MESIA solar awards winners announced at WFES

Innovation has really been the key to the success and the growth of the solar industry. It underpins all of the technology that is needed for the successful transition to a clean energy economy, which is why it is important that it is celebrated every once and while; something that MESIA aimed to do during their awards ceremony last night.

Nine winners were chosen in nine separate categories, to celebrate innovation and best practice across the Middle East and North Africa’s solar industry, in partnership with the WFES that has been taking place this week. The winners were chosen, from approximately 60 applicants, by seven judges, with some big solar players, and some littler ones, collecting the prizes.

“The MESIA Solar Awards event recognizes the companies and individuals who are instrumental in advancing the cause of solar and renewables in the region,” commented MESIA Vice-President James Stewart.

U.S. solar tracker manufacturer Array Technologies was one of the big winners, coming out on top of the Solar System Innovation of the Year category, for its DuraTrack HZ v3 Load Mitigation Technology. This state-of-the-art technology allows PV plants to be more self-sufficient, by facilitating a human-free interaction.

Indian EPC Sterling & Wilson is continuing to make a name for itself in the global PV market, and here scooped up the prestigious Project of the Year award, for its 170 MW project in Morocco. The project was built as part of the Noor PV 1 Program, and was chosen for its high degree of technical innovation and its uniqueness.

As women continue to play more prominent roles in the development of solar, it is fitting that the awards included a Women of the Year category, which was won by Senior Research Scientist at the Research Center for Renewable Energy Mapping and Assessment, Masdar Institute, Dr. Imen Gherboudj. Her important role at the institute currently sees her assessing the impact of dust on solar irradiation, which is a significant challenge in the MENA region.

The other winners of the awards included: Relyon Solar for Rooftop Solar Project of the Year, Enerwhere CEO Daniel Zywietz for Solar Entrepreneur of the Year, Synergy Consulting IFA for Financial Advisor of the Year, ACWA Power for Regional Company of the Year, and a fitting end was a celebration of the Most Innovative Technology on Display at the WFES, which ent to DAS Energy, for its non-glass PV modules.