March 2011
ENERGY AND WATER
T Above: A solar-powered fuel stop. Top right: Roofs are ideal areas for catching the sun’s rays. Below: Solar PV panels offer remote and arid regions a great source of clean energy.
The energy market in Oman is ready for solar” “Abundant hydrocarbon resources and low costs have become the bane of the Middle East, contributing to substantial energy consumption in the region over the years,” remarks Dash. “Conservation of these resources is essential as they are finite and generate significant export revenue for the region, serving as a pillar of economic development. Hence, efforts are on to develop alternate energy sources to meet domestic energy consumption and conserve valuable energy reserves. “The biggest resource in the MENA region is solar irradiance with a potential to meet the total demand for electricity worldwide,” he adds, noting that when climatic conditions and geographic location are taken into consideration Egypt has the best physical resources to implement solar technologies across the MENA region. Egypt is followed in the list by Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, but in terms of current utilisation, Morocco ranks top the list when it comes to the largest installed PV capacity in the region. In a recent report, Al Masah argues that countries across the Middle East require “a dedicated alternative energy option” for progressive economic and social development in the region. Despite the recent unrest, Egypt has a number of PV installations and projects
www.buildgreen.ae
he solar power photovoltaic (PV) industry is on the brink on a global economic breakthrough, according to a recent report commissioned by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) and environmental organisation Greenpeace International. Entitled Solar Generation 6: Solar Photovoltaic Electricity Empowering the World, the report claims that the global market outlook for solar PV could account for 12% of European power demand by 2020, and close to 9% of global power demand by 2030. The industry is clearly on the up and the report notes that global investments in solar PV technology could double from 35-40 billion euros (US $48-55 billion) today to more than 70 billion euros ($96 billion) in 2015. In the European Union alone, the report claims this could rise from 25-30 billion euros ($3441 billion) today, to more than 35 billion euros ($48 billion) in 2015. The study’s authors say: “Solar photovoltaic is a key technology for combating climate change; the study shows that it creates 35 to 50 jobs per tonne of CO2 savings and will increase the security of energy supply by reducing dependency on energy imports to Europe.” With such rapid growth plotted, not just in Europe, but across the world for the solar PV industry, it is perhaps remarkable that until 2008, not a single country in the GCC produced a single kilowatt of renewable energy, according to Shailesh Dash, chief executive officer of alternative asset management firm Al Masah Capital.
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