'Taqetna' the 6th Team Qualified for this Year's MIT Semi-Finalist Round

Jordanian Taqetna has been selected as one of the semi-finalists teams for this year’s MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab Region Startup Competition for the Start-up Track

In 2010 the cost of Jordan’s imports of energy was estimated to be U.S.$3.6 billion which is equivalent to 13.5 % of the country’s GDP.

In that same year figures released by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources showed that the country imported 96 % of all its energy needs. These alarming numbers encouraged Mahmoud Shatte, Randa Al Baker and Akram Hmoud to establish a renewable energy company in 2010 called Taqetna which translates to” Our Energy “in Arabic.

Taqetna, Inc. is a Jordanian-based start-up that is specialized in developing small to medium scaled wind/solar solutions which it manufactures locally in its research and development center in addition to providing training and consulting services in the field of renewable energy.

“Every government, business and household around the world suffers from high energy costs and with the finite resources the world has to offer, renewable energy is the only solution. Our mission is to improve and enhance the lives of people by introducing sustainable innovations and solutions that overcome the world’s energy challenges,” says Randa Al Baker.

Taqetna’s Innovation

Patented Wind Technology

Taqetna’s research and development efforts over the past two years resulted in the development of a patented technology “Riyah”.

Riyah is a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) that produces electricity at very low wind speeds unlike competing wind turbines which require high wind speeds in order to be functional. The wind turbine is also equipped with a smart charge controller for a longer battery life time making it even a more efficient technology.

Training and Consulting Services

Taqetna also provides training and consulting services in energy management and green solutions for households, businesses and organizations.

“A lot of people are interested in utilizing renewable energy technologies but are hesitant to do so simply because they do not have someone to guide them on how to make best use of this technology.

This is where Taqetna comes in; our work goes beyond providing renewable energy products, we also work on educating our clients because a big part of integrating renewable energy is changing the culture,” says Randa.

Taqetna will attend a two day workshop in Qatar in April 25 along with 49 other teams, where they will receive coaching, training and network with other entrepreneurs from the Arab region and meet the region’s major players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“Entrepreneurship means knowing the value of your idea and transforming it into reality, this takes a lot of time and persistence and entrepreneurs need to be ready to overcome the obstacles ahead.

Nothing comes the easy way and there were several times when we asked ourselves “what are we doing” but here we are today with two patents and several awards,” continues Randa.