Press Releases Energy

Saudi paves the solar path

Published by Gattaca Communications

Jan. 16, 2013

Developers are expected to install about 3.5 gigawatts of solar power in the Middle East and North Africa in 2015, up from 149 megawatts that will be installed this year, driven by government support across the region and booming growth in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, according to GTM Research.

Demand for photovoltaic and solar-thermal systems will grow slowly and then skyrocket in 2015 when “the large bulk” of projects from a Saudi program will go into operation, Scott Burger, an analyst with the Boston-based research company, said recently.

Saudi Arabia will account for a third of the region’s demand in 2015 and Turkey about a quarter, according to GTM’s Middle East and North Africa Solar Market Outlook report released yesterday. Solar manufacturers including Suntech Power Holdings Co. (STP) and LDK Solar Co. are seeking new markets as sales slowed in Europe and a global glut drove prices down 61 percent in the past two years.

Panel makers are “desperate for demand anywhere they can get it,” said Burger. “When Saudi Arabia says that they’re going to install a lot, they get really excited,” he said.

The country won’t deliver significant solar sales for a few years, he said. “Realistically, we’re not going to see any significant demand until 2015 at the earliest.”

The government has set a goal of having 41 gigawatts of installed solar capacity by 2032, from nothing now. “Saudi Arabia will be the Saudi Arabia of solar energy,” according to the report.

“This continued rise in demand and increased excitement surrounding the use of solar energy across MENA is great news for all companies looking for new markets at times when the more traditional areas of consumption are under pressure” says Nick Thomson, Exhibition Director, GulfSol 2013 (www.gulfsol.com).

“This is why our dedicated solar exhibition in Dubai in September is so perfectly timed to maximise companies’ exposure to the opportunities that are presenting themselves in the region” he adds.

To assure your place at this year’s inaugural GulfSol exhibition, and maximise your brand presence in the region, contact Nick Thomson on nthomson@bowheadmedia.com or visit www.gulfsol.com.