Companies represented at the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) this month are working towards the same goal of reducing carbon emissions.
The future of power
World Future Energy Summit 2012 World leaders and policy makers come to Abu Dhabi to talk about the future of clean technology and energy. Stay on top of developments with The National's coverage.
But there will be plenty of tension between the event's two largest contingents.
Wen Jiabao, the Chinese premier, will hold his keynote speech at the summit, which starts on January 16 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), in front of a familiar crowd, with China set to field the most companies for a second year running. More than 50 Chinese companies are expected to be present at WFES, said Frederic Theux, the president of Reed Exhibitions, the event organiser. There will be about 40 companies from Germany, China's biggest competitor for exhibition space, at WFES.
"There's been a shift in the past years, between the German and the Chinese participation, and it does reflect the shift in the market, because Chinese competition makes the German and US industry struggle a lot, and [China is] taking more and more market share," said Mr Theux.
This new reality has been much to the chagrin of Germany, which not long ago dominated the solar industry. That became evident when it resorted to legal action to fend off the competition from the Far East.
First Solar, the largest German producer of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, has filed a trade petition against Chinese PV producers with the US Commerce Department via its US subsidiary, accusing the Chinese of price dumping.
The US is a key market for the solar industry. A study by the Solar Energy Industries Association estimates US developers installed 1,700 megawatts of solar panels last year, an increase of 89 per cent on the previous year. Should the petition be successful, Chinese companies will be subject to countervailing or trade import, duties, which could knock them off their perch as market leaders in the US.
Countries, and companies, are used to competition. Nevertheless, the legal stand-off in the US will not be conducive to the atmosphere in the halls of Adnec when German and Chinese delegates meet.
Green is, after all, also the colour of envy.
fneuhof@thenational.ae
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Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
