New company shares market knowledge and plans solar projects

Berlin/Germany, Dubai, April 25, 2013. Knowledge provider Solarpraxis AG and Z-One Holding have set up a joint subsidiary, Solarpraxis MENA LLC. The new company offers expertise and services in the engineering, conferences and publishing sectors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Yasser Gamil from Egypt has been appointed as Solarpraxis MENA LLC's managing director, while the company's majority shareholder is Solarpraxis AG. The new company is headquartered in the Dubai free trade zone in the United Arab Emirates.

"We have been noticing great potential for the photovoltaics industry in the Middle East and North Africa for some time now. The market in this region is just emerging and is going to become very interesting in the medium term. Our local subsidiary will allow us to collect and pass on the important market knowledge needed for planning and implementing major solar projects," explains Karl-Heinz Remmers, Chairman of Solarpraxis AG. Solarpraxis engineers are set to draw up expert reports for solar projects in the region and plan PV installations. "Solarpraxis MENA and Solarpraxis Berlin are engaging in lively discussions and an exchange of knowledge, which are also facilitated by means of mutual training." Initial negotiations between Solarpraxis and Z-One Holding on setting up the subsidiary had started as early as June 2012.

"There is still a lot of ground to cover before the MENA region offers ideal conditions for the photovoltaics industry. We want to help players in the PV sector to tap market potential by passing on our expertise through conferences and a dedicated knowledge platform, for example," explains Managing Director of Solarpraxis MENA and head of Disctech and Z-One Holding Yasser Gamil, who has more than seven years of experience in the solar industry. "It is important not to get carried away by the hype surrounding the MENA region at the moment. I believe that only a step-by-step approach will be successful in the long run. This requires an understanding of the market and the cultural diversity of this large and highly varied region."

Solarpraxis MENA will soon offer bundled market knowledge on its own website, and will be hosting the Solar Industry Summit – Middle East 2013 in Dubai on November 6, 2013.
www.solarpraxis.com

About Solarpraxis AG

Solarpraxis GbR was founded in Berlin in 1998 by the engineer Karl-Heinz Remmers and Kay Neubert. Solarpraxis AG became a publicly traded company in 2006. One of the leading consulting and service companies in the renewable energy industry, the company employs more than 90 members of staff in the areas of engineering, publishing and conferences, as well as public relations, new media and communications design.

About Z-One Holding

Z-One was founded in 2012 as a holding management company for six companies in the MENA region working in the PV industry in the machinery, distribution, consultancy, manufacturing, IEC laboratory testing, EPC and funding sectors. The companies recorded an overall turnover of 35 million US dollars in 2012. Z-One is located in Dubai.