- What is your role and how would you describe your job?
I am a senior business development manager at Yellow Door Energy, the leading solar developer in the Middle East and South Asia. In my role, I combine both my engineering education and commercial expertise to help businesses in the UAE switch to clean energy and reduce electricity costs, all without any upfront investment.
Working closely with commercial and industrial companies, I help them identify opportunities to save money, reduce overheads and become sustainability champions. On a day-to-day basis, this entails meeting with customers, conducting rooftop inspections with our engineering teams, preparing proposals tailored to each customer’s specific requirements, and much more!
Thought leadership is very important at Yellow Door Energy, thus I also speak at industry conferences and to the media with the objectives of raising awareness about solar energy and its benefits.
- How did you start your journey in the solar industry?
In 2015, I became a member of MESIA to learn about the solar industry. Concurrently, I was developing the business for pumping systems for concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. MESIA helps me expand my technical knowledge regarding both PV and CSP plants and gives me the opportunity to expand my network in this exciting industry.
Very soon, I developed a passion for sustainability and the green economy and decided to put my mechanical engineering training and commercial expertise to good use, which is to help businesses become more sustainable.
- What is your most memorable moment in Solar?
Nelson Mandela once said that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.
As a strong believer in the power of education, I was fortunate to speak about solar and sustainability to over 200 Emirati high school students in Abu Dhabi, UAE. I still remember the students’ enthusiasm and curiosity about solar, and their pride in knowing that the UAE leads the region in solar adoption.
As future leaders of the country, the students are well aware of their responsibility to embrace sustainability to ensure the viability and continued success of their country and this region.
This was my most memorable moment in solar thus far, and I hope for more similar moments where I am able to educate young minds about respecting the environment while meeting the needs of future generations.
Photo: Eng. Sophia Hasnaoui of Yellow Door Energy spoke to high school students in Abu Dhabi, UAE about solar energy and sustainability.