Business Bureau, Gulf Today

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), organised 17 innovative panel discussions at the 4th Dubai Solar Show, with government officials, experts, and specialists from major local and international solar power companies.

The sessions focused on the most important innovations related to solar power, maintenance, innovation, and research and development. They also focused on Energy Performance Contracting, accelerating global solar deployment to generate electricity, carbon emissions reduction in transport by switching to electric and green hydrogen-based vehicles, as well as using solar power to generate freshwater in the region. The sessions also focused on the major achievements of the Shams Dubai initiative that Dewa has launched to support Smart Dubai. Shams Dubai enables building owners to install photovoltaic panels on rooftops to generate electricity and connect them to Dewa’s grid.

“In Dubai, we are working to achieve the goals of the Eight Principles of Governance and the 50 Year Charter launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, which include improving quality of life, developing Dubai’s society, and ensuring a bright future for the coming generations. Dubai is a pioneer in the transition to a green economy through two objectives. The first is to reduce energy and water demand by 30 percent by 2030, by promoting efficiency and conservation programmes. The other is improving the supply-side by diversifying the energy mix, especially clean energy, increasing efficiency, and reducing electricity and water network losses,” said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dewa and Founder and Chairman of WETEX.

he added,”The Dubai Solar Show is becoming increasingly important due to the rising use of solar power and increasing awareness about the importance of relying on it to tackle climate change. Solar power is playing a major role in successful bids, as is purchasing renewable energy through Purchase Power Agreements. There is a significant reduction in the costs of electricity generation and solar-powered water desalination. There are also remarkable developments in photovoltaic panel performance.”

he said, “Solar power is ideal for the Middle East and North Africa, offering countries in this region the opportunity to decarbonise their power generation whilst achieving ever lower energy prices. Dubai plays a major role in gathering thousands of innovators, exhibitors, participants, officials, and decision-makers from the UAE, the region and the world to discuss ways to expand renewable energy businesses and projects. WETEX, the Dubai Solar Show and the 6th World Green Economy Summit are happening at the same time, which is a great opportunity to exchange ideas, and identify regional and world market demand. This also provides investors with the opportunity to build business relationships and expand business opportunities,”

DSS is held in conjunction with the 21st Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX 2019) and the sixth World Green Economy Summit (WGES), under the umbrella of the sixth Green Week. WETEX was held under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; and under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of DEWA, from 21-23 October 2019, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The first day of the event featured five panel discussions, starting with The Big Energy Conversations : ‘Accelerating the deployment of solar power worldwide’, with Ahmed Nada, President of the Middle East Solar Industry Association; Amit Jain, MD Middle East, South & Central Asia & Turkey, Engie; Carlos Gascó Travesedo, Energy Policy Executive Director, Department of Energy Abu Dhabi; and Paddy Padmanathan, CEO of ACWA Power. This was be followed by a panel discussion entitled ‘How to design and build increasingly competitive solar projects,’ with Antonio Moreno, Regional Director, Middle East - Abengoa;  Mothana Bahjeat Qteishat, MD, JinkoPower; and Paddy Padmanathan, CEO of ACWA Power.

The third panel discussion focused on ‘State of the Art Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Technology,’ with Antonio Jiménez Manzorro, Managing Director & VP Middle East and Africa of Trina Solar; Georg Eitelhuber, CTO at NOMAD Desert Solutions; and Stephan Padlewski, Market and Program Leader EMEA, at Dupont Photovoltaic & Advanced Materials. The 4th panel was titled ‘Boosting solar power growth with dedicated policies’ with Ahmad Alazemi, Kuwait Ministry of Water and Electricity; Nour Mezher, Climate and Energy Project Manager, Emirates Nature WWF; and Vladimir Limin, CEO, Salimus.