EU to Promote Investments in Oman’s Rooftop Solar Capacity

The workshop is backed by the EU-GCC Clean Energy Technology Network, which aims to create new partnerships by bringing together expertise from the EU and GCC regions.

SEATTLE (Oil Monster): The European Union (EU) has offered support to Oman’s effort to boost solar power capacity. Accordingly, the EU will provide technological knowhow and stakeholder assistance to Oman’s effort to attract investments in solar capacity through installation of solar PVs.

As part of the effort, the EU will organize a workshop to showcase the latest trends and developments in rooftop solar PV sector. The two-day workshop will be held December 13-14, 2017 in Muscat in co-operation with its partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Authority for Electricity Regulations (AER) and Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). The workshop will also be attended by experts from the Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA), a non-profit, non-governmental organization that aims to promote solar energy in the region.

The workshop is backed by the EU-GCC Clean Energy Technology Network, which aims to create new partnerships by bringing together expertise from the EU and GCC regions. The two-day event will feature exchange of innovative ideas and industry best practices. The event will give significant boost to the ‘Sahim Initiative’ launched by authorities to encourage local homeowners to install solar arrays on their rooftops. The initiative aims to cover around 3,000 to 5,000 residential homes in its first phase.

Incidentally, one of the studies commissioned by Sultanate of Oman’s Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) states that the rooftops of residential houses in the country can potentially hold approximately 1.4 giga-watt (GW) of solar power capacity. The power generation from solar panels could help in securing electricity supplies during emergencies, it said.