KSA taps the sun to meet a third of its energy needs

[al-Hasani]

In order to produce solar power KSA is building solar power plant. In order to make solar power plant solar PV panels are needed. Where these PV panels are coming from? Saudi companies are making these or sourced from outside?

What do you mean with "where they are coming from"? They are either imported or manufactured locally. The technology is constantly improving and investments have been made on this field inside KSA and outside of it in recent time. It's still early in the process. Also collaborations with leading firms on this field take place regularly. For instance this September Riyadh hosted a international solar trade mission.

Leading firms that work in this field took part.

Solar Trade Mission: Saudi Arabia '14

KAUST has also been building their own PV installations. 2 MW if I recall and about 10.000 panels.

Last year the world’s largest solar power plant was created on the roof of the Princess Nora University in Riyadh. The plant covers an area of 36,000 sqm.

The Makkah Municipality is building their own solar plant with an estimated capacity of 100 MW at an estimated cost of SR2.4 billion to supply power to 35 tunnels and street lights in the holy city in a bid to save electricity. The Madinah Municipality is also using solar power for lighting up its parks.

This news below is less than 1 week old;

SR4.5bn Saudi solar revolution

​

JEDDAH: P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR
Published — Wednesday 31 December 2014

Last update 31 December 2014 4:16 pm

The Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) signed a SR4.5 billion contract with General Electric on Tuesday to establish the Kingdom’s first fossil fuel and solar power plant near the Red Sea port of Dhuba in the Tabuk region.
The 600-megawatt (MW) integrated solar combined cycle (ISCC) plant will primarily burn natural gas, but will generate 50MW with the support of solar energy to increase fuel efficiency.
Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah Al-Hussayen said the mega Dhuba plant would enable Saudi Arabia to export electricity to Egypt, Turkey and Europe. It will be commissioned in 2017.
In addition to the establishment of an integrated green power plant, the contract includes construction of supply lines to Tabuk. “It is the largest environment-friendly project in the Kingdom,” the minister said.
ISCC plants reduce emissions of climate-warming carbon dioxide by increasing the amount of steam available for driving power generation turbines, without having to burn more gas or oil.
“This project will make power crises in the Kingdom a thing of the past,” said Tabuk Gov. Prince Fahd bin Sultan. He said the electricity sector would grow stronger in the coming years.

The SEC’s chief executive Ziyad Al-Shiha said the plant would have three power generating units — two powered by gas and the third by steam — to produce 550MW in addition to solar energy-powered units to produce 50MW. “This makes it one of the largest power plants in the world.”
He said 25 Saudi engineers and 80 technicians would be trained to run the project, adding that 30 to 35 percent of products used for building the plant would be manufactured in the Kingdom. He estimated the cost of construction work at the plant at SR2.5 billion.
He said a new power transport project would be launched in Tabuk to make the region the largest hub for high-voltage direct current. “It will make use of the power grids linking northwest and northeast of the Kingdom and strengthen the network between Tabuk and Madinah,” he added.
He estimated the value of new electricity projects in Tabuk at SR 10 billion.

SR4.5bn Saudi solar revolution | Arab News

@idune

Also read the entire thread and the articles posted. The answers are found there.

aha, that is what I wanted to know. Thanks

Never mind. My answer satisfied you I see.

 

[al-Hasani]

Saudi Arabia and Germany aim to expand cooperation in solar, wind sector
​

Jan 8, 2015 09:50 CET
by Tsvetomira Tsanova

(SeeNews) - Jan 8, 2015 - Investors from Saudi Arabia are being invited to invest in solar energy projects in Germany, while efforts are made to also expand their cooperation in wind energy.

A business delegation from Germany visited the Kingdom this week in a drive to bolster bilateral trade and investment. International paper Asharq Al Awsat quoted Herbert Jacobi, from North Rhine-Westphalia’s energy and industry ministry, as saying that Germany is inviting Saudi investors, citing a 15% return rate on capital invested in solar capacity thanks to 20-year government contracts.

Saudi investor Haitham Khalid Buzu told Asharq Al-Awsat that the two countries have already joined hands on solar projects in Saudi Arabia and are working to boost collaboration both on solar and wind.

The total bilateral trade between Germany and Saudi Arabia hit SAR 46.5 billion (USD 12.4bn/EUR 10.5bn) in 2013, according to Andreas Hergenrother, German commissioner for manufacturing and trade for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen. Of the total, 95% comes from German exports to the Kingdom, he added, as cited by the paper.

