First Solar to Build 13 MW Solar PV plan in Dubai

On 17th of October 2012, First Solar announced it has been selected by the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) to construct a 13 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Seih Al Dahal, about 31 miles south of Dubai. First Solar will provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services, as well as its advanced thin-film PV modules.

The PV power plant is the first phase of the landmark "Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park", a project that is expected to eventually cover 18.5 square miles and produce 1,000 MW of energy using both PV and solar thermal technology by 2030.

Here is a short video about the Solar Park (http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150466591271059)

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Jordan most attractive Cleantech markets in MENA

A recent 2012 report by Ernst & Young concluded that Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Jordan as the most attractive Cleantech markets in the MENA region due to their government plans, budgets and long-term strategies. These countries have demonstrated investments in large initiatives such as KACARE for Saudi Arabia, Masdar for UAE and the ‘Green’ FIFA World Cup 2022 for Qatar. Although Jordan has limited financial resources, a new law was issued on renewable energy, which may help create new jobs by increasing local content requirements for investments in renewable energy.

The report also identifies the main drivers of Cleantech growth across the MENA region as: government policy, cost of the renewable energy, desire to reduce the use of fossil fuels, increased business efficiency and Job creation as a result of population growth and elevated rates of unemployment.

The report also sights broad opinion that Solar energy would be the leading Cleantech in the MENA region with Photovoltaic (PV) as the main solar technology for the MENA region followed by Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) by a lesser extent. The report sights in its survey that the lead of PV over CSP was justified mainly by the price per watt compared with the other technologies.

KACARE leading Saudi Arabia's push for Renewable Energy

In a recent conferece in Riyadh (9 May 2012). The Deputy President of the King Abdullah Center for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE) announced that they plan to make a major shift in the Kingdom's energy mix.

In the recent years the Kingdom's domestic energy demand has been growing at a very fast rate. In 2011, Saudi burned 730,000 barrels of crude oil per day to cover its domestic needs and since crude is heavily subsidized domestically this represent a significant loss for Saudi from potential sale to export markets. A loss which will only increase with increasing energy demand.

When considering this perspective, Renewable Energy makes very good economic sense for the Kingdom, as the high cost of Renewable Energies could be off-set against higher real market value of domestic subsidized fuel consumed.

KA-CARE mentioned that it aims to build 16 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) and 25 GW of concentrated solar power (CSP) by 2032. It sighted that CSP was more expensive than PV but favored CSP for it storage capabilities. It was also mentioned that Geothemal and waste-to-energy could amount to 4 GW.

These plans have been submitted to the KA-CARE Board of Directors for approval which includes representatives from the highest authorities in the country. If indeed approved this would be a very exciting developing for Saudi Arabia.