Solar expo from September 17-19

Manama :  The three-day Solar Technology Energy and Environment in Bahrain expo (STEEB), a first-ever event in the Kingdom, to be held under the patronage of Dr Abdul Hussain Mirza, Minister of Water and Electricity, will begin at the Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre on September 17. 

This was announced by Amira Al Hassan, CEO of Arab Gate Expos, which is organizing the event, at a press conference held at the Majlis Hall of Bait Al Tijjar, yesterday. 

“Through this expo, we want to help develop Bahrain as a hub of solar technologies,” said Amira, urging people to come and be a part of the expo, which will conclude on June 19.  

“Bahrain has huge potential to develop new solutions that are exclusive to the country, much more feasible and innovative that these could quickly roll into the green economy agenda,” said Dr Rula Qalyoui, Regional Coordinator, Science Division, United Nations Environment Programme. 

“I am really glad that an exhibition like this is going to be held in Bahrain which will open up discussions on solar technologies,” he added.

“A lot of countries have made a leap in this sector, so it is great that Bahrain is catching up too, as this will not only help the country environmentally but also economically,” said Dr Qalyoui, adding that the challenges the Kingdom’s energy sector face are the same  faced by other countries in the world.  

He also said that it was encouraging to see the involvement of private companies in solar energy, which has great investment potential in the sector.

Dr Abdulla Alsada from Tamkeen said that his organisation was ready to support Bahrainis wishing to improve their skills or build capacity in the sector.  

Ragu Vadlamudi, Country Representative of Bahrain Solar Industry Association (BSIA) said that it was the right time for Bahrain to invest in the sector, especially considering the increasing power prices. 

“We believe that this is the way forward towards sustainability,” he added.