(SAR 1 = USD 0.266/EUR 0.225)

Germany, S Arabia aim to expand cooperation in solar, wind sector - SeeNews Renewables

GE: Green Duba project true milestone for Saudi Arabia

GREEN PUSH: Top executives from Saudi Electricity Company and GE at the signing ceremony.
​

JEDDAH: ARAB NEWS

Published — Monday 5 January 2015

Last update 4 January 2015 10:01 pm

Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has selected its long-time partner GE for a project that marks Saudi Arabia’s first integration of a solar field with a combined cycle plant and the first introduction of condensate as a gas turbine fuel.
The landmark project, the ‘Green Duba’ Integrated Solar Combined Cycle Plant, will be built in the north-western part of Saudi Arabia, along the Red Sea coast, and has the capacity to generate the equivalent power needed to supply around 600,000 homes for a year.
“This part of Saudi Arabia is a developing region with limited grid interconnection, so the additional power generated by the Green Duba project will be tremendously important in supporting growth,” said Ziyad M. Alshiha, president and CEO of SEC.
“We expect the plant to provide cost-efficiencies over its lifecycle, along with the fuel flexibility and solar capabilities needed to support the Kingdom’s fuel conservation and renewable technology initiatives.”
The project is designed to generate up to 550 megawatts (MW) from the combined cycle plant; the solar field will supply steam for an additional 50 MW.
The SEC order includes two highly efficient, reliable F-class gas turbines, a 7F.05 and a 7F.03; steam turbine; generators; heat recovery steam generators (HRSG); condenser; boiler feed pumps; Mark VIe distributed control system and a long-term service agreement.
In terms of fuel flexibility, GE has supplied the 7F.05 gas turbine to operate on condensate and the 7F.03 to operate on natural gas, with Arabian Super Light (ASL) crude oil as backup. GE’s F-class gas turbines are the first to offer customers the ability to operate on ASL.
“The contract is another testament to our committed partnership with SEC to further enhance the efficiency and flexibility of its plants,” said Hisham Albahkali, GE’s president and CEO for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
“The integration of solar power and the introduction of condensate fuel at the Green Duba project is a true milestone for the Kingdom, and supports the government’s vision to promote energy sector efficiency with a focus on renewables,” said the CEO.
Recently, the first four 7F.05 gas turbines in the field successfully reached full commercial baseload operation at SEC Power Plant (PP) 12 in Riyadh.
By early 2015, all eight units at PP12 will be operating in combined cycle and add nearly 2,000 megawatts.
Today, GE assists in the generation of more than half of the Kingdom’s power supply and has over 500 gas turbines installed in the Kingdom.
GE equipment operates in approximately 40 SEC power plants— a partnership that spans over four decades.
With nearly 80 years of experience and 1,000 employees in Saudi Arabia, GE is expanding its energy presence in the Kingdom through knowledge-sharing initiatives and increased investments for technology centers that provide service, repair support and customer training in the power, water and oil and gas sectors.

GE: Green Duba project true milestone for Saudi Arabia | Arab News

@Nihonjin1051

I very much hope that KSA and the GCC can work closely with Japan on the field of renewable energy as well and not just with China and South Korea in East Asia. Japanese technological expertise is very much sought after in this world for very obvious reasons.

May I ask if Japan has similar projects in terms of renewable energy? I assume this to be the case. Especially after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

 

[Aepsilons]

Last updated: Monday, April 21, 2014 12:56 AM

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia plans to invest $109 billion to produce 41 gigawatts (GW) of solar energy by 2032, which is almost 30 percent of its total energy requirement by that time. Over the next two decades, the government seeks to establish energy generation projects, which runs on photovoltaic cells (PV cells) with a capacity of 16 GW.

In addition, it will also facilitate projects that will make use of energy concentrate with a capacity of 26 GW.

These initiatives aims to boost the Kingdom’s potential for becoming the largest producer of solar energy in the world, organizers of the Saudi Energy 2014 event said on Sunday.

Against this backdrop, Saudi Energy 2014 —the International Trade Exhibition for Electricity, Power Generation, Alternative Energy, Water Technology and Lighting —will be held in the Kingdom to spotlight the latest products and services for the power sector.

Held under the patronage of the Ministry of Water and Electricity and organized by the Riyadh Exhibitions Company and Informa Exhibitions, Saudi Energy 2014 will take place on May 26-28 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

With regional investments in the energy sector at its peak, Saudi Energy 2014 will be a marketplace for specialized and related industries and companies to promote their products and services. It will also be an opportunity for them to explore regional market and penetrate into the lucrative Saudi Arabian market.

