Featured in Nothing cheaper under the sun – 01-2021

Made in MENA

Despite big ambitions and even bigger projects being built across the region, PV manufacturing in the Middle East has never got off the ground. In Saudi Arabia, however, one manufacturer is realizing plans for a gigawatt-scale module factory. Over the next five years, Desert Technologies plans to bring 3 GW of heterojunction production to the Kingdom. pv magazine takes a look at the challenges facing PV manufacturers in Saudi Arabia, and the opportunities the nation may hold.

By

Mark Hutchins

15 Jan 2021

Nabih Cherradi, CTO of Desert Technologies. The company has an ambitious expansion plan – it hopes to bring 1 GW of HJT module production online in 2023. | Image: Desert Technologies

In recent years, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made several commitments to renewable energy, which have so far been accompanied by relatively little action. A current target of 58 GW renewables capacity by 2030 leaves a mountain to climb from the roughly 400 MW currently installed.Since 2019, however, a series of large-scale PV tenders …

This article is part of pv+

Subscribe digitally to unlock exclusive investigative reporting, expert insights, in-depth analysis, and premium background coverage. Your subscription also includes full access to the digital edition of our magazine.