Executive Panel: Solar Market Outlook 2026-2030: Middle East, North Africa & Beyond

Tuesday, September 01, 2026

Time
01:00 pm - 02:00 pm
Hall
Dubai World Trade Centre
Room
Conference Area: Pavilion Hall; Booth #: P.G40

Industry leaders share strategic insights on solar market growth, investment trends, and policy developments across MENA and emerging markets. Explore opportunities, challenges, and innovations shaping the next five years, and understand how regional dynamics influence the global transition to renewable energy.

01:00 pm - 01:15 pmKeynote: Trans-Mediterranean Energy and Clean Tech Cooperation Initiative

H.E. Lucie Berger

Ambassador

Delegation of the European Union to the United Arab Emirates

01:15 pm - 02:00 pmPanel: Solar Market Outlook 2026-2030: Middle East, North Africa & Beyond

Lennart van Walsum (Moderator)

Director EMEA & Americas

Global Solar Council

Olga Rudkovskaya

PHD Candidate

UCL

Gaëtan Masson

Director

Becquerel Institute

Tetchi Cruz Capellan

CEO

SunAsia Energy

Nofal Abdulhadi

Executive Manager

Marafiq

Speakers
Speaker
Nofal Abdulhadi, Marafiq

Executive Manager

UAE

Nofal Abdulhadi is a project management professional with over 15 years of experience in delivering high-impact projects, particularly in the energy sector, and is actively contributing toSaudi Arabia's Vision 2030. He holds advanced degrees and numerous certifications, has managed projects worth over 3 billion Saudi Riyals, and is recognized for his leadership and innovative contributions to sustainable energy. Nofal is also an accomplished speaker and author, with a focus on project management best practices and community engagement  

Speaker
Olga Rudkovskaya, UCL

PHD Candidate

UAE

Olga Rudkovskaya is an expert in climate change, ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance), and sustainable finance based in the United Arab Emirates. She currently serves as Head of Department (Sustainability & ESG) at ADNOC Distribution, where she leads the company's sustainability initiatives and decarbonization strategies in alignment with national and corporate net-zero ambitions.Olga holds a degree in Environmental Science and an Executive MBA, along with multiple executive qualifications from INSEAD, Alliance Manchester Business School and UCL. She is also pursuing a PhD focused on decarbonisation in industry.Over her career, Olga has held senior sustainability and ESG leadership roles across sectors and organisations. Before joining ADNOC, she was Chief Sustainability Officer at Arabian Gulf Steel Industries (AGSI), and Region Head for Sustainability & Supply Chain at DNV, where she oversaw sustainability performance and sustainable finance matters in the Middle East. She has also served in engieering sustainability roles at firms including Parsons Corporation, and Dorsch Holding, contributing to green building implementation and environmental strategy for large-scale infrastructure and development projects.

Speaker
Lennart van Walsum (Moderator), Global Solar Council

Director EMEA & Americas

UK

Lennart's solar career started in 2008, as CEO of Krannich Solar in the Benelux. He gained further expertise at SMA in Germany and California and later joined LONGi. With a clear understanding of global regions and key industry verticals, based in London he represents today the Global Solar Council, uniting the voice of the solar industry with governments, associations, policymakers, and businesses.

Speaker
H.E. Lucie Berger, Delegation of the European Union to the United Arab Emirates