The event is one of the most functional exhibitions in the region that covers all segments of the energy sector, including electricity generation and distribution, alternative and renewable energy technologies, modern lighting products and technologies, and water and water resources management technologies.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is witnessing a major development in the area of alternative energy, with strategic plans being implemented and key projects being undertaken to meet the increasing demand for energy,” said Fahad Al-Athel, Deputy General Manager, Riyadh Exhibitions Company.

“Saudi Energy 2014 will make a definite contribution towards this transformation by offering a gateway for international experts to network with local players to discuss the latest industry trends, explore business prospects and opportunities of mutual cooperation,” he added. “The exhibition promises to be fruitful for both exhibitors and visitors comprising government officials, contractors and consultants, developers and investors, and engineers and technicians, to name a few.”

Saudi Energy 2014 will showcase the latest sector products, services and technologies to a large group of professional visitors from Saudi Arabia and the region. The event will offer a chance to gain first-hand experience in fresh technologies and new equipment and stay abreast with the industry and market developments in the region. – SG

KSA taps the sun to meet a third of its energy needs | Economy | Saudi Gazette

The Kingdom has the potential to be an solar power house. I can see the possibility of a 'Solar Farm' in the area between Burayadah, Mecca, Medina, Riyadh. And potential to expand in other areas. Best of Luck to the Kingdom !

 

[al-Hasani]

The Kingdom has the potential to be an solar power house. I can see the possibility of a 'Solar Farm' in the area between Burayadah, Mecca, Medina, Riyadh. And potential to expand in other areas. Best of Luck to the Kingdom !

Let us not forget wind energy as well my friend. Aside from the 16 planned nuclear plants by 2032.

Energy in Japan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Japan also has ambitious plans when it comes to renewable energy. Especially as Japan remains one of the biggest consumers of energy and has a significantly bigger population than KSA. If the link above is correct then Japan aims to have 20% of the energy supply deriving from renewable energy by 2020. A very impressive number that has potential to grow much further.

 

[Aepsilons]

@Nihonjin1051

I very much hope that KSA and the GCC can work closely with Japan on the field of renewable energy as well and not just with China and South Korea in East Asia. Japanese technological expertise is very much sought after in this world for very obvious reasons.

May I ask if Japan has similar projects in terms of renewable energy? I assume this to be the case. Especially after the Fukushima nuclear disaster

Thank you my brother. Saudi Arabia is so important to us, the Kingdom has always been our #1 supplier of petroleum ever since...the 1950s ! So you see how critical Saudi is to us -- and the potential of Saudi being a Solar Energy provider, would even enhance and open new doors for greater Saudi-Japanese cooperation in this field.

I am very partial and weary of nuclear energy. I fear its effects , as what has happened in 2011. But since we are not blessed with abundant natural resources (we have very little in reserve), we must do with what we have. This is the only reason why nuclear energy is used in Japan (tho , there is a growing percentage of us who see it should be stopped). I believe that solar power, hydrogen power, would be a healthy way for us and many nations -- to stem the use of non-renewable energy.

 

[ResurgentIran]

Thank you my brother. Saudi Arabia is so important to us, the Kingdom has always been our #1 supplier of petroleum ever since...the 1950s ! So you see how critical Saudi is to us -- and the potential of Saudi being a Solar Energy provider, would even enhance and open new doors for greater Saudi-Japanese cooperation in this field.

I am very partial and weary of nuclear energy. I fear its effects , as what has happened in 2011. But since we are not blessed with abundant natural resources (we have very little in reserve), we must do with what we have. This is the only reason why nuclear energy is used in Japan (tho , there is a growing percentage of us who see it should be stopped). I believe that solar power, hydrogen power, would be a healthy way for us and many nations -- to stem the use of non-renewable energy.

Nuclear power is essential element in energy portfolio. You should forget about giving that up, because it is not realistic.

 

[al-Hasani]

Thank you my brother. Saudi Arabia is so important to us, the Kingdom has always been our #1 supplier of petroleum ever since...the 1950s ! So you see how critical Saudi is to us -- and the potential of Saudi being a Solar Energy provider, would even enhance and open new doors for greater Saudi-Japanese cooperation in this field.

I am very partial and weary of nuclear energy. I fear its effects , as what has happened in 2011. But since we are not blessed with abundant natural resources (we have very little in reserve), we must do with what we have. This is the only reason why nuclear energy is used in Japan (tho , there is a growing percentage of us who see it should be stopped). I believe that solar power, hydrogen power, would be a healthy way for us and many nations -- to stem the use of non-renewable energy.

