Speaker Interviews

Dr. Toufic Hawat

Chief Technology Advisor, Middle East and Africa
Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., UAE

Dr. Hawat, Chief Technology Advisor at HUAWEI FusionSolar Smart PV Business for the MEA region. his responsibilities include establishing and overseeing Huawei client relations, coordination of project design and execution, origination and strategy development for partnerships. Dr. Hawat Joins Huawei from ME-Engineers with a strong background in general contracting, construction management for projects ranging in value up to USD 1.5 Billion. Work history includes some of the most recognized project in the world, mixed use commercial projects in the Americas and the Middle East.

Resourceful and team oriented senior executive Hold a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Paris VI and Master degree in Optical Engineering from the IEMN, with IMBA from Daniels College of Business, Denver University, having more than 24 years progressive experience in project management, electrical systems integration, and design for various type of industries that includes government, educational, commercial, laboratory, hospitality, sports, energy and infrastructure facilities.

Dr. Hawat brings professional experience maintaining high-performing fault tolerant systems on multiple platforms and had the opportunity to participate on many significant international projects, spending from the North Pole to the South Pole regions and hold more than 45 published papers ranging from atmospheric remote sensing, solar measurement and satellite validation campaigns.

Dr. Toufic Hawat

Chief Technology Advisor, Middle East and Africa
Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., UAE
1What are the key challenges faced in bringing renewables to the energy mix of Kuwait and other MENA regions?

The renewable energy is already part of the energy mix in the MENA region especially since 2016 when the cost of solar energy drops below the cost of producing electricity using fossil fuel on large scale plants. But the challenges that the renewable energy are still facing in Kuwait and the region are:

The lack of regulations and the setup of fixed tariff so the consumer and the investor can produce and sell this low-cost energy, including the delay in introducing the hybrid metering systems, and the grid connectivity infrastructure.

Government in most of the countries in the MENA region pledged percent of the energy to be produced using renewables, by launching many large-scale projects, but the business case must be demonstrated to the average consumer.

2What are the upcoming renewable energy and energy storage technologies to be implemented for renewable energy development especially in MENA region?
Solar PV is the most affordable renewable Energy resource for the MENA region and the world record has been broken many times in the last couple years, due to abandon solar radiation plus the availability of the land to install those large-scale plants. The storage of the solar energy in this part of the world, especially in the Sun Belt area could be resolved by “Following the Sun”, which mean by building a mega intercontinental grid where the energy can flow from production sites to consumers when the sun is not available, and in the other direction.
3What are the key take away points from your presentation at the summit? How will it help in building the knowledge base of the attendees?
The same way the telecommunication market has evolved and connect us by eliminating the boundary of the time and space, I think the Energy Internet could be effectively adopted by renewable energy is leading to a sustainable future specially knowing that the sun is transmitting to earth in 1 hour what the entire earth consumes for 1 year. In energy information sharing communication continue to excel and IoT technology will help connect and manage by bringing the energy production and consumption closer, As home energy management technology develops, homes once consume energy will also become independent power production units, and self-efficient units.
4Hope you had a chance to go through the agenda, please let us know your views on it and how helpful it is for our target audience?
I think the agenda is covering wide range of topics and bringing people from different background to discuss those topics and come out with comprehensive results for the targeted audience.

Mr. Faisal Rashid

Director, Demand Side Management
Supreme Council of Energy, UAE

Faisal Ali Rashid, U.A.E national, a degree holder of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Dayton, Ohio university, U.S.A 1991. Also, a certified PMP (Project Management Professional). Has a wide and solid experience in energy management including supply, strategy and demand. Has strong background in process industrial plant including oil & gas, power& water generation process, material handling process, glass manufacturing process, etc.

Current job is energy Demand side director in Dubai Supreme Council of Energy looking after the whole energy demand management spectrum of emirate of Dubai. Served previously in oil and gas industry for many years as project division manager / Project Manager, handled mega feed and EPC projects and worked as general manager in glass manufacturing company as well.

