Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, DEWA, is organising the first Dubai Solar Show, in conjunction with the 18th Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition, WETEX 2016, which is organised under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of DEWA.

Dubai Solar Show, which is set to take place in October 2016 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, will cover approximately 13,000 square metres and will attract exhibitors from around the world.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA, made the announcement at a press conference at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Dubai, which was attended by Dr. Yousef Ibrahim Al Akraf, Chairman of the Sales and Logistical Support Committee for WETEX, Khawla Al Mehairi, Chairman of the Marketing and Media Committee for WETEX, and Jamal Hammadi, VP- Special Projects-Strategy and Business Development, along with many representatives from the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority and media outlets.

"I am pleased to welcome you to this conference to announce the first Dubai Solar Show, which will be organised by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority in conjunction with the 18th WETEX, from 4th-6th October, 2016," said Al Tayer, pointing out that analysts expect that by 2030, the solar market will increase ten-fold, and solar will become the dominant electricity source around the world. Solar energy is forecasted to generate $5 trillion in revenue over the next 15 years, displacing large amounts of fossil fuels.

"The UAE, under the directives of our wise leadership, has taken an early start to bid farewell to the last drop of oil. At DEWA, we encourage research and development in solar energy. DEWA Innovation Centre will oversee research and development projects with a total investment of Dh 500 million. We will also host the Solar Decathlon Middle East, which was created through an agreement between the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, and the United States Department of Energy. Participants will be university students from all over the world. Dubai will host the first two rounds of the Solar Decathlon, which is being held for the first time in the Middle East and Africa. Dubai will host the first decathlon in 2018 and again in 2020 to coincide with World Expo in Dubai, whose theme 'Connecting Minds, Creating the Future' fits well with this distinguished international competition," he added.

Al Tayer said that organising the show in conjunction with WETEX and the World Green Economy Summit is a chance to reach thousands of exhibitors, participants, officials, and decision makers in the UAE, the Arabian Gulf, and the Middle East as a whole
Source: WAM