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Chinese solar industry targets booming Middle East market

Top Chinese solar firms to take part in WFES

ABU DHABI, January 4, 2017

A number of leading Chinese solar panel manufacturers are taking part in the upcoming World Future Energy Summit (WFES) and Solar Expo, the Middle East’s largest events for renewable energy in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The 10th edition of WFES will run from January 16 to 19 January at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

Exhibiting companies include Trina and JA Solar – the two largest photovoltaic panel manufacturers in the world. They are joined by other major names such as Jinko Solar, which was part of the consortium that set a record-low price in bids for Abu Dhabi’s planned Sweihan solar power plant in September 2016, Suntech Power, and technology giant Huawei. Most Chinese exhibitors specialise in photovoltaic solar energy, particularly solar panels, as well as associated technology such as battery storage.

According to analysis by Frost and Sullivan the GCC countries will increase their installed solar capacity 50-fold between 2015 and 2025. Saudi Arabia alone has announced plans for an additional 9.5 GW of renewable energy by 2030. Outside the GCC, India is targeting 175 GW by 2022, including 100 GW of solar.

Planned projects exceed local manufacturing capacity, creating significant scope for partnerships with global suppliers.

“When solar energy was seen as experimental in the region, and oil revenues were high, many decision makers automatically looked for Western partners, particularly from Europe,” said Li Dan, vice executive secretary-general, Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association.

“Looking ahead, decisions will be based on purely commercial factors. Chinese companies can provide the quality, the capacity, and the commercial viability to put renewables at the centre of the energy mix.”

Industry analysis predicts that installed electricity generation in the GCC will grow at a compound rate of around 3.74 per cent per year between 2015 and 2025, with around $85 billion invested in generation, and $31 billion in transmission and distribution. While natural gas will remain the mainstay of generation, liquid-fired generation using oil will be scaled down. Renewable energy, including solar and wind, will both grow significantly.

As falling oil revenues put pressure on budgets, the Chinese suppliers’ established reputation for value, combined with their increasing reputation for quality and innovation, make them highly competitive.

“We have seen very strong growth in the number of Chinese companies coming to WFES, with the number of exhibitors now among the highest for any country, and their strength in the MENA and South Asian markets is growing,” said Naji El Haddad, group event director for Reed Exhibitions, which organises WFES in partnership with Masdar.

“China has become a powerful force in the region’s accelerating renewable energy industry, with several Chinese exhibitors at WFES ranked among the 10 largest solar manufacturers in the world.”

First held in 2008, WFES aims to build the business case for renewable energy. The event is hosted by Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, Masdar, as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. – TradeArabia News Service




Tags: abu dhabi | China | WFES |

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