{"id":6372,"date":"2022-03-28T20:38:15","date_gmt":"2022-03-28T20:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arec.org.jo\/?p=6372"},"modified":"2022-03-28T20:38:15","modified_gmt":"2022-03-28T20:38:15","slug":"saudi-arabia-joins-club-of-middle-easts-green-energy-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arec.org.jo\/en\/2022\/03\/28\/saudi-arabia-joins-club-of-middle-easts-green-energy-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"Saudi Arabia joins club of Middle East\u2019s \u2018green energy\u2019 leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saudi Arabia joins club of Middle East\u2019s \u2018green energy\u2019 leaders<\/h1>\n
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Updated 20 January 2020<\/p>\n

Caline Malek<\/p>\n

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ABU DHABI: Saudi Arabia has become one of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region\u2019s leaders in the race to use renewable energy, according to a new study.<\/p>\n

The Solar Outlook Report 2020 was launched at the Solar Forum of the World Future Energy Summit, a highlight of this year\u2019s Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (Jan. 11-18).
The report, prepared by Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA), the largest regional body of its kind, said Saudi Arabia and Oman have joined the UAE, Morocco and Egypt as leaders in the renewables race.
\u201cSaudi Arabia is now in the third year of implementation of its massive target of 60 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy generation by 2030,\u201d it said.
Martine Mamlouk, secretary-general of MESIA, said that\u00a0investment in solar energy is evident across MENA countries. \u201cSaudi Arabia has a target of almost 60 gigawatts of renewable energy, out of which 40 gigawatts are solar,\u201d she told Arab News.
\u201cThis is in line with the Kingdom\u2019s objective of diversification and Vision 2030. While the industry is reaching grid parity, it is great to see the deployment of new innovative technologies to increase efficiency of systems, production management and grids.\u201d
Upcoming solar projects in the Kingdom include Madinah, Rafh, Qurayyat, Al-Faisaliah, Rabigh as well as Jeddah, Mahd Al-Dahab, Al-Rass, SAAD and Wadi Ad-Dawasir, along with Layla and PIF.
Saudi Arabia\u2019s energy demand has been rising steadily, with consumption increasing by 60 percent in the past 10 years, according to data provided by market researchers Frost & Sullivan.\u00a0Demand for electricity in 2019 reached 62.7 GW and is forecast to rise by up to 120 GW by 2030.
The value of solar-power projects in the MENA region is estimated at between $5 billion and $7.5 billion. By 2024, that figure is expected to approach $15 billion to $20 billion.
Under its Vision 2030 program, the Kingdom aims to reduce its dependency on oil revenues, diversify its energy mix and tap its renewable energy potential.<\/p>\n

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Saudi Acwa power-generating windmills that have been erected in Jbel Sendouq, on the outskirts of Tangier, Morocco. (Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the Renewable Energy Project Development Office (REPDO) was set up within the Ministry of Energy, the goals for the Kingdom\u2019s National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) were revised upwards in 2018, resulting in a five-year target of 27.3 GW and a 12-year target of 58.7 GW.
The Saudi government plans to invest up to $50 billion in renewable energy projects by 2023.
\u201cAt MESIA, we are excited to see solar developments in the MENA region accelerating and reaching attractive tariffs, while lowering the carbon footprint of regional economies,\u201d Mamlouk said.
\u201cThe total investment in renewables in MENA between 2019 and 2023 is expected to be $71.4 billion, representing a 34 percent share of the total investment in the power sector, which is valued at $210 billion.\u201d
Changes introduced by Saudi Arabia include a focus on local developers and easing of regulations for local manufacturers of solar panels.
A Local Content and Government Procurement Authority has been established to oversee and audit local content compliance.
Separately, a Renewable Energy Financing package has been launched by the Saudi Industrial Development Fund to support the growth of utility and distributed-generation sectors.
After solar photovoltaic panels were installed on the roof of a mosque in Riyadh, the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center recommended a similar move at other mosques.
Meanwhile, plans for the use of solar panels in the Saudi agro-industry have led to burgeoning interest in the technology, with several industrial facilities expected to have their own units in the not-too-distant future.
For good measure, a regulatory framework to allow exchanges with the power grid is being studied by the Electricity Co-generation Regulatory Authority.
Flexible storage solutions, such as hydrogen, will give intermittent renewable energy a greater share in the energy system, Mamlouk said. \u201cIt may enable present-day oil and gas exporters to become key renewable energy exporters tomorrow. The solar industry is thrilled and proud to participate in this profound transformation of Saudi Arabia\u2019s energy system.\u201d
In the past year solar tariffs have fallen to record low levels in the MENA region, mainly due to tremendous cost declines that have brought the goal of grid parity within reach.
With installed solar electricity capacity worldwide standing at 617.9 GW, MENA governments are staying focused on energy diversification with the help of large-scale projects.
In the UAE, Dubai is targeting the completion of a 5 GW facility by 2030 at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Solar Park. Abu Dhabi has \u201cengaged\u201d its second-largest solar project and is considering the roll-out of more units by 2025.<\/p>\n

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62.7GW – Demand for electricity in Saudi Arabia in 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Morocco aims to reach 52 percent contribution by renewables in its energy mix by 2030. The figures for Tunisia and Egypt are 30 percent and 20 percent, respectively, by 2022.
Oman expects solar-power plants totaling 1.5 GW to come on stream by the end of 2022. Even Iraq, with all its political troubles and administrative paralysis, has not ignored solar power in drawing up plans for its future energy mix.
\u201cInvestments in renewable energy have reached billions in all Arab countries,\u201d Mohammed Al-Taani, secretary-general of the Arab Renewable Energy Commission, said.
\u201cJordan is spending more on renewable energy, and we encourage people to have more independence with renewables by generating their own electricity to reduce their bills.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Nevertheless challenges remain when it comes to implementing projects in rural and isolated areas, according to Mustapha Taoumi, a technology expert at the EU-GCC Clean Energy Technology Network. \u201cWith regard to issues of power grid and access to the people, we have to prepare for everything and be ready to receive new technology because there are communities with little income and education,\u201d he said.
\u201cThen there is the challenge of implementation on the part of different actors and sectors. Social acceptance is also important as we come with new technologies and (information on) how to use them.
\u201cWe have to be innovative when it comes to financing the facilitation process. We have to be fair and democratic,\u201d he said.
Although this is an exciting time for the region, governments will have to step up\u00a0their efforts since they are still subsidizing the cost of power, Taoumi said.
\u201cTechnologies are evolving quickly, so decision-making must keep pace,\u201d he said. \u201cWe could end up having smart meters in rural and isolated areas in two to three years.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Saudi Arabia joins club of Middle East\u2019s \u2018green energy\u2019 leaders Updated 20 January 2020 Caline Malek January 19, 2020 22:55 ABU DHABI: Saudi Arabia has become one of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region\u2019s leaders in the race to use renewable energy, according to a new study. The Solar Outlook Report 2020 was […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arec.org.jo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arec.org.jo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arec.org.jo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arec.org.jo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arec.org.jo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6372"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/arec.org.jo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6374,"href":"https:\/\/arec.org.jo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6372\/revisions\/6374"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arec.org.jo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arec.org.jo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arec.org.jo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arec.org.jo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}