The largest solar power project in Saudi Arabia

KAUST: Solar powered

In terms of becoming 'renewable energy friendly', there has often been resistance, especially in countries such as Saudi Arabia where oil exports are a key aspect of the economy. However today saw a massive commitment to renewable energy from The Kingdom, as they unveiled the largest solar power project in Saudi Arabia.

Developed by Conergy, the consortium of Hamburg-based solar experts and Saudi Arabia's National Solar Systems (NSS), the largest solar power project in the Kingdom was built on the roof top of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

The 2MW solar park consists of two rooftop solar installations with a capacity of one megawatt each, installed on the north and south laboratories of the university. Featuring premium components including 9,300 high-efficiency solar modules, the solar power project occupies 11,577 square metres of roof space and will produce 3,332 megawatt hours of clean energy per year.

In return, it could potentially save up to 33,320 tons of carbon emissions annually - approximately the same as 6,000 circumnavigations of the world by car.

"A historic event for Saudi Arabia"

Saudi Arabia has always held firm against renewable energy, opting instead to spend US$170 billion over the next five years on energy and oil refining efforts, despite green technologies doing well in terms of market shares.

Saudi Aramco, the country's state-owned oil company, has even been quoted as saying it is "unrealistic" for Saudi Arabia to invest heavily into alternative energy sources when its 'cash cow' is essentially its oil wealth.

However this seems to be a major step in the right direction.

Speaking to Arabian Business, Abdulhadi Al-Mureeh, managing director of NSS, said, "For the first time, clean power is flowing into the national grid. This is a historical event for us in Saudi Arabia."

An unnamed spokesmen for KAUST concurred saying, "We are pioneers and develop new and sustainable technologies. We are proud to be among the solar pioneers in our country and to have the first and the largest solar park at KAUST.

"Despite our country being the largest oil-producer, we think that it is essential to develop new and sustainable technologies for the benefit of the kingdom, the region and the world."

It is now hoped that the kingdom will become a major contributor to energy supply in the next 5 to 10 years. This was even confirmed from the most unlikely of all sources - Ali Al-Naimi, the Kingdom's Minister for Petroleum and Mineral Resources.

"Saudi Arabia aspires to export as much solar energy in the future as it exports oil now," said Ali Al-Naimi, he said in a recent interview.

While the largest solar project in Saudi Arabia may seem like a commitment to renewable energy, the Kingdom still has approximately a fifth of the world's oil reserves, and it is a sure bet that they will be reliant on them for some time to come.

Relevant articles:

The Middle East: Renewable energy friendly? | Egypt's solar power plans | Kuwaiti bank to invest in green energy | IBM: Making water in the desert

Timon Singh

Timon Singh is a graduate of Liverpool University where he received a degree in Social and Economic History. He has previously worked for BBC Magazines on BBC Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, the publication for the popular genealogy show.

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