Saudi Arabia

Part of the National Renewable Energy Program, the ambitious project will identify the best sites to develop renewable energy projects throughout the country. Contracted companies will install 1,200 stations across all regions of the kingdom to measure solar and wind energy. Beginning this year, Saudi Arabia will tender new renewable energy projects with a capacity of 20 GW annually.

An international research team has proposed to use recyclable biomass-digested polymers as a material for PV coatings and encapsulants. The scientists developed a coating for PV cells that reportedly allows an increase in power output of up to 10%.

Researchers in the Middle East have conducted a series of simulations to assess the technical and economical feasibility of building-integrated photovoltaic-thermal systems. The proposed framework could apply to various building types and geographical locations.

A new research paper urges the Saudi Arabian government to improve consumer knowledge of renewable energy to encourage the adoption of solar by domestic consumers.

Alberto Boretti was a senior research professor at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University in 2021 when he first started discussing the idea of a hydrogen city in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The New Zealand-based independent tells pv magazine that it is now commercially feasible, as the city’s 200 MW of energy demand would necessitate 1 GW to 1.3 GW of solar and wind capacity, 509 MW to 997 MW of electrolysis capacity, and 145,000 MWh of hydrogen storage capacity.

GameChange Solar, a US-based tracker supplier, has announced the construction of a 3 GW tracker factory in Saudi Arabia, with plans for potential expansion to 5 GW in the future.

Greece has grand plans for an interconnector network that runs from the Middle East through to the heart of Europe. pv magazine examines the latest developments on the road to a Mediterranean super grid and what it might mean for the regions involved.

GlobalData say it is “plausible” that Saudi Arabia could close in on its target of 130 GW of renewables by 2030 by strengthening policies, competitive auctions and other financial measures.

A Saudi research group has assessed how polymeric coatings, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), could be used for radiative cooling in photovoltaic panels and has found that both materials could reduce the operating PV module temperature by between 1.15 C and 1.35 C.

ACWA Power’s preliminary analysis of a leak in the hot molten salts tank at its 150 MW solar plant in Morocco indicates a forced outage until November this year.