Spotlight on Ebrahim Radhi, Co-Founder & Board Member at Green Innova
Ebrahim is an active sustainability professional. He holds M.Phil in Industrial System, Manufacture & Management from the University of Cambridge. He has over 16 years of experience as an Industrial Consultant in Lean Philosophy and Sustainability. He successfully obtained several professional certificates including Lead Auditor of Energy Management Systems, Six Sigma and LEED Green Associate. He has completed over 90 successful consultancy projects worldwide.
Ebrahim is the co-founded of Green Innova a leading Solar EPC in Bahrain and serves as an adjunct at American University of Bahrain in industrial engineering. Ebrahim is passionate about Solar Industry supporting organizations in their journey to achieve net zero carbon emission
Please describe your role at Green Innova as well as your industry expertise.
I am mainly involved in the strategic direction of the company and its expansion aspirations in terms of product development and market penetration.
I oversee the major projects at Green Innova ensuring that our projects are being executed and delivered on time, at the right quality and safety standards. I am the point of contact for our key clients/partners aiming at building a mutual beneficial partnership.
I am also leading the Green Innova Academy which is the training and consultancy arm of Green Innova Group, which aims at building capacity and flourishing talents in solar and energy efficiency domains.
How did your story in renewables begin, and in your opinion, how much has it changed since then, if at all?
Since inception back in 2013, our aim has been to contribute supporting our clients towards zero energy. We did start our venture with eco-building solutions that reduced the energy consumption in buildings. We thought that this was not enough. Therefore, we kept searching about what could complete the picture, i.e. making establishments self-efficient.
In 2016, we reacted to the upraising of renewable energy, especially solar, and we were one of the first companies in Bahrain that had a solid department for solar system. The start was very hard, as there was not much awareness about the solar system and its application. The first 2 years of the business we were educating the market and spreading awareness.
With the introduction of national policies in Bahrain addressing renewable energy and energy efficiency, the country has seen a significant development in renewable energy field over the past 3 years and we are glad that we are playing a vital role from early start.
Can you tell us about your most advanced sector (solution or service) and what sets you apart from other competitors?
We always have an innovative culture at Green Innova and the entire team believe in this. This makes us to foresee the industry and solutions and eventually we were fortunate enough to take the first mover advantage in many of the sustainability projects in Bahrain.
We put high emphasis on adding substantial value to our clients, therefore, we always opt to provide the latest technologies and services. One of our new services related to improving the quality of the power deploying state-of-art Japanese technology achieving significant saving to large industrial organizations for up to 15%. We have also advanced our energy audit services providing ESCO model for clients and Cooling as a Services (CaaS).
What's a recent milestone Green Innova has achieved that you would like to share with us?
We consider each project as a milestone in the company. I can say working with Bahrain Petroleum for the O&M of the largest solar farm in Bahrain, was one of our major milestones as it uplifted our safety and quality standards meeting the highest international standards. The 5 MW Solar System at Bahrain City Center EPC project is another milestone of complicated several solar systems under one roof.
We also have great progress in Green Innova Academy building partnerships and engagements with several organizations where we offer highest professional qualifications in the field of solar industry.
Apart from that we managed to secure few national level consultancy projects and we believe which will help to expedite the national sustainability targets of double the use of renewables by 2035 from its COP 21 target, emission reduction by 30% by 2035 and ultimate commitment of net zero by 2060. We strongly want to actively involve and play a major role in this picture.
What are your expectations for the MENA region in terms of growth and new opportunities for Green Innova?
Although only 3-5% of world solar installation is in the MENA region, it is the fastest growing region at 30% annually and majority of countries have National Renewable Energy Action Plan – with strong governmental polices, such as net-metering, Feed in Terrif, Wheeling, mandate energy mix. This is very encouraging for us to support this growth through expanding to neighboring countries, as start in KSA for solar EPC work.
We are also well positioned to support this growth of the solar industry in MENA through our Green Innova Academy which can deliver solar professional qualifications in any part of the world with local customization. We are now working with partners across different countries and would like to expand our collaboration with other companies, training institutes and universities to build up the capacity required for the accelerated growth of solar industry in MENA region.
What is the reason for and importance of training entities such as the Green Innova Academy in the ever evolving renewable energy landscape?
As per the IRENA publication Renewable Energy and Jobs Annual Review 2022, worldwide renewable energy employment is around 12.7 million and they expect 38.2 million employment by 2030.
In MENA region itself, we are witnessing projects at Gaga Watt Scales in KSA and many others. Therefore, the need for qualified solar engineers, installers and operators is of a paramount importance. We are building these systems to last for minimum of 25 years.
For building a sustainable solar industry in the MENA’s region, professional education and flourishing talents are necessity.
At Green Innova Academy, we developed alongside world-leading educational institutes professional qualifications in the solar PV. Namely: NOCN Level 3 Certificate for Solar PV Installer and Operator targeting installers and operators of Solar PV and NOCN level 5 for Solar targeting solar engineers.
We are partnering with several institutes and universities across many countries, and we are open for further collaboration across other countries in the MENA region.
ABOUT GREEN INNOVA
Green Innova is a leading Bahraini company, specializing in the field of Renewable Energy, Training and Consultancy and Energy Efficiency. Green Innova is a proficient approved solar EPC in Bahrain with Mega scale project track record.
Founded in 2013, Green Innova is an approved NOCN training center, an ISO certified company (ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001), a member of US Green Building Council with an aim to contribute towards sustainability that promote climate resilience and increase awareness.
Green Innova completed/in progress of major solar and energy efficiency EPC projects for Amazon Bahrain, Bahrain International Airport, Electricity and Water Authority, Eagle Hills, Mondelez, UNDP, AMH-AAli Hospital, Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), US Navy, Bahrain City Center and many more.
Green Innova partners with the leading regional developers and puts an emphasis on adding value to its partners and end clients.