The importance is mutual and have no doubt that the relations between Japan, KSA, GCC and the Arab world as a whole will increase. It can be no different! In 20 years time we might see a trade balance of 1 trillion dollars!

I share you worries about nuclear energy. Especially in a notoriously (at least since WW2) unstable region like the ME. Where there is also a danger of a nuclear arms race. On the other hand natural resources will not last forever whether they are oil, gas, shale (like in KSA) or something else.

This is why the importance of renewable energy such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, nuclear etc. is important and why it cannot be underestimated.

In any way Japan would be a very good partner not only when it comes to solar and wind energy but nuclear energy especially.

 

[Aepsilons]

Nuclear power is essential element in energy portfolio. You should forget about giving that up, because it is not realistic.

Yes, of course, it is a necessity for nations that are not blessed with abundant natural resources. And I agree with you that its important to diversify one's portfolio (as what financial analysts love to say, ha ha ), by decreasing dependence on nuclear power, and increasing the use of solar power, wind power, hydrogen power, -- as with petroleum, natural gas.

Both nations like Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iran --- are blessed with large land masses that can accomodate vast solar and wind farms. I'd put emphasis on solar farms, specially for Saudi Arabia. There is the potential to become a solar energy power house.

 

[ResurgentIran]

Yes, of course, it is a necessity for nations that are not blessed with abundant natural resources. And I agree with you that its important to diversify one's portfolio (as what financial analysts love to say, ha ha ), by decreasing dependence on nuclear power, and increasing the use of solar power, wind power, hydrogen power, -- as with petroleum, natural gas.

Both nations like Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iran --- are blessed with large land masses that can accomodate vast solar and wind farms. I'd put emphasis on solar farms, specially for Saudi Arabia. There is the potential to become a solar energy power house.

lol @ solar and wind power. They are not even a tiny fraction of what nuclear power, oil and natural gas produces in the energy portfolio. Lets get realistic.

 

[al-Hasani]

lol @ solar and wind power. They are not even a tiny fraction of what nuclear power, oil and natural gas produces in the energy portfolio. Lets get realistic.

Wrong.

Saudi Arabians Could Export Solar for the Next Twenty Centuries​

​

Every square meter of Saudi Arabia produces an extraordinary 7 kilowatt hours of energy daily in each 12 hours of sun power. If the Saudis were to use up each days solar energy supply, or 12,425 TWh of electricity, it would be a 72 year supply.

Put another way, in just one day, enough solar energy hits Saudi sands to power the kingdom for 72 years, according to a study made by the World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology.

That is an extraordinary resource. It is significantly more than the rest of the world. For example: as a Californian who used a typical 15 kilowatt hours of energy a day, this means my entire home could have been fully solar powered by just 2 square meters – or about 3 feet by 6 feet – of solar panels in Saudi Arabia!

And Saudi Arabia has over 2 trillion square meters able to produce 14 trillion kilowatt hours of solar energy every sunny day – that is enough to power the world.

But of course, no country wants to be entirely devoted to energy production, least of all one that is still making good money from digging up oil, but it is indicative of the kind of money the Kingdom could be earning from solar exports rather than oil exports.

Just as it earns its vast income from oil now, it could equally well earn a similarly vast income from solar in the future. And for vast eons of time.

Transitioning to solar from oil would take an initial investment in the infrastructure, and then would yield an income stream regardless of fuel depletion, because solar is there for the long run, unlike the oil which is getting harder and harder to get out of the ground.

But it is Saudi Arabia itself which is in the best position in the world to make that transition and invest in a replacement for oil. With oil prices at $102 a barrel at today’s market price, the Saudis have over $30 trillion in underground assets.

With that much money in huge (but depleting) assets in petroleum and natural gas reserves, now is the time that Saudi Arabia should invest and become the world’s largest producer of green solar energy.

Saudi Arabia could export solar for centuries either as electricity into the Desertec grid, or as hydrogen fuel, using its tankers and pipelines.

Desertec, which will be shipping billions of kilowatt hours of desert solar energy across to Europe in the near future is becoming a reality in more MENA region nations with the addition of Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, but the Saudis are not members of the visionary project.

Even though; unlike its poorer neighbors, it has tremendous financial assets – enough to become a leader in the project along with the giant German energy companies RWE and E.On – because it could self-fund its own Desertec infrastructure investment.

