Global solar-tech leaders gather at the 2nd Annual Solar Arabia Summit, Riyadh

Given the dismal state of the almost saturated solar markets, Saudi Arabia's growing interest in the solar industry is seen by many as a boost to the international market. The country's solar power plants dreams are in focus at Naseba's 2nd Annual Solar Arabia Summit in Riyadh, which is providing a perfect backdrop for key policy-makers, government officials, investors and business conglomerates to capitalise on the Kingdom's investment of $109bn in the sector.

In addition to the 40 global leaders in solar industry who have confirmed their participation on September 16th and 17th, over 200 C-level solar energy executives were in attendance at the summit. The 2nd Annual Solar Arabia Summit comprises an exhibition, networking sessions and panel discussions. The first discussion of the day was delivered by HE Dr Abdullah Mohammed Al Shehri, Governor, Electricity and Co-Generation Regulatory Authority, Saudi Arabia; Steven Geiger, Chairman, Skolkovo foundation and Gerhard Stryi-Hipp, Head of Energy Policy and Coordinator Smart Energy Cities, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy.

During this discussion, the Governor highlighted that, ECRA will "give full support to the [solar energy] industry." as he continued that in order for the industry to be successful, the "consumer experience must also be innovative."

"Up until now, Europe (and particularly Germany) was leading the PV market. However, USA, Japan, India and especially China are growing markets while Europe is stagnating. Due to recent announcements from the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, we expect this region will also become an important player in the solar sector very soon," said Stryi-Hipp.

HE Dr Osama Fadl Al-Bar, Mayor, Holy City of Makkah has also confirmed his attendance and will be speaking on the 100 MW Makkah Municipality project and the scope for growth of solar energy in the region.

Nicholas Watson, Managing Director, Naseba remarked: "Amid reports suggesting that Saudi Arabia could exhaust their export oil supply by 2030, the Kingdom is obviously taking the wise approach to diversifying its energy sources to sustain economic growth. This summit is an excellent and well-timed platform for international solar developers and manufacturers who want to engage with key stakeholders in the country."