US firm to develop solar network in Bahrain

Petra Solar, a US developer of distributed solar projects, is developing 5 megawatts of power systems in Bahrain. Petra will also provide a network to monitor the electricity grid and the solar panels that will be installed in the township of Awali, the University of Bahrain and other parts of the country, the South Plainfield, New Jersey-based company said today in a statement. The project is the first phase of a national effort to promote renewable energy in Bahrain, said the Minister of Energy and Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza. Bahrain’s National Oil & Gas Authority is seeking “to diversify the sources of energy needed to ensure the sustainable development of the kingdom,” he said in the statement. Petra is working with National Oil & Gas, Bahrain Petroleum and Caspian Energy Holdings for the solar project. Petra is installing solar panels on 200,000 utility poles in New Jersey as part of a project to develop 80 megawatts of renewable power, under a contract with Public Service Electric & Gas, the state’s largest utility.