Qatar- QSTec wins Best GCC Integrated Solar Company award at LSE
Date
6/12/2016 1:20:29 PM
(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Dr Khalid Klefeekh Al Hajri (right), Chairman and CEO, QSTec, receiving the award.
DOHA: Qatar Solar Technologies (QSTec) has won the Best GCC Integrated Solar Company Award in recognition for its advancement along the solar value chain by World Finance magazine.
Dr Khalid Klefeekh Al Hajri, Chairman and CEO, QSTec, was invited to attend the award ceremony, which was held at the London Stock Exchange (LSE) in London.
“We would like to thank Qatar Foundation, SolarWorld, Qatar Development Bank, Centrotherm and our staff for the instrumental role they have played in all of our successes. This award serves as an affirmation that QSTec is realising its vision to become a world leading integrated solar company through a strategy that has seen it expand from Doha right across the world,” said Dr Al Hajri. “The consortium between QSTec, SolarWorld and Centrotherm was developed to share knowledge, utilise each other’s key strengths and improve costs and efficiencies. To win this award based on our strategic direction for advancement is very encouraging for QSTec and the region’s solar industry.”
In the post-award interviews held at the LSE, Dr Al Hajri stated that the two greatest challenges for the renewable energy sector was the need to continually drive down costs to make renewables even more cost competitive with other forms of electricity production, and the need to make energy storage solutions more available, scalable and at a lower cost.
However, Dr Al Hajri emphasised that the solution involved stakeholders uniting, in the interest of development, to overcome the fragmentation prevalent in the renewable energy industry and join together to address these key issues. “Our consortium has come together to address these issues head on and we urge others in the industry to collaborate together so we can progress much faster,” said Al Hajri.
Furthermore, Dr Al Hajri explained that the success of QSTec in constructing the first of its kind polysilicon production facility in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, coupled with QSTec strategic investments, will play a major role in shaping the MENA regions’ solar industry. The facility will produce 8,000 metric tons of polysilicon and can expand along the value chain to produce over 45,000 tons of polysilicon a year. This development will enable the future production of 6.5 gigawatts of solar technologies each year.
This is the second award won by QSTec in quick succession who, just a few weeks ago, picked up a Ta’atheer Award for Best CSR Integrated Business for its Shams Generation solar learning initiative.
The Peninsula