Mr. Faisal Rashid

Director, Demand Side Management
Supreme Council of Energy, UAE
1What are the key challenges faced in bringing renewables to the energy mix of Kuwait and other MENA regions?
The key challenges faced in bringing renewables to the energy mix of Kuwait and other MENA regions is availability and convenience of fossil fuel as a main supply, high up-front cost of building large renewable farm, non-existence of PPP regulation and high cost of building battery storage to provide energy to consumer during night time.
2What are the upcoming renewable energy and energy storage technologies to be implemented for renewable energy development especially in MENA region?
Based on study, Solar seems to be the most viable renewable energy solution in the mina region due high availability sun resources. Regarding large battery storage projects, they are under consideration and in the pipeline of many developed country’s agenda; experts are expecting that Renewable storage penetration to flourish beyond 2025.
3What are the key take away points from your presentation at the summit? How will it help in building the knowledge base of the attendees?
Setting reachable renewable regulation, roadmap and target is the starting point of any successful energy management strategy, accompanying with building institutional setting and capacity building to support reaching the target.
4Hope you had a chance to go through the agenda, please let us know your views on it and how helpful it is for our target audience?
The agenda is fit for purpose and it is quiet comprehensive.

Mr. Frank Wouters

Director
EU GCC Clean Energy Technology Network

Frank Wouters has been leading renewable energy projects, transactions, and technology development for over 28 years. He has played a lead role in development of renewable generation projects valued at over $5 billion. These include the 100MW Shams I Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plant in the UAE, and strategic equity investment in the London Array, the world’s largest offshore wind project. As Deputy Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) he managed a US$350 million IRENA/Abu Dhabi Fund for Development project facility for RE. He currently serves as Director of the EU GCC Clean Energy Technology Network, he is advising the World Bank on solar energy around the world, he serves as Sr. Director New Energy at Advisian, and he is a non-executive Board Director of Gorestreet Capital, London. He has a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Delft University. He is fluent in English, German and Dutch.

Mr. Frank Wouters

Director
EU GCC Clean Energy Technology Network
1What are the key challenges faced in bringing renewables to the energy mix of Kuwait and other MENA regions?
The high subsidies for fossil fuels and conventional power do not allow a level playing field and are a real barrier for cost-effective renewables. There is limited awareness among decision makers and the general population about the urgency to tackle climate change and the business case for renewables. Furthermore, the regulatory framework is presently not conducive for an accelerated introduction of renewables.
2What are the upcoming renewable energy and energy storage technologies to be implemented for renewable energy development especially in MENA region?
Low-cost solar PV can now be complemented with cost-effective CSP with long term thermal storage, providing 24/7 solar electricity. This has great potential to replace gas-fired power plants. Such low-cost solar electricity can also be used to produce hydrogen, a feedstock for the chemical industry, long term storage medium and clean transport fuel.
3What are the key take away points from your presentation at the summit? How will it help in building the knowledge base of the attendees?
Hydrogen is a key and necessary energy carrier if we want to mitigate catastrophic climate change. The GCC region is ideal to develop a hydrogen industry at scale due to the availability of low-cost solar power, ample land and the oil & gas industry. Hydrogen will not only be a main feedstock medium for the chemical and steel industry, as well as a major transport fuel, but can eventually replace oil & gas as a source of income on the international energy markets.

Dr. Osamah Alsayegh

Executive Director, Energy and Building Research Center
Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait

Dr. Osamah Alsayegh is the Executive Director of the Energy and Building Research Center (EBRC) at Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), and was the Director of the Science and Technology Division of EBRC from 2013 to May 2017. He has led and participated in number of energy and power system planning and strategies development projects involving conventional, renewable and nuclear systems. Dr. Alsayegh received his B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees all in Electrical Engineering in 1990, 1995 and 1999, respectively. He is a Senior Member in the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), IEEE Power Society, and Kuwait Society of Engineers.

Dr. Osamah Alsayegh

Executive Director, Energy and Building Research Center
Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait
1What are the key challenges faced in bringing renewables to the energy mix of Kuwait and other MENA regions?

