On 4 and 5 May, solar energy experts and industrialists from all over the world met in Egypt to discuss the potential for solar energy use in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The event, entitled MENASOL 2010, was held at City Stars Intercontinental on the capital's outskirts. “The conference provided the perfect venue for those who are serious about the solar industry in the MENA region to move forward with their business plans,” said Samer Zureikat, managing director of MENA Cleantech. Speakers included representatives from UNSECO, the UNDP, the African Development Bank, the World Bank, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Arab League and the Egyptian ministries of commerce, industry and electricity, among others. The EIB has conducted case studies on investment in solar-energy projects. At the conference, bank representatives discussed the challenges inherent in solar energy initiatives, including development financing, project financing and equity partners, along with challenges associated with technology and development. Mariangels Perez Latorre, secretary-general of the European Solar Thermal Electricity Association, talked about how the association was promoting concentrated solar power (CSP) in the region, highlighting the lessons learned from recent efforts to launch CSP applications in Spain. Participants also discussed regional and sub-regional cooperation in regard to the sustainable management and conservation of freshwater, terrestrial resources, and related capacity building in renewable and alternative sources of energy for sustainable development, along with poverty eradication in the Arab region. The event was also attended by representatives from several major international companies, including Azmeel International (the main sponsor of the event), DLR, Seimens, CPV Consortium, RES Mediterranean Power, Abengoa, Acciona, MENA Cleantech, Beautifull Earth Group and Orascom. Saudi Arabia sent 18 representatives to the conference, who expressed considerable interest in the subject of solar power. “Two weeks ago, a royal edict was issued to build a city especially earmarked for nuclear and renewable energy,” one Saudi representative explained. Members of the Saudi delegation also noted their country's concerns about the decline of petroleum-based energies, upon which the kingdom is famously reliant. In conclusion, event participants stressed that the Middle East had the potential to become a global hub for solar energy production within the coming decade.
