Alternative Energy in the Middle East? - 10/24/07

In the Middle East where there is plenty of oil.  It would be a surprise to most anyone if alternative energy including solar, wind power or hydro-electricity would have any interest there.  But alternative energy is no longer a subject with no interest in the Middle East.

In Knowledge Village in Dubai, a 40 meter wide solar panel was donated to the TELCOM building by a Swedish photovoltaic company called Switchboard.  The panel is capable of delivering 10 megawatts per year.  This is just one of the initiatives popping up around the country.  There are solar parking meters, traffic lights and many hotels now have solar heated water. 

Recipients of the glut of petrodollars know the age of oil may not last forever. Learn about Peak Oil.  UAE is diversifying their energy usage to include renewable energy investments.  Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Ruler of Dubai hopes by 2014 Dubai will source its energy consumption from renewables to around 14%. 

The Masdar Initiative (meaning “the source” in Arabic) is a government sponsored project providing a global cooperative platform for the development and research of sustainable energy.  Masdar has set up the Masdar Clean Tech Fund which with corporate contributions has raised $250 million to start clean technology funds and joint ventures initiatives aimed at providing energy security.  With an average of 325 days of sun per year a large percentage will be committed to solar energy.

A Texas company called HelioVolt is such a company manufacturing thin film photovoltaics.  HelioVolt has a superior understanding of the Copper-Indum-Selenide material system and the revolutionary FASST process.  The FASST method developed by HelioVolt produces the photovoltaics layer at high rates lowering cost to half that of any other method.

The UAE does not suffer from the lack to energy security, but they never want to suffer from it either. 

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