Renewable energy technology safeguards our environment, bolsters our energy security and drives our economic development globally.

Solar power is one of the primordial energy sources. I could be biased, but to me there is no other energy source that feels so naturally right for harnessing: with each sunrise our planet has the potential capacity to sustainably recharge its energy grids across the world.

Today, thanks to Masdar, Abu Dhabi is a hothouse for innovation in solar and all sectors of renewable energy, innovation that is making its way to the world and leads to greater energy security and a cleaner environment.

The Zayed Future Energy Prize, which stems from the same vision, is yet another example of a global initiative by the Abu Dhabi government that recognizes and rewards individuals and organisations who are developing pioneering technologies in the renewable energy and sustainability sectors with the greatest potential to impact and benefit communities all over the world. Now it its fourth year, the Prize is witnessing a steady increase in the number of submissions (425 entries from 71countries for the 2012 Award) and is considered a catalyst for innovations in the renewable eco-system.

I am an ardent champion of the Prize: I feel immensely proud for the recognition Suntech received from it in 2010, and I am looking forward to hearing about the wealth of innovations and solutions NGOs, SMEs; Corporations and Individuals entered for the 2012 Awards.

Renewable energy must be a top priority for companies, governments and people alike. Determined efforts are going into making renewable energy more pervasive, more affordable, and introducing it throughout the business world and the entire manufacturing cycle.

The increasing interest in the Prize forms part of the continuing good news surrounding renewable energy this year, including a report that solar photovoltaics (PV) continues to be one of the most promising growth markets. According to the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, (EPIA), the cumulative global installed PV capacity stood at almost 16.5 GW at the end of 2010, compared to only 9 GW at the end of 2007. (Germany ranked first followed by Italy and Spain in terms of cumulative installed solar electric power capacity).

Though there’s uncertainty surrounding the incentivizing of the renewable market, in the current global economic climate (with feed-in tariffs that guaranteed above-market power prices for the life of a PV installation being slashed across Europe, including in Germany and Italy), the fact that more countries are adopting renewable energy standards and planning to build solar plants has analysts and fund managers feeling more confident about the industry and bullish on solar in particular, because the market is no longer dominated by two or three players and could finally deliver the economy of scale necessary.

While Europe is moving towards smaller rooftop installation, in the U.S. the focus is on utility-scale projects, which could transform the States into one of the world’s most dynamic solar markets. California, the epicentre of the U.S. clean energy industry, has received billions of dollars in venture capital funding to clean-energy companies. Last year, the state took in about $9 billion in venture capital, and almost 20% went to clean technology companies. Tech-savvy people and entrepreneurs are now helping America take charge of its energy future (Google alone has pledged $780 million for clean energy).

Domestic demand in Asia is picking-up too, and China is rapidly becoming the key country in the region to drive the solar power market, from both a supply and demand perspective (China’s latest five-year plan increases the country’s solar power target to 10,000 MW by 2015 and 50,000 MW by 2020).

All in all, a sunny forecast for the solar energy market.

Jerry Stokes is President of Suntech Europe

The direction of the debate is particularly interesting in the Middle East where solar energy is making slow, yet steady, inroads.

Sunlight is of course the most abundant energy ‘feedstock’ around, and, in the Middle East, available throughout the year. Solar energy can also help Middle East countries to meet targets for carbon emissions reduction.

Masdar’s Shams 1, the world’s largest concentrated solar power plant under construction in the Western region of Abu Dhabi, is expected to contribute to the emirate’s target of generating seven per cent of its electricity from renewables by 2015. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, is looking at generating 5GW of solar energy over the next 10 years.

Egypt wants 20 percent of its energy to come from renewables by 2020. The country has already completed a 140MW solar plant, with more projects in the pipeline. Morocco is building a 500MW solar plant to export electricity to Europe and is aiming to generate 2,000MW by 2020.

Most of these efforts are government-led. Attracting private investment into renewable energy will be the next phase of development in the Middle East’s renewable sector.

Leading economies in the region, such as the UAE, have successfully developed a vibrant private sector. Private business will feel encouraged to invest in renewables once they are convinced of the returns.

Feed-in tariffs are one incentive and have been effectively introduced in a number of countries. In Germany, for example, solar producers can sell their surplus power to the national grid for a fee.

Abu Dhabi is exploring the viability of feed-in tariffs to encourage renewables development. Other inducements will also be needed for renewable energy to achieve grid parity with electricity generated by fossil fuels. This is easier said than done, of course – an issue that will be top of the agenda of both policy and business decision makers at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi next January.

‘…Solar energy is the power source of the future. Only 15 years ago, hardly any photovoltaic systems could be found on top of German roofs. Today, close to 500,000 systems collect the rays of the sun and convert them into energy. … Over the last 20 years, the share of renewable energy in our total power consumption has more than quadrupled on a country-wide basis and now accounts for 16 percent. …. According to a study published by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), projects like DESERTEC should be able to allow for roughly 15 percent of Europe’s demand for electricity to be covered by solar energy from Africa by the year 2050.’ (Dr. Martin Heming, CEO of SCHOTT Solar AG in an interview at save-more-energy.com).

It is not necessary to talk in this blog right now about the importance of the Renewable Energy Industry. We all know that we need to increase the use of renewable energy and that the current installed capacity is not enough. We agree on this.
But if we go back – some years – we can see a similar situation for the Internet Industry and also for the Real Estate Industry. They were all booming and very creative solutions were developed. BUT as we all know this hype were suddenly stopped and the result was – the financial crises.

So, to develop the Renewable Energy Industry (which is not new but which is currently booming) we should be careful and develop it in a sustainable way.

We should try to focus on environment and our first priority should be to protect mother nature. We should try to start in our houses, apartments, offices, factories, et.al to use our resources in a proper way. We should also support new developments and research. We should also educate our children not to do the same mistakes like we did. We should also find some ‘regulations’ for example with IRENA to create standards and a framework for a sustainable development in this sector.

The focus should be on ‘Quality’ and ‘Equity’! The focus should be on happy and healthy people. Otherwise the result will be the next financial crises.

Günter Theuermann

Managing Partner

www.save-more-energy.com

About save-more-energy.com – save-more-energy.com is an independent b2b platform for the Renewable Energy Industry, Real Estate Industry, Cities & Regions.

Save-more-energy.com is focusing on Europe, Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. Best practice, best solutions, to learn from each other – for Quality and Equity!

 Never before has an airplane run solely on solar power for more than a few hours, let alone day and night. Along with Andre Borschberg – engineer, fighter pilot and professional airplane and helicopter pilot – with this project, Piccard is truly pioneering the spirit for the development of renewable energy resources in aviation.

The first test flight for Solar Impulse HB SIA took place early December in Switzerland. It flew 350 meters down the runway at an altitude of one metre in a flight lasting 28 seconds. Preparation is now in progress for its first 36 hour day-night-day flight which is projected to happen sometime in 2012.

At the upcoming World Future Energy Summit, we are thrilled to have Bertrand Piccard as a key speaker at the Plenary Forum 2 on day 1 of the summit that will be discussing challenges and solutions to the world’s future energy issues.  You can read more about the Solar Impulse project on its website and check out more videos on its YouTube channel.

Much of the capacity is coming from the east, which will accelerate when facilities around the Arab world, such as in Abu Dhabi, come on-line. What does this mean for grid parity? What are the long-term implications of this long-term supply boom – does it make it more important than ever before for more investors to join the bandwagon?

- Ara Fernezian, WFES Show Director