Global Solar Leaders Summit
Vision, leadership and strategic action powering solar market transformation
14 September 2015
Dubai World Trade Center
09:15 Registration and refreshments
10:00 Opening remarks from the Chair
EithneTreanor, Special Correspondent, CNBC Arabia; Managing Director, ETreanor
Media
Ministerial and Keynote Address
10:15 Ministerial Address: Shaping energy sector reform in Jordan
HE Dr. Ibrahim Saif, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Jordan
10:30 Ministerial Address:Towards a sustainable energy future
HE AbidSher Ali, Minister of State for Water and Power, Pakistan
10:45 MENA LeadersPanel: Progressive policies to drive solar market transformation
Renewable energy has been widely embraced across the MENA region, with many
countries establishing regulatory frameworks to support market development. Solar PV
costs continue to fall at record-breaking rates of nine to 12 percent across residential,
commercial and utility-scale solar installations. It is estimated that by 2020, the MENA
region will attract over $50billion of investment into its solar power sector and according
to a recent Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA) report, solar projects having
capacity to produce up to 1,800 MW of power are to be awarded or tendered over the
next 12 months in the region. There has never been a better time for regional
governments to come togetherin active discourse and shared best practice to discuss the
remaining challenges and explore the untold opportunities facing both distributed and
utility-scale solar deployment, financing, delivery and integration.
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How are governments creating attractive, transparent conditions to attract inward
investment into both distributed and large-scale solar projects?
How does distributed solar power generation contribute to overall renewables
generation and to the overall energy mix across MENA?
How can we optimise energy infrastructure and accelerate renewable energy
integration?
What are the main barriers still facing widespread solar power implementation
and how can these be overcome?
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How can feed-in tariffs be leveraged to drive solar market growth?
How have Shams I in the UAE and Noor I, II and III in Morocco changed the playing
field for other governments in the process of commissioning large-scale solar
power plants?
 What specific plans are in place for the next two to five years: Timeline,
procurement mechanisms and off-grid versus on-grid?
 How can the MENA region embrace a collaborative approach to ensure energy
sector sustainability long into the future?
Moderator:EithneTreanor, Special Correspondent, CNBC Arabia; Managing
Director, ETreanor Media
Abdelkader el-Mekki, Director General, Ministry of Energy and Mining, Algeria
Graeme Sims, Executive Director, Regulatory & Supervisory Bureau Dubai, UAE
Dr. Mohammed Salah el-Sobki, Executive Chairman, New and Renewable Energy
Authority, Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Egypt
Eng. SuhailaMarafie, Director, Research and Studies, Ministry of Electricity and
Water, Kuwait
Eng. ZiadJebril Sabra, Advisor to Minister, Ministry of Energy and Mineral
Resources, Jordan
11:45 Morning refreshments
12:15 International Keynote: Freiburg’s green city transformation: A roadmap to 100%
renewable energy by 2050
Dr. Dieter Salomon, Mayor, City of Freiburg, Germany
12:45 Distributed Generation Panel: Harnessing the potential of rooftop solutions
The launch of DEWA’s first rooftop solar scheme Shams Dubai, has provided
groundbreaking legislation regulating the generation of solar power in buildings and
connecting this to the grid. As the technology to both develop power grids using more
distributed generation and integrate distributed generation into large electric grids is
getting more advanced each year, this clarity in the regulatory framework has been
welcomed by industry stakeholders who have identified significant opportunities in
rooftop and off-grid solar generation. This session will assess the impact of Shams Dubai
in terms of activity and transactions in the local solar market and what it might mean for
other governments looking to introduce rooftop guidance.
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What is the market potential for solar micro-grids and storage in the MENA
region?
What are the projected outcomes for Shams Dubai in the lead up to Expo 2020?
What can other regional governments learn from Shams Dubai to develop
regulations that will facilitate distributed generation?
How can the industry develop a collaborative approach to create sustainable PV
programmes?
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What are the next steps to accelerate distributed generation and facilitate market
growth?
Moderator: Imtiaz Mahtab, President of Board of Directors, Middle East Solar
Industry Association, UAE
Daniel Zywietz, Co-founder & CEO, Enerwhere; Vice-chairman, Clean Energy
Business Council, UAE
Maged Mahmoud, Technical Director, Regional Center for Renewable Energy and
Energy Efficiency, Egypt
Eng. Mohammed al-Ta'ani, General Manager, Arab Renewable Energy Commission,
Jordan
13:30 Lunch
14:30 Finance Panel: Attracting capital to develop solar schemes
MESIA has forecasted that the MENA region’s solar market will attract over $50billion
in investment in the next five years. This session will bring together investors, financiers
and analysts to share their thoughts and experiences on what key indicators they
consider before investing in or financing a solar project.
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Regulatory framework
Market conditions
Risk assessment and risk management
Contract structure and fulfillment
Future opportunities: What do our panel of experts see as the next big opportunity
for solar power?
Moderator: Simon Stevens, Middle East Solar Industry Association, UAE
Allan Baker, Global Head of Power Advisory & Project Finance, Societe General, UAE
Jeremy Crane, Chief Operating Officer, Adenium Capital, UAE
Irwin Walters, Senior Global Partner, Clean Energy, Eversheds, UK
Oliver Ebner, Executive Director, Project Finance, National Bank of Abu Dhabi, UAE
Umer Ahmad, Head of Project & Infrastructure Finance, Deloitte, UAE
15:15 Action Roadmap Round Table: Aligning policy, investment and infrastructure
development to drive solar market outcomes
The economically-diverse MENA region ranges from gas- and oil-rich economies in the
Gulf and countries that are resource-scarce relative to population, such as Egypt, Jordan
and Morocco. However, as a whole they share a burden of energy overconsumption per
capita, growing populations and energy supply pressures threatening sustainability in the
long-term. There has been no lack of vision, with regional leaders earmarking energy
sector reform, growth and development as a key focus area. But how can we now make
the transition from planning and discourse to market competition, attractive economics
and real, sustained change and development?
Policymaker: What more can regional governments do to diversify their energy mix and
create a regulatory framework that incentivizes and enables renewable energy project
development?
Developer: What are the key factors influencing development decisions and how can we
align public and private sector objectives to stimulate growth?
Investor: What lessons can be learnt from public and private investment experiences in
solar projects and how are investors and financiers currently assessing market
opportunities around MENA? What structures need to be in place to facilitate capital
into solar projects?
Moderator:EithneTreanor, Special Correspondent, CNBC Arabia; Managing
Director, ETreanor Media, UAE
Gus Schellekens, Middle East Sustainability Leader, PwC, UAE
HadiTahboub, Executive Director, Middle East, Skypower, UAE
Hanna Zaghloul, Chief Executive Officer, Kawar Energy, Jordan
Nabil Saimi, Director, Brookstone Partners, Morocco
16:00 Closing Keynote: Pushing the boundaries of solar innovation
Hear from a noted visionary, entrepreneur, investor and international personality as they
share their experiences on pushing the boundaries of innovation and the potential of solar
energy.
Dr. Bertrand Piccard,Initiator, Chairman and Pilot of Solar Impulse, Switzerland
16:30 Closing remarks and end of theGlobal Solar Leaders Summit