With over 250 hours of sunshine each month, Saudi Arabia is ideally located to make the most of solar power.

It even has the infrastructure already in place to be a leader in the solar-powered hydrogen economy of the future. Increasingly hydrogen researchers are turning to sustainable long term sources – wind or solar – for hydrogen production.

Solar powered hydrogen could be transported in the same pipeline and tanker infrastructure that now moves our climate-destroying oil energy around the world.

Saudi Aramco – 100% owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – through its affiliate, Vela Marine International Ltd, owns and operates the world’s second largest tanker fleet to help transport its crude oil production, which amounted to 3 billion barrels a year. It is a world leader in exploration, producing, refining, distribution, shipping and marketing.

Most of this infrastructure and expertise could be repurposed to transform Saudi Arabia into a solar hydrogen economy.

This infrastructure could be re-engineered to become a gigantic carrier fleet for hydrogen made with sustainable solar energy and shipped worldwide. New solar infrastructure could be added, as it has begun to do in making polysilicon from its sand.

It is Saudi Arabia that holds the key, with its unique combination of natural and financial resources, to creating a huge long-term future for the world that is based on a sustainable permanent source of energy: our sun.

- See more at: Saudis Could Export Solar for the Next Twenty Centuries | Green Prophet

Read the staggering facts written in green.

All it depends on is more effective technology and the right investments and willingness. KSA will focus on all 7 main sources. Oil, gas, shale, nuclear, solar, wind and hydroelectric energy sources. Diversity is always a strength but the potential of solar and wind energy cannot be underestimated.

 

[Aepsilons]

lol @ solar and wind power. They are not even a tiny fraction of what nuclear power, oil and natural gas produces in the energy portfolio. Lets get realistic.

Only because 'non renewable' energy was a thing many of us used ponder about, it was something liberals used to tout and was considered an 'outlier' concept. Especially during the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and even in the early 1990s.

Its only recently that there has been a robust interest in this field, alternative source. I think that over time, it will be possible.

Wrong.

Saudi Arabians Could Export Solar for the Next Twenty Centuries​

​

Every square meter of Saudi Arabia produces an extraordinary 7 kilowatt hours of energy daily in each 12 hours of sun power. If the Saudis were to use up each days solar energy supply, or 12,425 TWh of electricity, it would be a 72 year supply.

Put another way, in just one day, enough solar energy hits Saudi sands to power the kingdom for 72 years, according to a study made by the World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology.

That is an extraordinary resource. It is significantly more than the rest of the world. For example: as a Californian who used a typical 15 kilowatt hours of energy a day, this means my entire home could have been fully solar powered by just 2 square meters – or about 3 feet by 6 feet – of solar panels in Saudi Arabia!

And Saudi Arabia has over 2 trillion square meters able to produce 14 trillion kilowatt hours of solar energy every sunny day – that is enough to power the world.

But of course, no country wants to be entirely devoted to energy production, least of all one that is still making good money from digging up oil, but it is indicative of the kind of money the Kingdom could be earning from solar exports rather than oil exports.

Just as it earns its vast income from oil now, it could equally well earn a similarly vast income from solar in the future. And for vast eons of time.

Transitioning to solar from oil would take an initial investment in the infrastructure, and then would yield an income stream regardless of fuel depletion, because solar is there for the long run, unlike the oil which is getting harder and harder to get out of the ground.

But it is Saudi Arabia itself which is in the best position in the world to make that transition and invest in a replacement for oil. With oil prices at $102 a barrel at today’s market price, the Saudis have over $30 trillion in underground assets.

With that much money in huge (but depleting) assets in petroleum and natural gas reserves, now is the time that Saudi Arabia should invest and become the world’s largest producer of green solar energy.

Saudi Arabia could export solar for centuries either as electricity into the Desertec grid, or as hydrogen fuel, using its tankers and pipelines.

Desertec, which will be shipping billions of kilowatt hours of desert solar energy across to Europe in the near future is becoming a reality in more MENA region nations with the addition of Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, but the Saudis are not members of the visionary project.

Even though; unlike its poorer neighbors, it has tremendous financial assets – enough to become a leader in the project along with the giant German energy companies RWE and E.On – because it could self-fund its own Desertec infrastructure investment.

With over 250 hours of sunshine each month, Saudi Arabia is ideally located to make the most of solar power.

It even has the infrastructure already in place to be a leader in the solar-powered hydrogen economy of the future. Increasingly hydrogen researchers are turning to sustainable long term sources – wind or solar – for hydrogen production.

Solar powered hydrogen could be transported in the same pipeline and tanker infrastructure that now moves our climate-destroying oil energy around the world.

Saudi Aramco – 100% owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – through its affiliate, Vela Marine International Ltd, owns and operates the world’s second largest tanker fleet to help transport its crude oil production, which amounted to 3 billion barrels a year. It is a world leader in exploration, producing, refining, distribution, shipping and marketing.

Most of this infrastructure and expertise could be repurposed to transform Saudi Arabia into a solar hydrogen economy.

This infrastructure could be re-engineered to become a gigantic carrier fleet for hydrogen made with sustainable solar energy and shipped worldwide. New solar infrastructure could be added, as it has begun to do in making polysilicon from its sand.

It is Saudi Arabia that holds the key, with its unique combination of natural and financial resources, to creating a huge long-term future for the world that is based on a sustainable permanent source of energy: our sun.

- See more at: Saudis Could Export Solar for the Next Twenty Centuries | Green Prophet

Read the staggering facts written in green.

All it depends on is more effective technology and the right investments and willingness. KSA will focus on all 7 main sources. Oil, gas, shale, nuclear, solar, wind and hydroelectric energy sources. Diversity is always a strength but the potential of solar and wind energy cannot be underestimated.

Those numbers are staggering ! Impressive, really. Saudi Arabia, as it seems, will remain the global energy supplier for many, many centuries to come.

 

[Green Arrow]

Amazing progress by KSA in terms of energy sectors.

 

[al-Hasani]

Amazing progress by KSA in terms of energy sectors.

Yes, the potential is almost endless my friend. I hope to see GCC and Arab cooperation in general with Pakistan on this front.

Masdar sets sights on Mena renewable energy projects
​

LeAnne Graves

January 12, 2015 Updated: January 13, 2015 12:16 PM

Abu Dhabi’s Masdar is eyeing wind and solar energy projects in the region as Mena’s renewables sector attracts more investment. .

“Oman is stepping forward and we’re expecting Saudi Arabia to offer tenders this year,” said Bader Al Lamki, the director of Masdar Clean Energy.

“There is momentum building up in the region [for clean energy projects].”

Masdar entered Oman’s wind market in October, signing a deal to build a 50 megawatts wind farm in the Dhofar region.

The US$125 million project is the group’s first large-scale wind venture in the GCC, with construction set to start by the end of this year. Masdar estimates that it can generate enough clean electricity to power 16,000 homes.

The last time a Masdar Clean Energy project came online, or fed electricity into the power grid, was in 2013.

Mr Lamki said that 2014 was more about making new investments, but 2015 was going to be a combination of bringing projects online or closer to completion while establishing new ventures.

Masdar expects the Tafila wind farm in Jordan to complete after the summer. The 117MW project costs an estimated $290m and will increase the country’s total power capacity by 3 per cent.

“Wind and solar is our bread and butter,” he said.

The Shams 1 concentrated solar power (CSP) project came online in 2013.It has the capacity to feed 100MW of electricity into the national grid.

Last year marked a first for Masdar as the company acquired a stake in its first offshore wind project. The 402MW Dudgeon wind project in the UK is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.

“As the only Opec nation supplying both traditional and renewable energyto international markets, the UAE is committed to accelerating the use of wind energy as an effective means of balancing the global energy mix as we move toward a sustainable, low carbon future,” said Sultan Al Jaber, the chairman of Masdar.

lgraves@thenational.ae

Follow The National’s Business section on Twitter

Masdar sets sights on Mena renewable energy projects | The National

This page below is excellent to track developments in the GCC in terms of renewable energy.

News | Solar GCC

 

[al-Hasani]

