ABU DHABI, 4th November, 2026 (WAM) – Solar power combined with battery energy storage will drive the next phase of renewable energy growth in the UAE and the wider region, said Jeremy Crane, Group CEO and Founder of Yellow Door Energy. He said rising demand from data centres, population growth and economic expansion is pushing businesses towards cheaper and more reliable sources of power.
In an interview with the Emirates News Agency (WAM) on the sidelines of ADIPEC 2026, Crane said demand for energy will keep rising, reversing the trend of a decade ago.
“We all know data centres are coming to the region, and population and GDP growth are huge, so the demand is here. I anticipate we’ll continue to see that growth of solar installation, but I think the next wave is going to be solar plus battery energy storage. We’ve seen a little bit of it already, and that’s just going to accelerate,” Crane said.
The CEO added that solar energy supports the UAE’s efforts to make its grid and energy sources more resilient.
Crane also noted that batteries solve solar’s main limitation, which is that it produces power only during the day and drops when clouds or storms pass over. Batteries smooth out these spikes and drops, he said, and also shift energy from midday to the evening and night.
“Today, solar plus storage is the cheapest form of energy 24/7 for factories, and that shift is something that’s new in the last 24 months,” he said.
On artificial intelligence (AI), Crane said power demand from new data centres is often growing faster than grids can keep up. A developer may have to wait 24 months or more for a grid connection, he said, while a solar and battery system can be installed in six to 12 months, so the data centre can start operating sooner.
ADIPEC 2026, the world’s largest energy event, runs until 5th November at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi.