From plastics recycling in Egypt to the new BMW i7 and a solar panels startup in KSA, it’s a big news day for greentech in MENA

That’s right, good people. We’re just one week away from the Enterprise Climate X Forum. We have more on that below.

On the news front, we have a tip of our had this morning to R&D teams in the region, as MENA climate news is dominated this morning by some exciting developments on the greentech front, starting with…

THE BIG CLIMATE STORY- Could Egypt be soon getting its first chemical recycling plant for plastics? Nasdaq-listed conglomerate Honeywell and Egypt’s Environ Adapt — the waste treatment arm of Intro Sustainable Resources Holding — said yesterday they have inked an agreement that could see them boost plastics recycling in Egypt. The two companies will look into developing the first chemical recycling plant in Egypt using Honeywell’s patented tech to turn plastic waste into recycled polymer feedstock.

ALSO- A KSA-based startup is developing a system that could kill three birds with one stone: Mirai Solar has created a solar panel shade screen for greenhouses that could generate electricity, help keep greenhouses cool, and preserve humidity for the plants.

AND- An agritech startup is growing gourmet mushrooms where you least expect it — Abu Dhabi.

^^We have chapter and verse on these stories and more in the news well, below.

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WATCH THIS SPACE #1- Jordan is lobbying hard for a grid connection between MENA and Europe … and wants to be a part of it: Jordanian Energy Minister Saleh Kharabsheh lobbied hard for MENA-Europe interconnectivity project during a meeting last week with a delegation from the British Group Inter-Parliamentary Union, Jordan News Agency reports. “Electric connection with Europe achieves integration between stakeholder countries by supplying the continent with relatively low-cost energy generated from renewable sources,” he added. Jordan wants to position itself as a regional hub for green energy exports with this project paving the way for future projects, the minister added.

All lines lead to Egypt: With all the talk of “regional integration,” and nothing on building its own linkages, it sounds like Jordan could be looking to piggyback on Egypt’s 2 GW EuroAfrica Interconnector project with Greece and Cyprus — or the planned EUR 3.5 bn Greece-Egypt Interconnector (GREGY), which will run almost 1.5k km from Wadi El Natroun directly across the Mediterranean to mainland Greece. Jordan already imports electricity from Egypt through a grid connection project whose capacity Kharabsheh has been trying to raise to 1 GW from 500 MW.

SIGN OF THE TIMES- If it’s still 2022, everyone is a hydrogen maker. Indian conglomerate Adani Group is exploring the feasibility of hydrogen production in Morocco and Oman, founder Gautam Adani told the Financial Times in an interview on Friday. The USD 200 bn Indian multinational conglomerate was eyeing investment in Moroccan projects with a 10 GW capacity last month to supply clean energy to a green ammonia plant that would target exports to Europe.

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THE BIG CLIMATE STORY OUTSIDE THE REGION- No single big climate story is dominating coverage in the international press today. Reuters looks at how some COP27 attendees are calling for deep reform of the COP process in the wake of heated debate about just how much was achieved in Sharm El Sheikh earlier this month. In a separate piece, the newswire has an explainer of the upcoming conference of parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), taking place from 7-19 December in Montreal — where some 195 countries will try to reach a biodiversity agreement similar to the 2015 Paris Agreement to address climate change.

ELSEWHERE- Mazda will invest USD 10.6 bn to electrify its vehicles, Reuters reports. The Japanese car manufacturer is also considering investing in battery production, and upped its global sales goals for electric vehicles from 25% to 40% by 2030.

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WORTH READING- How can COP27’s loss and damage fund be structured? Loss and damage financing needs to be designed in a way that incentivizes emissions reduction — and with a proposed solution expected by COP28, there’s no time to waste, notes Reuters columnist Hugo Dixon. Working out who pays, who receives, and by how much involves balancing several important considerations. Relevant variables include when to start measuring a country’s emissions to calculate how much they should pay, how to adjust country emission measurements according to population, and how to make the formula dynamic.

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY- KSA and Iraq have agreed to up cooperation on clean tech to curb emissions, according to a joint statement. This could include setting up knowledge and regional carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) hubs, the statement notes. Cooperation will likely focus on reducing methane and other greenhouse gas emissions, and gas flaring.

 

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HAPPENING TODAY-

THE WORLD CUP TODAY- It’s day ten of the tournament, in which Group A and B teams are facing off again (all times CLT):

• Ecuador v Senegal (5pm)
• Netherlands v Qatar (5pm)
• Iran v USA (9pm)
• Wales v England (9pm)

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

Oman will host a two-day green hydrogen summit next Monday, 5 December at Oman’s Convention and Exhibition Center in Muscat. The summit will discuss all aspects of the hydrogen value chain including production, transportation, and storage challenges.

UAE will host the Big 5 global construction impact summit on Wednesday, 7 December at the Dubai World Trade Center, bringing more than 2k exhibitors from 60 countries, as well as regional and global construction industry leaders together to discuss ways to meet local and global net zero and waste reduction targets.

FURTHER DOWN THE LINE- Dubai will be host to the food and sustainability Middle East challenge on 2 March, 2023. The Rome-based European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability is partnering with SDG Global to bring a six-month long, online interactive course to align the region’s food industry with ESG sustainability and development targets. You can register interest in the for-pay course here.

Check out our full calendar on the web for a comprehensive listing of upcoming news events, national holidays and news triggers.

