Summit draws government officials to Dubai for the Big 5 Solar

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27 Nov 2017

The Big 5 Solar has brought together a wealth of VIP personalities for the third edition of The Global Solar Leaders Summit (GSLS) today. The summit was opened by His Excellency Dr. Matar Al Neyadi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy (United Arab Emirates), followed by the presentation of two awards given over by himself and Matt Denton, President of The Big 5 Solar event organizers dmg events Middle East, Asia & Africa.

H.E. Dr. Nasser Saidi Chairman, Clean Energy Business Council (CEBC) was presented with the 'Renewable Energy Ambassador Award', not only for founding the CEBC which promotes new tools and instruments for the finance of clean energy and technology in the MENA region, but also for his commitment to educating young people on climate and sustainability. Winning the 'Global Green Ambassador Award', H.E. Dr Rashid Alleem Chairman, Sharjah Electricity & Water Authority (SEWA) was recognised for his investment in clean technology and business innovation which looks to develop solutions with SEWA’s partners for a greener, sustainable tomorrow.

Dr Rashid Alleem kicked off with the first keynote of the high-level summit, the second was delivered by Engineer Hessa Humaid Alshamsi, Head of The Applied Sustainability and Renewable Energy Section, Dubai Municipality.

The summit comes in response to an increasing focus upon energy diversification strategies which seek to supply a population surge and increased industrial activity in the GCC region. Studies on the back of this transition have estimated that the GCC could save between USD 55 billion and USD 87 billion by 2030 when switching to renewable energy.

In her welcoming address this morning, Portfolio Event Director for The Big 5 Solar Josine Heijmans reinforced that “an estimated 60% of the land area in the region offers excellent suitability for solar PV development, and employment in the regional renewable energy sector could reach 210,000 people by 2030, with approximately 85% of jobs coming from the solar PV and concentrating solar power segments.”

Ahead of the GSLS, the UAE Ministry of Energy reported that “our energy authorities have progressed at a steady pace in the development of solar energy: only last year, the UAE achieved a global record with the lowest solar prices achieved through a competitive tendering process. We are also engaging the UAE population to generate demand in household solar energy projects across the nation.”


Keynote Speech: H.E. Dr Rashid Alleem Chairman, Sharjah Electricity & Water Authority (SEWA)

The objective of the GSLS has been to create a conference that focused on how to action the strategies and the vision outlined by solar experts. It has ensured ample opportunity for one-to-one meetings and networking, alongside thought-provoking discussions which explored and nurtured the new partnerships and opportunities arising between businesses in MENA region.

Speaker Faisal Rashid, Director-Demand Side Management of the Supreme Council of Energy sees the GSLS as having “increased awareness on the topic, visitors have learnt best practices on policies and technologies from local and international experts, and they have exchanged views with specialists.”

Sitting in the ‘Thought Leaders’ Speak’ panel, which has focused on the role of renewables in the MENA region, Faisal reiterated that “renewable energy is progressing fast, almost all developed countries are aggressively pursuing renewable energy strategies, renewable energy capacity growth is higher than fossil fuel capacity in the last 5 years, and solar cost per KWH is becoming very competitive.”

The ‘Policy & Regulation’ panel discussed how to drive renewable energy growth and development in MENA, the ‘Top Technology’ panel unravelled some of the most cutting edge technologies in the industry and leading regional and global financiers and investors shared their ideas on how to support renewable energy.

The GSLS was a CPD (continued professional development) certified conference, and there is still chance for visitors to earn certificates from the remaining ‘Solar Talks’ which will continue to run over the next two days of The Big 5 Solar.

In addition to the education agenda, the event will be showcasing the latest solar solutions and technologies from Solar Thermal Technologies (CSP) to Energy Storage, from Photovoltaics to Solar Technologies until 29 November 2017 at the Dubai world Trade Centre.

Organised by dmg events Middle East, Asia & Africa, The Big 5 Solar 2017 is co-located with The Big 5 – the largest, most influential and renowned construction industry event in the Middle East.