The main challenge facing renewables deployment in Kuwait is institutional. Kuwait is lacking an institution with legal and regulatory frameworks to allow steady penetration of renewables in the energy mix. Such institution would be powered with regulatory tool to set tariffs, issue licenses, evaluate renewable power technologies performances and enforce legal provisions. This institutional function is the fundamental requirement to encourage investors being part of developing the energy mix in the country. The State of Kuwait is pursuing the development of its institutional capacity through top-bottom approach. In other words, a vision for renewables mix, has been put by the top of the authority in the country, by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh/ Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah who announced at the United Nations' 18th Conference for Climate Change, Doha, Qatar, 2012 that Kuwait will meet 15% of the demand from renewable sources by 2030. This vision is reflected by launching number of renewable energy projects thought which the institutional capacity development process has just started.

In the case of the MENA region, the challenges vary from one location to another. However, the most common challenges in the region include grid infrastructure incapacity in handling large scale renewable stations, and lack of financial incentives to private renewable energy developers. Such challenges should be tackled by political actors who would show the positive socio-economic benefits of renewable energy through creating new business and job opportunities, and meeting the clean environmental requirements.

Mr. Mohammad Abdalla Bin Ali

Director, Department of Excellence
Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority, Sharjah

Mohammad Abdalla Bin Ali is Director of Excellence at SEWA. He joined SEWA in 2000 in Information Technology Department. In 2008 he assigned to be Director of Technology Services in SEWA Head Office. In 2013 he promoted to Director of Strategic Planning & Corporate Excellence in Director General Office – Head Office. In 2014 he promoted to Director of Excellence – HO (Performance Management, Strategy, TQM, Award) he holds a degree of master in Executive MBA – from University of Sharjah, Software Engineering from UAE University, leadership program from University of Exeter in UK, leadership accreditation from (CSC) Singapore he is also ILM Certified level 7 (leadership and management Award) and Certified in EFQM, ISO 9001, 14001, 18001, 50001.

Mr. Mohammad Abdalla Bin Ali

Director, Department of Excellence
Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority, Sharjah
1What are the key challenges faced in bringing renewables to the energy mix of Kuwait and other MENA regions?

The main challenge facing renewables deployment in Kuwait is institutional. Kuwait is lacking an institution with legal and regulatory frameworks to allow steady penetration of renewables in the energy mix. Such institution would be powered with regulatory tool to set tariffs, issue licenses, evaluate renewable power technologies performances and enforce legal provisions. This institutional function is the fundamental requirement to encourage investors being part of developing the energy mix in the country. The State of Kuwait is pursuing the development of its institutional capacity through top-bottom approach. In other words, a vision for renewables mix, has been put by the top of the authority in the country, by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh/ Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah who announced at the United Nations' 18th Conference for Climate Change, Doha, Qatar, 2012 that Kuwait will meet 15% of the demand from renewable sources by 2030. This vision is reflected by launching number of renewable energy projects thought which the institutional capacity development process has just started.

In the case of the MENA region, the challenges vary from one location to another. However, the most common challenges in the region include grid infrastructure incapacity in handling large scale renewable stations, and lack of financial incentives to private renewable energy developers. Such challenges should be tackled by political actors who would show the positive socio-economic benefits of renewable energy through creating new business and job opportunities, and meeting the clean environmental requirements.

2What are the key challenges faced in bringing renewables to the energy mix of Kuwait and other MENA regions?

Temperature: Solar panel efficiency is affected negatively by temperature increases. The main effect of temperature on solar panels is that it reduces the efficiency of the solar cells at converting solar energy (sunlight) into electricity. In other words, the chemical reactions that occur within the solar panels are more efficient at cooler temperatures than at hot temperatures.

High maintenance cost due to dust and sand that can coat solar panels significantly, by reducing their effectiveness

3What are the upcoming renewable energy and energy storage technologies to be implemented for renewable energy development especially in MENA region?
Many companies practice the innovation on solar panel during the last period! Critical thinking and innovation has now allowed innovative solar panels to become available in today’s market. The innovation is in the physical properties like Flexible solar panels, usage of cladding and appear as transparent panels. With solar technology becoming common, more advance options based on competitive pricing is becoming available for users.