Honeywell explores bringing plastics recycling tech to Egypt: US-headquartered multinational Honeywell has signed an MoU with Egypt’s Environ Adapt — the waste treatment arm of Intro Sustainable Resources Holding — to boost plastics recycling in Egypt, according to a statement out yesterday. The two companies will explore developing in Egypt a first-of-its-kind chemical recycling plant using Honeywell’s patented tech to increase the kinds of plastics that can be recycled. The pair had apparently signed the agreement at COP27, according to the statement, but had made the announcement just yesterday.

Who is responsible for what: Environ will run a feasibility study to examine market trends, feedstock availability, the specs for the proposed plant, project schedule and financial modeling. Honeywell UOP — the Honeywell subsidiary that develops tech for hydrocarbon and manufacturing industries — will work with Environ to roll out its UpCycle Process Technology in Egypt, providing technical and commercial information and other kinds of support, the statement notes.

So, what’s the big deal? This UpCycle Process Technology recycles a wider range of waste plastics than processes, including colored and flexible plastics, multilayered packaging and polystyrene, Honeywell UOP’s website notes. The tech — developed and launched in November 2021 — can lessen the need for fossil fuels in creating new plastic products while allowing for “hundreds of cycles of recycling,” the website adds. Up to 90% of waste plastics could be effectively recycled if the tech is used alongside other chemical recycling processes and with improvements to collection and sorting, the company claims.

Turning shade into solar energy: Saudi startup Mirai Solar has created a solar panel shade screen for greenhouses to harness energy generation while protecting plants from excessive sunlight in agrivoltaic farming, according to this profile from PV Magazine. The company — supported by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology — co-developed its installation mechanism with German shade screen specialist Novavert to accommodate greenhouses of different sizes.

How does it work? The semi-transparent foldable and retractable PV shade screen allows a fraction of the light hitting the screen to be absorbed in the solar cell to generate electricity, while the remaining sunlight is allowed through and dispersed into the greenhouse. The folding system enables the shade screen to be drawn back to control sunlight and optimized control.

Why does it matter? Shade screens reduce the heat load in a greenhouse, maintaining humidity around the plants and reducing stress from excessive sun and heat in areas with high solar radiation. The shade screen keeps the PV glass-less and light, and protects the panel from dirt and heat in the environment.

It doesn’t stop with greenhouses: Mirai’s technology can reportedly generate electricity from shaded parking spots in car parks to recharge electric vehicles, and the foldable screens can be attached to modular containers — like the ones used for food service — or camper vans and boats.

Next steps: Miraj is currently running pilots in different locations and will introduce a turnkey system in 4Q2023.

All-electric BMW i7 rolls out in UAE: Abu Dhabi Motors introduced the all-electric BMW i7 boasting a 625 km charging range, it says on its website. Drivers can accelerate from 0 to 100 km in 4.7 seconds, and the body of the car is made from sustainable aluminum sourced in the UAE, according to a statement

What about the engines? The EV is outfitted with two (silent) electric motors with a staggering 536 horsepower and its battery can be charged for a 128 km drive in 10 minutes, according to Car and Driver.

All the bells and whistles: This “screening room on wheels” has a 31-inch tv screen, a panoramic roof, and a smart curved dashboard display.

Reviews: Sporting a bold look with its imposing grille, “BMW re-frames the luxury car experience” with “standard-setting sustainability” to boot, BBC'S Top Gear said. When compared with its competitors — the Mercedes EQS sedan and the Tesla Model S — the i7 inches forward with opulent style, earning it the moniker of “electric chariot of the affluent” from Digital Trends.

The price tag: Sustainable luxury does not come cheap as the car’s starting price is USD 120k in the US — or AED 710k.

Not ready to go fully electric: BMW’s standard 7 Series is a mild hybrid, with an internal combustion engine outfitted with a 48V hybrid motor.

Need to charge? No problem: BMW is the latest to work with the UAE’s Energy Ministry to expand the nation’s current EV charging network.

Meanwhile, a case study for small-scale solar done right in Sudan: Sudan’s Kenana Sugar Factory is getting a 40 MW solar plant following the greenlight from the country’s Energy Ministry, SUNA reports. The move to solar would reduce the energy cost of the company by 17.5%, which means Kenana could recover its project costs within 2.5 years, the company’s managing director said. Kenan will use about 27 MW of the resulting energy, while the rest will be channeled to the national grid. Sudan has been suffering from regular rolling blackouts that could reach up to 6 hours in Khartoum during the summer months, making projects such as these a necessity for businesses.

Egypt’s Wethaq Takaful is hopping on the renewables train: Egyptian ins. company Wethaq Takaful will knock 20% off of ins. policy premiums for solar, wind, and hydroelectric projects, Amwal al Ghad reports citing company board member Adel Fatouri. The company’s ins. policy covers all the milestones of building a renewable energy project including the import of needed equipment, parts and construction works, as well as the project’s operation.

Got Shrooms? Abu Dhabi’s Below Farm needs little water and no arable land to grow six varieties of premium mushrooms, The National reports. The vertical agritech startup — founded by a Polish couple and British expat — grows 120 tons of varieties like pink oyster, shiitake and lion’s mane mushrooms annually, supplying Abu Dhabi’s supermarkets and online delivery companies.

Desert conditions, innovation solutions: Below Farm grows mushrooms on blocks made from a combination of waste wood, palm frond cuttings and grains which are then compressed, packed in bags and sterilized, before being fed with mycelium — a mushroom starter culture.

Stacking and tracking: The logs are stacked in an automated system that controls temperature and humidity until the mushrooms sprout. Incisions are made in the plastic bags, allowing the fungi to absorb oxygen and grow. The blocks are reused many times before being composted or used for fuel or fertilizer, and a data monitoring system uses algorithms to optimize the specific growth conditions for each variety of mushrooms cultivated.