Ambassador

United Arab Emirates

H.E. Lucie Berger, took on the role of European Union Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates in September 2023.Born on January 17, 1983, in Prague, Ms Berger is fluent in Czech, English, and French, with proficiency in Arabic, German, and Spanish.Ms Berger holds a Master's degree in European Integration from the University of Economics in Prague, with expertise in European law, policies, and economics. Her thesis examined workers' mobility following the 2004 enlargement of the European Union. Her academic journey included political science, diplomacy, and international relations. She also holds a Bachelor's degree in International Trade.Ms Berger's career in international diplomacy spans over a decade and is marked by notable achievements.From 2022 to 2023, she served as the Policy Coordinator in European Commission's DG Climate Action (Brussels, Belgium). In this role, she oversaw trade negotiations and climate measures within trade policy, negotiated free trade agreements, and coordinated trade and sustainable development matters.From 2018 to 2022, Ms. Berger held the position of EU Representative in International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in Geneva, Switzerland. During this tenure, she represented the EU and its Member States in these organizations, developed a digital diplomacy strategy, and led negotiations.Between 2015 and 2018, she served as the Head of Trade and Economic Affairs in the Gulf at the Delegation of the European Union in Riyadh. She focused on formulating trade and economic cooperation policies between the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as well as its six members, including the UAE. In this role, she launched for example the EU-GCC Trade and Investment Dialogue and initiated the EU-GCC Dialogue on Economic Diversification project.From 2012 to 2015, Ms. Berger was the Policy Officer for Climate Action in the Middle East and North Africa region and the Gulf at the European Commission's DG Climate Action (Brussels, Belgium). In this capacity, she developed climate action cooperation strategies at regional and bilateral level. She for example organised the first Union for the Mediterranean Ministerial Meeting on Environment and Climate Change in 2014, and led negotiations in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) related to the secondary impacts of climate mitigation measures on single commodity economies including the oil-producing countries.From 2006 to 2012, Ms. Berger held various roles within the European Commission, including an internship in the Spokespersons' service, project management in DG Justice, Freedom, and Security, and a significant position as a Policy Officer for the Integrated Maritime Policy in the Mediterranean, where she managed cooperation strategies and participated in fisheries negotiations.Ms. Berger's impressive linguistic skills and extensive experience in diplomacy make her a valuable asset to the EU as Ambassador to the UAE. Her dedication to international relations, security and sustainability issues will contribute to strengthening EU-UAE relations and promoting bilateral cooperation.

Speaker
Gaëtan Masson, Becquerel Institute

Director

Belgium

Gaëtan Masson is an entrepreneur with a passion for solar PV and the energy transition: an engineer, he also has degrees in management, political science and environmental management. He is the founder and Managing Director of the Becquerel Institute since 2014. After a decade in finance and IT, he icommitted to the climate and developed Business Intelligence for SolarPower Europe (formerly EPIA). He coordinates the Task 1, "Expertise and Awareness" of the International Energy Agency PV Programme (IEA PVPS). He led the PV Industry Working Group of the European PV Technology and Innovation Platform (ETIP-PV) of which he was co-chair from 2014 to 2019, and resulted in the creation of the European Solar Manufacturing Council, of which he is co-chair since its foundation in 2019. He is administrator of the CARBON project in France. He participates on the scientific committee of the EU-PVSEC and WCPEC conferences. In Belgium, he is an adminstrator of EDORA, the French-speaking association of renewable energy professionals. In 2020 he received the Daejoo Award for his contribution to the development of photovoltaics.

Speaker
Tetchi Cruz Capellan, SunAsia Energy

CEO

Philippines

Tetchi Capellan, as she is fondly called, is a pioneer of solar energy in the Philippines and one of the industry's highest-profile leaders.She is the CEO of SunAsia Energy, was elected Chairperson of the Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association, and founded the premier industry organization known as the Philippine Solar and Storage Alliance. Under her leadership, SunAsia Energy is developing the world's largest floating solar power plant, with a planned installed capacity of 1.3 GW.A former Undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture who served for 15 years, she began her career in renewable energy in 2004 as Country Director for a rural electrification project that energized 10,000 homes.Recognized as a major contributor to the regulations and laws that shaped the renewable energy landscape in the Philippines, Tetchi is a recipient of numerous citations, including the Singapore Outstanding Scientist Award, the Developer of the Year Award in Shanghai, and the Most Innovative Developer Award in South Korea.Tetchi graduated from Harvard University in 1988 and served as a Trustee of the Harvard Club of the Philippines for three years.

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