KACST embarks on solar desalination project​

RIYADH: MD RASOOLDEEN

Published — Saturday 31 January 2015

Last update 31 January 2015 4:38 am

The King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) signed an agreement with the Advance Water Technology Company (AWTC) for planning out the design and construction of solar water desalination plant in Khafji with a production capacity of 60,000 cubic meters per day.
The accord was signed by KACST President Ibrahim Al-Suwaiyel, who was named on Thursday as the new telecommunication and IT minister, and Abdullah Abdulaziz Al-Asheikh, CEO of Advanced Water Technology Company, in the presence of Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) Gov. Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed Al-Ibrahim, KACST Vice President for Research Institutes Prince Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al-Saud and deputy head Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Suwailem.
The city has set up a production line for solar panels, where it works with a number of engineers and technicians to produce solar cells and nutrients.
KACST plans to apply advanced nanotechnology techniques in the production of solar energy systems and membranes for water desalination.
These techniques have been developed through the KACST/IBM Joint Center for Nanotechnology Research. The initiative aims at finding technical solutions to address energy and water problems, and thus contribute to the national economy.
The objective of the first phase of the initiative is to build a solar plant for reverse osmosis (RO) water desalination in the city of Khafji with a capacity of up to 60,000 cubic meters per day. It also aims to build a solar power plant with a capacity of 20 megawatts in mid-2015 to supply electricity to the desalination plant so that the two plants open in the first quarter of 2017.
The Advanced Water Technology Company, a subsidiary of Saudi Development and Technical Investment, is owned by the Public Investment Fund and was established to invest research outputs and application programs of strategic character, which include water and water security sources of the Kingdom
Water desalination is considered the best strategic choice to provide drinking water for the Kingdom. It is already producing more than 18 percent of the world’s desalinated water. However, the cost of producing desalinated water is high due to the substantial energy consumption of the desalination plants. Therefore, reducing the energy cost will be positively reflected in the production cost.
With the advantage of having a high level of year-round sunshine, the Kingdom is estimated to harness about 2,000 kilowatts per square meter per year (2000 kWh/m2/year). KACST has been working for some time on its research and development for harnessing solar energy.
One of the main objectives of this initiative is to desalinate seawater at a cost less than SR1.5 per cubic meter compared to the current cost of desalination of seawater by thermal technology, which is in the SR2.5 to SR5.5 per cubic meter range, and desalination by RO, which is in the SR2.5 to SR5.5 per cubic meter range for a desalination plant producing 30,000 cubic meters per day. The cost of electricity generated by the new technology of solar photovoltaic will be less than 30 halalas per kilowatt-hour.
The Ministries of Finance, Water and Electricity and Commerce and Industry and SWCC are participating in this initiative with KACST.

KACST embarks on solardesalination project | Arab News

Great news!

 

[al-Hasani]

Saudi Arabia should turn to the sun​

Published online 5 January 2015

Jean-Luc Bredas and Marc Vermeersch believe that a concerted move in Saudi Arabia toward renewable energy sources, including solar, is essential.

Jean-Luc Bredas and Marc Vermeersch

© Getty Images/Thinkstock Images​

Projections show that a looming gap between demand and the installed electric capacity in Saudi Arabia is a very real possibility.

Saudi Arabia’s rapid economic development and population growth has driven the surge in electricity demand, which is expected to exceed 120GW by 2032. At the current rate of development, this could create a gap between the projected installed power capacity and the projected peak demand of 60GW in 2032.

There are several options that could fill this gap. The country could scale up traditional power generators using oil, depleting a finite national reserve that could be allocated to applications of higher added value and worsening climate change in the long run.

Alternatively, the country could turn to nuclear power, which can provide a stable baseload coverage but which raises safety issues. Following the events of the near meltdown of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, most countries are moving away from nuclear energy. The environmental impact of this choice depends on risk management associated to the equipment, nuclear fuel, and nuclear wastes life cycles.

A third option is to improve existing installations while adjusting the specifications of future installations in terms of efficiency and energy management.

A fourth scenario is based on the development of renewable sources of energy, and for ever-sunny Saudi Arabia, solar energy may be one of the most viable option.

Not to say that an “energy mix” is not needed; in fact all sources of energy should be combined and optimised. Because until large-scale – centralized or distributed – storage solutions are available and operational, power stability will require a significant level of conventional hydrocarbon electricity generation.

Based on this, the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE) programme is recommending up to 50% of electricity generation be covered by non-conventional sources, like solar, by 2032. The corresponding energy mix would be built on hydrocarbons (60GW), nuclear (17.6GW), solar (41GW with 16GW from PV and 25GW from CSP), wind (9GW), waste-to-energy (3GW) and geothermal (1GW).

Tapping into the Sun

Jean-Luc Bredas​

Solar is perhaps the safest and most sustainable source of primary energy – based on a stable nuclear fusion reactor – delivering nearly 1,500 times the energy needs of all humans. Saudi Arabia has one of the highest irradiation levels on Earth, exceeding 2000kWh/m2/year. This could be the genesis of one of the world’s lowest levelized costs of electricity (LCOE) for renewables – around US$70-90/MWh, which is close to the cost of natural gas CCGT and coal generated electricity – provided the appropriate choice of energy conversion technologies and installations is made.

