In an insightful interview with SolarQuarter Middle East issue, Daniel Zywietz, CEO, Enerwhere talked about how Solar sector in the Middle East market is growing and the major trends which will shape up the sector in the next year.
Tell us about some innovative and exciting projects executed by Enerwhere.
Enerwhere has constructed the largest solar rooftop installation in the Middle East at the Mai, Dubai water-bottling factory and adjacent Ghaffath water reservoir in Al Qudra, Dubai, constructed the first solar rooftop plant in the Middle East with 100% robotic maintenance at Masterbaker in Technopark, Dubai and also we have installed the Middle East’s first floating solar system off Nurai island, Abu Dhabi.
Enerwhere provides renewable energy on a rental basis, using solar-hybrid mini-grids. Tell us more about this offering?
Our proprietary solar-hybrid mini-grids generate reliable power 24/7 while saving 30-50% of emissions and 10-15% of costs compared to conventional diesel generators. During the day, as much as possible of the energy is coming from solar, while high-efficiency generators cover night loads and other periods with limited sunshine.
With battery costs coming down we are now starting to add storage capacity to our
systems to further increase solar share and system.
What do you think about the solar sector in the Middle East? In your view what is needed to strengthen the growth of the solar sector in the Middle East?
The solar sector in the Middle East has experienced a tremendous growth over the last 12 years that I have been working here. When I started out, the largest solar plant in the entire region, a 10 MWp PV system at Masdar City, was just being planned. Today, the largest solar plants exceed 1 GWp, with multiple GWp instal led and even more in the development pipeline.
Going forward, locating new solar capacity close to end customers (e.g. on industrial rooftops, car parking shades, exhibition halls, etc.) and pairing it with battery storage will make a lot of sense , particularly for commercial & industrial customers with a daytime peak (residential is more difficult, as the peak load tends to be in the evenings).
Read the full interview here: https://solarquarter.com/2020/09/10/solarquarter-middle-east-july-august-2020-launch-edition/
