Solar panel plant planned

Dubai: The Middle East's largest solar panel manufacturing plant is going to be set up in Dubai, it was announced Friday night at the Green Dubai World Forum 2008 which opened at the Atlantis Hotel.

Solar panels will be more readily available for sustainable development throughout the region with the largest photo-voltaic manufacturing plant to be set up in the UAE. The new facility, Solar Technologies FZE will be based in Dubai's Technopark. A 130 megawatt manufacturing plant will be set up, as part of the first phase of the project.

The plant will go in to production in the last quarter of 2010, said Sultan Bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai World in his welcome address. Solar Technologies will establish similar manufacturing plants in China, Mexico and Bulgaria, which will increase the total production capacity to 1 gigawatt by 2015.

According to Bin Sulayem, the solar panels will be 5.7 square metres, the largest in the world. "The plant will be built in Technopark, an industrial park built to promote sustainable development and sustainable technologies... It will be 1 million square feet," he added.

The two-day Green Dubai World Forum 2008 is being organised to commemorate the anniversary of the historic declaration on Green Dubai 2008 made exactly a year ago by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Climate change

The historic declaration has enabled Dubai to take global leadership in sustainable development in light of climate change crisis threatening mankind.

Hussain Nasser Lootah, Acting Director General of Dubai Municipality labelled the initiative as 'Green Roof' and added that many buildings in Dubai needed one.

"It is easy to announce rules and regulations but we need to put plans into effect and make the public aware of it," he said. Lootah added that regulations for small to high rise green buildings would be coming into effect soon to meet green targets.

Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority addressed the delegates on the inaugural day saying this was 'one piece of the puzzle.'

F. W. De Klerk, Nobel Prize winner and former President of South Africa, addressed the delegates in his role as the key note speaker for the evening. De Klerk said, "The greatest obstacle in implementing a renewable energy system is not technology or money but lack of public awareness."