Photo courtesy Enviromena Power Systems
New Jersey’s Petra Solar and Abu Dhabi’s Enviromena Power Systems, on Jan. 16, announced an alliance agreement that will see the two renewable energy industry players work jointly to develop integrated solar power–smart grid projects in the Middle East–North Africa (MENA) region. The announcement was made in the United Arab Emirate of Abu Dhabi, where renewable energy industry participants are gathered for this week’s World Future Energy Summit.
By concluding the alliance, Petra Solar and Enviromena expect to capitalize on each other’s comparative, complementary strengths. Petra Solar’s the developer of the leading-edge SunWave Smart Solar technology that integrates distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) energy generation with smart grid infrastructure and communications systems. Enviromena Power Systems is a leading developer of utility, commercial, and residential solar energy projects in the MENA region.
“The increasing demand for solar energy and grid reliability provides a tremendous opportunity for Petra Solar throughout the Middle East and the world. Collaborating with Enviromena, the leading developer of solar projects in the Middle East and North Africa, will facilitate the international expansion of our products and business development in the region,” stated Petra Solar president and CEO Dr. Shihab Kuran in a press release. “Enviromena has an impressive list of completed projects including the Masdar 10MW Power Plant and has the largest installed capacity of any solar developer in the Middle East and North Africa.”
Capitalizing on Complementary Strengths
Highlighting and touting solar energy’s potential in the Middle East and North Africa, Enviromena CEO Sami Khoreibi added, “Petra Solar’s unique technology greatly expands our portfolio of photovoltaic solutions available to the MENA region. We see a large market here for distributed solar applications, particularly where smart grid initiatives are taking place.”
Founded in 2006, Petra Solar developed its SunWave Smart Solar system with the aid of US federal government financing and joint development programs. Its landmark commercial transaction came in late July 2009 with the announcement of a $200-million, 3-1/2-year project with New Jersey’s PSE&G to produce 200,000 smart solar systems for installation on the utility’s power and street light poles. This was followed up with the June, 2010 announcement of a similar distributed solar-smart grid system pilot project with Tampa Electric Co.
In January 2011, Petra announced its expansion into the MENA region with the launch of a research-and-development center in Amman, the capital of Jordan. In May, Petra Solar presented its vision of a national “Smart Solar Energy” plan it calls “Let Jordan Shine” at the Jordan-US Business Forum held under the royal patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II.
Enviromena Power Systems is intent on carving out a market-leading position in the MENA region’s up-and-coming solar energy market. In January 2009, the company announced the construction of the first and largest grid-connected solar PV plant in the region, a 10-MW facility consisting of 50% crystalline silicon and 50% thin-film solar PV arrays and supplying clean, renewable electricity to Abu Dhabi’s showcase renewable-energy-powered Masdar City.
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