilowatt solar panels on the roof of of the project and the value that has on directly in students the school. One organization the Shoe Club future is my favorite part because you know that is the gift would like to thank is Groundwork Center. that keeps on giving, that this Project will continue to last They are a nonprofit out of Traverse City and a while until the future.” This project is just the beginning, Petoskey, who helped the Shoe Club with they already have plans for next year to build a greenhouse marketing, spreading the word and really on campus and provide food for the cafeteria.

just encouraged the students throughout the project.

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Source: 9and10news

ME&A_JUNE 2021