Solar energyECAS and EQM: Getting Solar Equipment Into the UAE
Modules, inverters, cables and batteries are regulated products in the UAE. How ECAS and EQM differ, and why Dubai adds a second gate.
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Solar energy news and analysis
Solar energy news across the Middle East and South Asia — utility-scale tenders and tariffs, rooftop and commercial installations, module supply and the economics behind each project.
Solar is the largest single subject in Arcnex Energy’s coverage, because it is where the Middle East and South Asia are adding the most capacity fastest. We report on project awards, tariff outcomes, construction milestones and the assumptions behind announced numbers.
Coverage spans utility-scale photovoltaic plants and independent power producer tenders, distributed rooftop and commercial and industrial systems, module and inverter supply, land and grid connection constraints, and operations and maintenance performance in high-temperature, high-dust environments.
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Solar energy stories.
19 stories on this desk.
Solar energySolar energySASO and SABER: Getting Solar Equipment Into Saudi Arabia
Solar modules and inverters need conformity certificates to clear Saudi customs. How SALEEM, SABER, PCoC and SCoC fit, and where exporters trip.
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Solar energyComparing Solar Quotations in Pakistan: A Buyer's Brief
A practical framework for comparing solar offers in Pakistan: define the job, expose exclusions and ask how the promised result will be checked.
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Solar energySolar Panel Recycling: From Materials to a Real Plan
Panels contain recoverable materials, but an owner still needs an accepted route, clear responsibilities and records. A lifecycle explainer.
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Solar energyNet Billing in Pakistan: Recalculating Rooftop Solar
Net billing prices exports and imports separately. A worked method for recalculating a rooftop solar case under Pakistan's 2026 rules.
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Solar energyString Inverters vs Microinverters vs Power Optimisers
Three ways to convert solar DC to AC, with very different behaviour under shade. How each handles a partly shaded roof, and which suits what.
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Solar energySolar Trackers Explained: When Following the Sun Pays Off
Single-axis trackers lift annual output substantially, at the cost of moving parts. How they work, what they gain, and where fixed-tilt wins.
Read storySolar energyHow Long Do Solar Panels Last? Degradation Explained
Solar panels don't stop at 25 years, they gradually produce less. What degradation rates mean, how warranties work, and what shortens life.
Read storySolar energyBifacial Solar Panels: How Much Extra Energy?
Bifacial modules generate from both faces, but the gain depends on what is underneath. How albedo, mounting height and trackers decide it.
Read storySolar energyMonocrystalline vs Polycrystalline Solar Panels
The mono versus poly debate is settled, and the reason is manufacturing economics, not performance. What differs and what to compare instead.
Read storySolar energyRooftop Solar in India: Subsidies, Sizing and the Process
India's residential rooftop programme offers subsidy support through a national scheme. How the process works, how to size, and where it stalls.
Read storySolar energyDust and Soiling: The Hidden Cost of Desert Solar
Dust quietly removes a large share of a desert solar plant's output. How soiling accumulates, what cleaning costs, and why robots took over.
Read storySolar energyHow Solar Panels Perform in Extreme Heat
Solar panels lose efficiency as they heat up, which matters enormously in Gulf and South Asian summers. The physics, the numbers, the fixes.
Read storySolar energyWhy Solar Power Is So Cheap in the Middle East
Gulf solar tenders produced some of the lowest electricity prices ever recorded. The five factors behind those tariffs, and why they don't travel.
Read storySolar energyCommercial and Industrial Solar in Pakistan
Factories have the best solar economics in Pakistan: big daytime loads, big roofs, high tariffs. How to structure and finance a C&I project.
Read storySolar energySolar Tube Wells in Pakistan: Economics and Sizing
Solar pumping transformed irrigation economics for Pakistani farmers. How to size a system, what it replaces, and the groundwater risk.
Read storySolar energySolar Inverters in Pakistan: On-Grid, Off-Grid, Hybrid
On-grid, off-grid and hybrid inverters do different jobs. How to choose for a Pakistani home or business, and why the wrong one blocks net metering.
Read storySolar energyHow Many Solar Panels to Run a House in Pakistan?
A step-by-step method for sizing a home solar system in Pakistan from your own bill, plus the load-profile mistake that wastes money.
Read storySolar energySolar Panel Prices in Pakistan: What Drives the Cost
Why solar prices in Pakistan move the way they do — module imports, the rupee, inverter quality, and the costs quotations bury.
Read storyANSWERS
Solar energy questions
What is utility-scale solar?
Utility-scale solar refers to large photovoltaic power plants — typically tens to hundreds of megawatts or more — that sell electricity into the grid under a power purchase agreement, rather than serving a single building or site.
Why do solar tariffs differ so much between countries?
Tariffs reflect solar irradiance, land and grid connection costs, the cost and tenor of debt, currency risk, tender design and the creditworthiness of the offtaker. Two identical plants in different markets can price very differently for those reasons alone.