A combination of deals worth an estimated $26mn have been announced at The Big 5 Solar by GSHK, distributor of flexible solar panels.
CEO of GSHK, Naseer Sayed, said: We are a strong believer of technology for the mass and what better way to do that than having our next generation flexible solar cells at The Big 5 Solar to show to the world. In the first day alone we had completed a handout of about 700 brochures.
GSHK have so far finalised deals with clients from India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain. The brand anticipate more deals to come and Sayed said: We are looking to do two projects with two government entities in the Emirates.
Displaying what looks to be a fully functioning solar farm – flat photovoltaic panels, three rows deep and rotating – the Back 2 Back Distribution stand has also been drawing in crowds throughout The Big 5 Solar event.
Having a product on display of this size, that is moving, is getting the attention of everyone that walks by which is great. Everyone is loving it, so far we have had customers who are very interested in integrating this system, says Yashas Mahtani Daswani Solar Engineer at Back 2 Back Distribution, in partnership with Almaden.
The solar tracking system on display is being launched at The Big 5 Solar this year, and can boast of having 30% more efficiency than traditional, fixed solar panel solutions. Daswani explains: With a normal solar panel when you have it flat on the roof, the sun moves but the panel just stays steady. So, in a normal day, you have approximately six hours, but with this tracking system you can double the amount of hours during which you generate power.
Commenting on the traffic of visitors from the GCC to their stand, product development manager of S-5!, Nik Holley, remarks: PV in the region seems to be really sparked, like an exciting interest where it seems new, where everybody is trying to figure out how to become a part of it, theres a lot of excitement surrounding the solar industry here. The company specialise in fixing solar panels onto metal surfaces, and forecast that building with metal is a fundamental choice in facilitating rooftop solar.
She adds: Solar technology is developing quickly, and is providing visitors to The Big 5 Solar with a huge variety of solutions and applications. Rooftop solar and off-grid solar solutions are extremely interesting, and it seems the next big thing will probably be the implementation of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) solutions in the GCC.
Discussing BIPV, sales manager for Sunman Basem Abdullah, poses the scenario: Lets say you built your design with traditional PV solutions, you are limited to only generating power on the roof. Now, architects are being given the free hand to use solar technology any way they want, and by mounting solar vertically you are increasing your generation capabilities.