Wednesday, 16 December 2015

Egypt shut out of Middle East solar power industry awards

A decisive commitment to renewable energy was a hallmark of Egypt’s energy policy this year, but the jury for the Middle East Solar Industry Association skipped Omm El Donia in its annual industry awards. The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) won for policymaker of the year and utility company of the year, while ACWA Power took home the award for utility scale solar power project of the year for projects in Morocco. The full list of winners is below:

 

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – December 16, 2015 – The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power capped an already successful year by taking home top honors at the recent 2015 Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA) Awards. While DEWA won recognition for being both, the Policymaker of the Year and Utility Company of the Year; ACWA Power earned the prize for Utility Scale Solar Project of the Year, for its work on the Noor II and III Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) projects in Morocco.

DEWA has consistently been leading the charge in the development of solar energy through its Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park and its pioneering Shams Dubai initiative, designed to encourage the deployment of rooftop solar systems across the emirate. A consortium led by ACWA Power and TSK made headlines earlier this year when it was selected by DEWA to develop, construct, own and operate the 200MW second phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. According to the consortium, the project’s tariff of 5.84 USD cents per kilowatt-hour establishes a new global benchmark, reducing the cost of solar electricity by over 20 percent.

Other notable winners included professional services company, KPMG, which was recognized for its role in advising DEWA on the second phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Dubai-based MiccGreen Tec Solar Systems earned recognition in the Small-Scale Projects category for its innovative use of solar to replace diesel generators at a construction facility. Jordan’s MASE Energy won the Rooftop Solar Project of the Year prize for its work to use photovoltaic (PV) solar to power 400 low-income households in the Kingdom.

The United Arab Emirates’ homegrown PV module manufacturer, DUSOL, took the top award in the Manufacturing Project of the Year, while GlassPoint Solar won the top prize in the Solar System Innovation category for its use of CSP to power unique applications such as enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The awards were also opened up to participants from Pakistan for the first time and Islamabad-based Pak Agro Tech won the Solar Product Innovation for its PV-powered water pumping solution for the agricultural sector.

“In many ways, the MESIA Awards mirror the evolution of the region’s solar energy industry. Each year we see larger projects and greater innovation, and as we reviewed this year’s submissions, we couldn’t help but be excited about the tremendous potential for solar in the

Middle East,” said Imitiaz Mahtab, MESIA President. “We’re fortunate to have front-row seats as solar achieves its tipping point here in the Middle East thanks, largely, to the region’s forward thinking leaders and to the innovative companies that have risen to the challenge.”

The winners of the 2015 MESIA Awards were selected by a panel of eight industry experts that included Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Operating Officer (COO), Masdar; Dr. Steven Griffiths, Vice President for Research, Professor of Practice, Masdar Institute; Abdulmohsin Mohammad Al Shoaibi, Managing Partner, DarSolar; Ibrahim M. Al-Humaidan, President & CEO, Chemical Development Co.; Taher Diab, Director of Strategy & Planning, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy; Ahmed S. Nada, Vice President and Region Executive, Middle East, First Solar; Venu Nambiar, Executive Vice President, Sunpower Corporation; and Paul van Son, Country Chairman for MENA and Turkey, RWE AG.

MESIA is the largest solar trade association in the MENA region. It represents over 100 companies including investors, installers, manufacturers, and solar professional service providers.  For more information, visit www.mesia.com.

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