This week saw the first meeting of the Emirates Solar Industry Association (ESIA) at Yas Island Rotana Hotel in Abu Dhabi, and like so many solar industry organisations around the world have discovered before them, it takes more than just abundant sunshine to switch people on to solar power.
Abu Dhabi is the only emirate in the region with a clean energy goal – it will generate seven percent of its energy needs from renewable energy by 2020. The 95 attendees of the ESIA conference lamented that in a region with such abundant sunshine, other cities were not making similar targets. Such targets provide the renewable energy industry with essential start-up capital, according to Vahid Fotuhi from Solar BP.
“Without the governmental strategy, it will be impossible to realize the full potential of solar energy in the UAE,”” he said.
There was concern at Abu Dhabi’s chances of achieving even a seven percent renewable energy target – which translates to 1,500 megawatts (MW) of solar energy – given what the ESIA perceives as “no clear direction from the government.” Of this amount, 500 MW are earmarked for Abu Dhabi’s much talked about roof-top solar program, which aims at installing solar panels on rooftops in the city to generate clean electricity. Unfortunately, the only progress made so far has been a 2MW pilot project.
The ESIA is worried the Abu Dhabi is squandering the chance to become a player in the global solar industry. Participants called for a framework that would nurture solar energy into the future, including a feed-in tariff scheme, which when compared to the subsidies already paid on traditional forms of energy, made photovoltaic solar power almost as cheap as conventional energy.
“When factoring in the cost of the subsidy,” said Browning Rockwell from Sunedison, “one would realise the subsidy distorts the true cost of energy.”
ESIA was established by Masdar Energy, a renewable energy development and commercialisation company, late last year.
