With demand for power across the Middle East and North Africa growing by as much as 8 per cent annually, there is an increased appetite for renewables to tackle climate change. The 43rd edition of Middle East Electricity (MEE), the region’s leading annual trade event for the power industry that starts today at the Dubai World Trade Centre, addresses these needs and more.
“There is an increasing appetite for new technologies and renewables to tackle climate change, deliver smart cities and make local ecosystems more efficient and resilient,” says Anita Mathews, Group Director, Industrial Portfolio at Informa Exhibitions, organisers of MEE.
“This year’s MEE will cover the entire value chain of electricity products and services across the show’s five sectors.”
This includes energy storage and management solutions, transmission and distribution, power generation, lighting and solar.
New at the show
Operating under the theme, Energising the Industry, MEE features 1,500 exhibitors from 66 countries, supported by 23 dedicated national pavilions, showcasing the latest products and services.
The show also introduces something new for visitors and participants every other year and the current edition is no different, with an all-new VIP Hosted Buyer Programme. “The VIP Buyer status is for senior-level individuals with influence over procurement decisions or specifications,” says Mathews.
“The VIP Buyer package is offered free of charge in exchange for an openness to meeting industry suppliers and networking with peers.”
Another highlight is the debut of the influential thought-leading Global Smart Energy Summit (GSES) that brings together 140 local and regional high-profile speakers who address more than 700 delegates across 110-plus content sessions. The sessions will focus on the latest technologies and processes that are helping change the way we live and work. GSES runs alongside MEE across the three days.
Also new this year is a separate pavilion for energy storage and management solutions that joins the other four specialised sectors at the show.
MEE is not only a platform for exhibitors, visitors and industry players but it also offers a diverse range of professional education and training opportunities.
“Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the latest technologies at the exhibitor-led Technical Seminars and get a practical, in-depth look at the industry with the Continuing Professional Development (CPD)-accredited Workshops,” she says. Both the Technical Seminars and the CPD Workshops are free to attend.
The workshops
The free-to-attend professional training workshops are all accredited by CPD. “The accreditation verifies that the learning activity has reached the required standards set by CPD, which is a global benchmark for tracking and documenting the skills, knowledge and experience gained through the training process,” says Mathews.
All workshops are presented by international industry associations and government bodies and cover a range of topics, from the internet of things and safety standards to solar PV and Dubai Municipality’s latest projects.
Smart energy
The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 states clearly the emirate’s intention for 7 per cent of its total power output to come from clean energy by 2020, 25 per cent by 2030 and 75 per cent by 2050.
Events such as MEE also showcase the efforts being put in by local government for smart energy. “From the technology driving innovation to the future of energy storage and the needs of smart cities, smart energy is now being pursued worldwide,” says Mathews.
“As the regional leader in renewables with a resounding commitment to clean energy, the UAE government fully supports MEE.”
Need to know
What Middle East Electricity
When Starts today and continues till March 8
Where Dubai World Trade Centre
Entry Free entry on registration. Visit Middleeastelectricity.com
All about the Global Smart Energy Summit
Every year MEE evolves to meet the changing demands of the sector. Coupled with this region’s approach towards adopting new technologies, the introduction of Global Smart Energy Summit (GSES) was a natural progression.
“GSES will feature some of the biggest corporate champions in sector transformation,” says Ryan O’Donnell, Programme Director. “These include Jeffrey Brian Straubel, co-founder and Chief Technical Officer at Tesla Inc, and Board Member of the transformative SolarCity; Andy Karsner, former Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency at the US Department of Energy; and internationally acclaimed big data guru Kirk Borne, the astrophysicist and data scientist who for two decades supported Nasa projects including the Hubble Space Telescope research phenomenon.”
The summit will open with a ministerial keynote, State of Energy, by the UAE Ministry of Energy, which will outline the need to balance growth from smart and sustainable energy sources to drive long-term competitive advantage. GSES will also feature country-focus sessions looking at the opportunities and challenges of developing usable renewables and meeting national power programmes in seven Middle Eastern countries — the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Egypt and Kuwait.
The technical seminars
MEE has a host of technical seminars led by exhibitors that are designed to give visitors a better understanding of the latest technologies being adopted across the respective energy sectors. A major technical session is the official launch of Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA) Annual Solar Outlook Report 2018, produced by MESIA and PV Solar Systems.