In terms of environmental footprint and climate change risk mitigation, life cycle analyses show us that the energy payback time of solar photovoltaics is of one to three years and the CO2 balance is by far more favourable.

Saudi Arabia has an ambitious programme to produce almost half its electricity from renewable sources by 2032 - a target that represents a substantial proportion of the total power produced globally by then from renewable sources.

Marc Vermeersch​

There are several challenges in reaching this ambitious target. Subsidies, and increased exploitation of new oil sources, weaken the competitiveness of renewable energy and dampen its appeal.

This raises fundamental questions over the Kingdom’s ambition:

1. The ability of the existing grid infrastructure to absorb and manage in a stable manner this new, fluctuating contribution to electricity generation. We believe the current infrastructure is poorly adapted to manage renewables. On the other end, this weakness could be turned around to represent an outstanding opportunity for the Kingdom to build a modern grid suited for a portfolio of energy sources;
2. The availability of resources in the Kingdom to support such a development and the integration of the portfolio of energy sources. These range from human resources covering the value chain in terms of competencies, skills and know-how to manufacture, install, operate and maintain these installations, to raw materials to be transformed into semi-products, products and equipment;
3. The conditions to which the equipment used in electricity generation will be exposed. There are valid concerns regarding their suitability for the Kingdom’s high operating temperatures, humidity and dust levels. Standard test conditions for equipment certification do not systematically include environmental conditions which are very specific to the Middle East. Extreme care should therefore be taken during the technology and equipment selection.

The Kingdom’s renewable energy target is challenging and needs work on several strategic axes of development.

The pace of development envisioned will require appropriate partnerships to be established with existing industrial players to bring the technologies needed to the Kingdom. This will need to cover the entire value chain – from raw material to system integration, while guaranteeing job creation.

A large proportion of the raw materials, semi-products and equipment will have to be imported into the country.

Should these partnerships bring about any significant technical developments in the country, intellectual property rights, from invention protection to licensing, would have to be addressed.

Research and development will be the driving force for this push for renewable energy. In the short and medium-term, the country will need technical and scientific expertise to better assess a great variety of technologies and to cover equipment selection, evaluation and testing.

In the future, technical work and solid research will enable the country’s stakeholders to establish the corresponding ‘building blocks’ for current and future technology generation.

Finally, citizens will be the main players in this development. It will be essential to align people’s skills and know-how with requirements brought by these technologies, and to guarantee sustainability and reliability.

Our vision

Our goal as a centre is to marry efforts from materials research in emerging solar technologies to system engineering in established technologies in order to contribute to sustainably develop the future energy mix the Kingdom needs.
The mission of the Solar and Photovoltaic Engineering Research Center (SPERC) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is aligned with the key factors of development mentioned above, as they are all important drivers for our research and education activities. The centre places a strong emphasis on research, development, and technology transfer, as well as on education of the next-generation workforce. It brings together scientific and technical expertise supported by a strong network of academic and industrial partners.

The market brings other important factors, as well as the maturity of the industrial network addressing it. As a research and engineering centre, our performance baseline is defined by the competition with regard to both industrial and academic laboratories. Our targets are therefore defined as a function of this baseline.

For example, the photovoltaic market is dominated – almost 90% – by crystalline silicon. The highest efficiency requires high-quality silicon wafers, advanced cell architectures, and relatively few processing steps. These specifications drive our research strategy as a lever to support the Kingdom’s ambitions.

As mentioned above, value chain integration – upstream towards the raw materials in order to reduce their contribution to the cost of ownership (COO), and downstream towards system integration – is a critical step to guarantee that photovoltaic technologies can efficiently deliver the power they are expected to produce.

At the same time, emerging technologies that can shape the future – and that could also be derived from various fields such as semiconductors and microelectronics, advanced ceramics or even biology – have to be integrated in our research roadmap to anticipate and possibly catalyse the potential breakthroughs that could dramatically change the game in energy fields. Examples are the organic- and perovskite-based cells, as well as their combination in advanced architectures with existing cells.

In light of this fast-evolving realm – contributed to by several facets of multidisciplinary scientific fields which integrate technical, economical and geopolitical expertise – our goal as a centre is to marry efforts from materials research in emerging solar technologies to system engineering in established technologies in order to contribute to sustainably develop the future energy mix the Kingdom needs.

Jean-Luc Bredas is the director of the Solar and Photovoltaics Engineering Research Center at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and Marc Vermeersch is its managing director.

Saudi Arabia should turn to the sun - Features - Nature Middle East