British solar company Hive Energy establishes first international office in Dubai

The United Kingdom-based solar energy developer Hive Energy opened its Middle East Regional Headquarters in Dubai earlier this week, marking the company’s expansion into the international solar energy market.

The new office is part of Hive Energy’s growth and diversification strategy, which calls for moves beyond the U.K. market. Hive Energy’s new office will be headed by Colin Loubser, who will act as the company’s director of Middle East, Africa and Indian Ocean Island operations.

The new office will focus on developing solar photo-voltaic opportunities in a region where solar energy is booming.

Giles Redpath, Hive Energy’s CEO, said UAE has massive promise as a solar market.

“Solar power in the United Arab Emirates has the potential to provide most of the country's electricity demand,” Redpath said. “Although a major oil producing country, the UAE is taking significant steps toward introducing solar power on a large scale.”

Redpath founded Hive Energy in 2010 and began by installing rooftop solar on farm buildings. From there, Hive began creating solar parks on brownfield sites (land that has been developed before) and lower grade farmland.

Those developments earned Hive Energy a strong track-record of creating clean and renewable energy for both urban and rural users. The company was ranked as the Highest Pure Play Developer in the U.K. by Solar Intelligence and was named in the top three Solar Businesses in Britain by Bloomberg.