Dr Khalid Klefeekh al-Hajri receiving the award at the Abu Dhabi event.
Qatar Solar Technologies (QSTec) has been voted as a winner of the ‘Leadership in Global Solar Technology’ awards at the fourth Middle East Business Leaders Awards, which honours the best in innovation and excellence in the region, in Abu Dhabi.
Dr Khalid Klefeekh al-Hajri, QSTec chairman and CEO, joined hundreds of senior executives from some of the world’s most recognised companies to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of all winners of the 2013 Middle East Business Leaders Awards.
The nominees were judged by an international panel of business experts, including academics and leaders in the fields of product development, marketing, design, engineering, science and global commerce.
The Leadership in Global Solar Technology Award was presented to Dr al-Hajri - in the presence of Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan - by the secretary-general of the Federation of GCC Chambers of Commerce, Abdulrahim Hassan Naqi, in recognition of QSTec’s role in developing a solar industry in Qatar and the wider GCC region.
“Our countless hours of hard work and determination have resulted in this award for QSTec,” said Dr al-Hajri. “We set out to build and promote a new industry for Qatar and the region - the solar industry - and it is an honour to be recognised for our efforts. We are building the region’s first polysilicon manufacturing facility, partnering with Qatar’s leading organisations and supplying innovative solar solutions and technologies for use locally and internationally. The GCC is one of the fastest growing solar energy markets and QSTec, with its focus on quality products, research and service, is well placed to meet this growth.”
QSTec is currently building an 8,000-metric tonne per annum polysilicon plant in Ras Laffan Industrial City. Along with its partners, it recently supplied the solar technologies for Barwa’s Passivhaus-Baytna project and signed an agreement with the Educate A Child programme to supply solar technologies to several schools in remote and troubled communities.
“QSTec and our partners are fortunate to be working in an industry that allows us to harness the sun’s energy and make a significant impact on communities and our environment worldwide,” said Dr al-Hajri. “The uses of solar energy are seemingly endless and we look forward to working with our partners on many more exciting projects in the future.”