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Articles on Renewables in Middle East

• UAE stepping into the 'green zone'
  Jul 2, 2010 - Datamonitor - Energy Central
  
  The global drive to improve the environmental profile of energy production continues, and the UAE has the potential to be a leader in this area, partly due to its natural geographical advantages.
  
  
• Middle East to build first major solar power plant
  Jun 28, 2010 - renewableenergyfocus.com
  
  Contracts have been let for a 100 MW solar power facility that will be built near the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
  
  
• Egypt gets World Bank loan for power project
  May 21, 2010 - Xinhua
  
  Egypt has reached a 220 million U.S. dollars loan agreement with the World Bank for a power transmission project, Egyptian media said Friday.
  
  
• Jordan committed to renewable energy
  Apr 20, 2010 - Taylor Luck - Jordan Times
  
  Jordan is determined to pursue renewable energy despite difficulties posed by the international market, a top energy official said on Thursday.
  
  
• Israel utility IEC considers low-carbon power alternatives
  Mar 11, 2010 - Power Engineering International
  
  Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) is considering building a 1200 MW nuclear power plant and a 1000 MW solar array, instead of building a coal fired integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) power plant,
  
  
• Green energy revolution expected in Kingdom
  Mar 9, 2010 - Amjad Parkar - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
  
  Saudi Arabia and the Gulf signalled their intention to kick-start a renewable energy revolution in the region on Monday.
  
  
• Israel, Syria announce nuclear energy ambitions
  Mar 9, 2010 - Angela Charlton - The Associated Press
  
  Mideast rivals Israel and Syria on Tuesday each announced ambitions to develop nuclear energy, with Israel facing the prospect that its plan could bring new international attention to its secretive nuclear activities.
  
  
• Solar energy initiative launched
  Jan 25, 2010 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
  
  The King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology (KACST) on Sunday launched a major national initiative to produce desalinated water and electricity at a much cheaper rate -- less than a riyal for a cubic meter of water and 30 halalas per kilowatt/hour. Prince Turki bin Saud bin Muhammad, vice president of KACST for research institutes, said the initiative would reduce the cost of water and electricity production by 40 percent. He said the first solar-powered desalination plant with a capacity of 30,000 cubic meters would be established in Al-Khafji to serve 100,000 people.
  
  
• Iran plans new renewable energy plants: minister
  Jan 18, 2010 - Stanley Carvalho - Jason Benham - Reuters
  
  ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Opec member Iran plans to develop new renewable energy power plants over the next five years with capacity totaling 2,000 megawatts (MW) to meet energy demand, its deputy minister for electricity said on Sunday.
  
  
• "Better Place will spend $1.1b on Israeli electric car project"
  Nov 4, 2009 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Dubi Ben-Gedalyahu Globes, Tel Aviv, Israel
  
  Better Place will have to invest $1.1 billion over the next six years to buy the batteries and build the battery replacement centers and recharging points for its electric car venture in Israel alone, according to a report by Deutsche Bank on electric cars.
  
  
• Enlight to build new nation-wide solar energy project
  Oct 6, 2009 - Merav Ankori - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
  
  Enlight Renewable Energy Ltd. has won a BOT (build, operate, transfer) project for 25 solar energy installations. Enlight will set up and operate the installations together with investors. The company is in advanced talks to secure financing with one of Israel's big banks, which sources inform "Globes" is Bank Hapoalim (TASE: POLI). The financial closing is due in a few weeks.
  
  
• Israeli scientists generate electricity from road traffic
  Oct 5, 2009 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
  
  Israeli scientists have achieved a breakthrough in alternative energy, by generating electricity from road traffic. The technology was developed by Ra'anana-based start up Innowwattech Ltd., and Israel National Roads Company Ltd. and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology participated in the trial.
  
  
• Masdar 10 MV solar PV plant connects to Abu Dhabi power grid
  Jun 5, 2009 - renewable energy focus.com
  
  Abu Dhabi-based solar integrator Enviromena Power Systems has completed the Masdar 10 MW solar power plant, the largest grid-connected solar system in the Middle East and North Africa.
  
  
• Enviromena Completes It's First Large Scale Project: Masdar 10MW Solar Plant
  Jun 02, 2009 - Middle East Company News
  
  Abu Dhabi based solar integrator Enviromena Power Systems (Enviromena) announced the completion of the Masdar 10MW Solar Power Plant, the largest grid connected solar system in the Middle East and North Africa.
  
