Dubai, the land where everything is larger than life, has greenlighted plans to build the world’s largest solar panel manufacturing plant.  The photovoltaic production facility, Solar Technologies FZE, will be constructed at Dubai’s Technopark beginning next month and could begin producing cells as early as the last quarter of 2010.

Dilip Rahulan, the Chairman and CEO of Solar Technologies FZE said about solar energy, “The energy from sunlight striking the earth for 40 minutes is equivalent to the global energy consumption for a whole year.”  His company has plans to subsequently open plants in Mexico and Bulgaria after the Dubai facility is in operation.

It’s good to see Dubai hopping in full steam on renewable energy.  In addition to the abundant natural resources of fossil fuels throughout the Arabian peninsula, the area is also obviously one of the most sunny regions on the planet, making for a potentially easy transition from an economy based on the 20th Century power sources of oil & natural gas to 21st Century solar energy.

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The scene of the crime.

The British couple arrested for allegedly having sex on a public beach in Dubai last July has been sentenced to 3 months in jail by a UAE court. Michelle Palmer, a publishing executive who had resided in the Persian Gulf Emirate at the time of the incident, and Vince Acors, a visiting businessman from London were apprehended for were apprehended on a public Dubai beach after attending one of the infamous, all you can drink Champagne brunches that have become extremely popular with Westerners in the boom town. The couple was also ordered to pay a $242 fine and will be deported immediately after serving their prison sentence.

The case has put the Government of Dubai in an unenviable position as it tries to balance the strict traditions of the Islamic culture on the Arabian peninsula with the hedonistic pursuits of the Western businessmen and tourists the Emirate lures in its efforts to become an international destination.

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The Government of Dubai has detained 79 beachgoers for offenses ranging from topless sunbathing, full on nudity, and alleged sexy-time over the past two weeks. Newly planted undercover officers have been strolling the Emirate’s beaches while new guard towers survey the sands to enforce local indecency laws in the Islamic City-State. The government says they began the campaign after a British couple were caught allegedly having sex on a Dubai beach earlier this month.

Since then a total of 79 people have been detained by the government for activities “disturbing families enjoying the beach” according to a spokesman for Dubai’s Criminal Investigation Department. First time offenders may be issued a warning, but if there is a repeat offense the person could be sent to a public prosecutor for possible criminal charges.

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Just yesterday, I posted about Greensburg, Kansas being rebuilt into a model green community. I believe the words “the model green community” might have even been used. Well, Abu Dhabi caught me moving after it yelled red light and has sent me back to start. The nation that sits on 10% of the world’s oil reserve is building what has to be considered the model green city. Sorry, Greensburg, you got served.

The city will be known as Masdar City, and costs are anticipated to begin around $22 billion. However will they find the money?

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out our most popular articles of the week on a variety of subjects, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites.

Katie:

Dean Karmen Shows Steven Colbert How To Filter Water

St Patricks Day Goes Green with Green Beer: Top 10 Eco Beers

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Nicole:

East Meets West at Dubai Art Fair, But Shadow of Migrant Labor Remains

TakePart’s “I Am Voting For” Campaign Wants You To Vote the Issues

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Giulia:

Simon Cowell Gives Big

Scarlett Johansson Dates For Charity

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Gina:

Top 10 Easter Films

Top 10 Films That Have Helped to Frame the War in Iraq

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Kerry:

Aqua Colbert Massage In a Bottle

Dakota the Mummified Duckbilled Dinosaur Gets Its Rocks Off

East meets West at Art Dubai, the first annual contemporary art fair to take place in this dynamic city, where cultural partnerships and a stimulating dialogue on contemporary art are being fostered and enriched. The fair began on March 19th and will continue to run through March 22nd. Almost 70 galleries in 30 different countries are participating, including those in the Middle East, North America, South America, Africa and Australia. The UAE has already received much attention for being the future second home of the Louvre, and Dubai specifically for its chic cosmopolitan nightlife, glitzy hotels, and opulent skyscrapers.

On the margins of this cultural courting, however, are some headlining South Asian artists who feature themes in their work reminiscent of the UAE’s longstanding issues regarding migrant labor conditions and abuse.

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Abu Dhabi’s sitting on top of nearly 100 billion barrels of oil, but that’s not stopping it from planning for a post-petroleum future. The United Arab Emirates capitol is going to spend billions of dollars to create a zero emissions “eco-oasis” named “Masdar” “arabic for “the source” –in the middle of a sandy wasteland, according to Der Spiegel.

The city “will look like a cross between The Arabian Nights and The Jetsons,” and Abu Dhabi’s leaders hope their solar-powered city will help them outshine neighboring emirate Dubai, which dominates the region. The rivalry runs so deep, Der Spiegel reports, that a tug of war broke out between the two emirates over Justin Timberlake. A senior Abu Dhabi official persuaded the popstar to switch a recent performance from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, for an event sponsored by Masdar’s parent company. Looks like they know how to harness star power, anyway.