  
• Wind power has potential to generate 31,500MW electricity: Cheema
  Apr 26, 2009 - Asia Pulse Data Source
  
  Managing Director Energy Management Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) Tahir Bashir Cheema has said that Wind power has potential to generate 31,500 MW electricity in the country.
  
  
• Qatar to build USD 500 m solar power plant
  Mar 23, 2009 - Asia Pulse Data Source
  
  Qatar is planning to build a major solar energy plant with an aim to generate at least 100 MW of solar power within five years, a news report said today.
  
  
• Abu Dhabi's Green Ambitions: An Emirate Focused on Energy
  Jan 23, 2009 - Marc Gunther
  
  "You've got one of the oil capitals of the world taking a strong interest in renewable energy," Tony Blair said. "It's quite impressive to see."
  
  
• Gulf Oil States Seeking a Lead in Clean Energy
  Jan 12, 2009 - Nytimes.com
  
  ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - With one of the highest per capita carbon footprints in the world, these oil-rich emirates would seem an unlikely place for a green revolution.
  
  
• Dubai starts ambitious 1GW PV production plan using Applied’s SunFab technology
  Oct 27, 2008 - Mark Osborne - pv-tech.org
  
  At a two day event held in Atlantis, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, Mr. Sultan bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai World (pictured), announced the establishment of a photovoltaics manufacturing company, dubbed Solar Technologies FZE, which will build an operate a 130MW production plant in Dubai’s Technopark. Future plans include establishing manufacturing facilities in China, Mexico and Bulgaria, which will increase the total production capacity to 1GW by 2015.
  
  
• UK troops in huge turbine mission
  Sep 2, 2008 - Alastair Leithead - BBC News - Helmand
  
  Almost three thousand British troops in southern Afghanistan have successfully transported a huge hydroelectric power turbine through Taleban territory. In one of their biggest operations in Helmand, a convoy of 100 vehicles took five days to move the massive sections of the turbine 180 km (112 miles).
  
  
• German energy giant to bid on Negev solar plant
  Apr 30, 2008 - Lior Baron - Globes - Tel Aviv - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
  
  The tender to build and operate the Negev solar power station at Ashelim is drawing international alternative energy companies to Israel. Sources inform "Globes" that Germany's Solar Millennium AG (XETRA: S2M), one of the world's top three solar energy companies, plans to participate in the $650-700 million tender. Solar Millennium is considering collaborating with some of the Israeli companies already participating in the tender, and recently met representatives of Israel Corp. (TASE: ILCO) to discuss a possible joint bid in the tender.
  
  
• New report out on future energy scenarios in the GCC
  Apr 3, 2008 - BusinessIntelligence Middle East (BI-ME)
  
  UAE. With initiatives like MASDAR in Abu Dhabi and ENPARK in Dubai, the UAE is set to lead the world in future energy technologies according to a new report titled 'Future Energy Scenarios - Exploring the Energy Challenges and Opportunities in the GCC'.
  
  
• Abu Dhabi and Spanish entities combine to develop concentrating solar projects
  Mar 21, 2008 - Power News
  
  Spanish engineering group SENER and Abu Dhabi energy company MASDAR have incorporated a new company, Torresol Energy, whose mission will be to develop, build, and operate large concentrated solar power (CSP) plants worldwide.
  
  
• Low-cost Solar Thermal Plants at Heart of Algerian-German Research Push
  Mar 20, 2008 - Jan Burgermeister - renewableenergyworld.com
  
  Vienna, Austria - The development of a new generation of large-scale, low-cost solar thermal power plants is the focus of a joint research agreement signed between Algeria and Germany.
  
  
• Iceland, Abu Dhabi will cooperate in renewable energy: Grimsson
  Jan 22, 2008 - Asia Pulse Data Source
  
  Iceland is a fundamental proof that it is possible within the lifetime of one generation to transform the energy system of our countries, said President of Iceland Olafur Ragnar Grimsson at the World Forum Energy Summit (WFES) which opened Monday at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
  
  
• Energy from the sun gets off the ground: After a long delay, the tender for building the Negev solar power plant will be published
  Jan 3, 2008 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Dalia Tal Globes, Tel Aviv, Israel
  
  The Ministries of Finance and National Infrastructures will publish the BOT (build, operate, transfer) tender for the Negev solar power plant at Ashelim, after years of delay. This is Israel's first tender for a solar powered plant. Many other countries already have such power stations in operation or under construction.
  
  
• World Bank mulls financing Negev solar project
  Dec 20, 2007 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Lior Baron Globes, Tel Aviv
  
  The World Bank is considering financing the proposed solar energy power station planned to be built in the Negev. A World Bank delegation may visit Israel to meet officials from the Ministries of Finance and National Infrastructures to discuss the project. The World Bank has already expressing its willingness to finance the Red-Dead Sea canal, or "Peace canal", subject to a feasibility study.
  
  
• Iran to open geothermal power plant in 2009
  Dec 18, 2007 - BBC Monitoring
  
  The head of the country's new energies [institution] has said that the construction project of the geothermal power plant in Meshkinshahr would be completed by the end of next year [21 March 2009].
  
  
• How Africa's desert sun can bring Europe power
  Dec 2, 2007 - The Observer
  
  A £5bn solar power plan, backed by a Jordanian prince, could provide the EU with a sixth of its electricity needs - and cut carbon emissions
  Europe is considering plans to spend more than £5bn on a string of giant solar power stations along the Mediterranean desert shores of northern Africa and the Middle East.
  
  
• Clean Power from Desert (pdf)
  Nov 26, 2007 - The Club of Rome
  
  The Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation (TREC) is an initiative of The Club of Rome, the Hamburg Climate Protection Foundation and the National Energy Research Center of Jordan (NERC) in the field of renewable forms of energy. Since it was founded in 2003, it has developed the DESERTEC Concept for energy, water and climate security in EUrope, the Middle East and North Africa (EU-MENA), promoting cooperation between countries of the sun-belt and the technology belt. Now TREC is making this concept a reality in cooperation with people in politics, industry and the world of finance.
  
  
• Egypt signs contract for solar power plant
  Oct 21, 2007 - BBC Monitoring
  
  Cairo - Egyptian Electricity and Energy Minister Hasan Yunis attended Sunday [21 October] the signing ceremony of a contract on the implementation of a solar component in the first Egyptian solar power station.
  
  
• Arab countries urge solar future
  Jul 8, 2007 - Vanya Wlaker-Leigh - Times of Malta
  
  Arab energy ministers and some EU politicians attending a high-level conference in this desert oasis town flanked by the ruins of a vast Roman city, announced support for a revolutionary renewable energy electricity supply system proposed by Germany to link both areas. The Damascus Declaration adopted here on June 24 by them as well as the several hundred participants (scientists, industrialists, civil servants) at the Fourth Middle East and North Africa Renewable Energy Conference (MENAREC4) advocated "large-scale renewable energy systems" which would permit solar electricity to the EU. All nations were invited to set national renewable energy targets, and donors were asked to massively increase related assistance.
  
  
• Saudi Arabia of Renewable Energy' Off Scotland's Coast
  Jun 23, 2007 - The Scotsman
  
  It has been described as the "greatest untapped source of energy Scotland has ever had", capable of generating enough electricity for every home and business in the country several times over.
  
  
• Iran's First Solar Power Plant to Become Operational in 2010
  Apr 13, 2007 - BBC Monitoring Middle East
  
  Tehran: Iran's first solar thermal electric power plant will become operational in 2010 in central province of Yazd.
  
  
• Egypt tries Concentrating Solar Power
  Feb 20, 2007 - Derek Sands - ME Times
  
  CAIRO -- Egypt may soon harness the same physics that a child uses to burn an ant with a magnifying glass, to generate electricity from the sun, a move that reflects the growth of Concentrating Solar Power technology worldwide. Plans to build a 150 megawatt (MW) combined solar- and gas-powered electric plant near Cairo are part of a larger effort by Egypt, and others in the region, to expand their use of renewable energies, including solar, wind, and nuclear power.
  
  
• Gulf to get first solar-power plant
  Feb 18, 2007 - Aljazeera.net
  
  AbuDhabi is to build a $350m solar power plant, the first of its kind in the Gulf, according to an investor in the project.
  
  
• A Study: Deserts offer cheap source of energy = 1/3 the price of oil
  Nov 21, 2006 - Asia Wind
  
  SAHARA sunshine could provide Europe with clean and cheap energy, according to a study for the German government. Experts said solar energy from north Africa could help to reduce emissions from European power stations by 70 per cent by 2050 as well as providing energy at a cost equivalent to a $20 barrel of oil - about a third of the current price.
  
  
• Notice the sunshine in the desert
  Jun 21, 2006 - Sanjay suri - IPSnews
  
  A recent United Nations report suggests that the Sahara desert could capture enough solar energy to eventually supply all of the world's electricity needs. The report also points to some of the threats such as declining water resources which threaten delicate desert ecosystems.
  

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