Research Paper on "Solar Panel (Energy) in Saudi"

Research Paper 9 pages (3005 words) Sources: 10 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

At the same time, it can be able to benefit from, as well as draw on, an expected domestic silicon production. Moreover, it forms the link to the downstream development of the country's PV manufacturing.

Even as Saudi Arabia's domestic/regional market and the rest of the Gulf countries will be developed, as a matter of fact, for a span of 3-5 years, solar wafers are always products that offer opportunity for their shipping and exported all over the world in large quantities in expectation of predictable surfacing of a domestic demand, (Tanquintic-Misa, E., 2013). Thin-film operation and cell manufacturing needs somehow complicated site infrastructure, particularly in terms of electricity, other utilities and specialty gases. Nevertheless, even as the country's recent global competitive position favors silicon and ingot/wafer production, numerous factors indeed exists that favor the region potentially as a location for manufacturing thin-film. On top of affordable electricity, which might form an extensive operating expense generally for large thin-film facilities, there are other favorable factors such as spacious and flexible production plots, as well as local production of glass.

Availability of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) will be capable of bringing numerous opportunities for the Saudi Arabia's existing local industry base, due to the fact that aluminum, glass, cement, and steel form part of the inputs for installation of CSP. The amount of components that are needed for just 50 MW parabolic trough plant indicate very well the reasons that makes CSP to be a local business. Collectors required within the solar field are 352, each one of them measuring about 150 meters in terms of length. Every collector has 12 modules that are 12 meters length wise, consisting 28 mirrors in addition to 3 absorber tubes. In total we have 120,000 mirrors and 12,700 absorber tubes, resulting to approximately 50 km of absorber tubing.

Findings & Implications

Industrial sites in Saudi Arabia can confirm that they have heard good performance across the board in regard to cost factors. Performance based on the environmental factors has not been that much favorable. Some of the major areas the country's industrial sites is underperforming; however can be improved in the short-term include: Recent available electricity supplies insufficient for most PV projects as well as supplies reliability questionable; Land preparation timeline for some of the potential investor and the administrative; lack of rail access exists at the sites that are under evaluation.

There are three unique sales propositions for Saudi Arabia based on the solar manufacturing investment attraction: electricity costs, local engineering talent pool and scientific/technical support, and financing/incentives. The country's solar industry potential scenario for the future development can have this view:

Short-term potential:

Described as two years, the expectation is to recruit two to three PV manufacturing projects such as ingots/wafers, silicon, thin-film to the nation, which entails $200-500 million capex each as well as >1,000 jobs total. There are possibilities of attracting a single CSP production project (>50 MW), as long as the nation will commission one or more solar power plants.

Medium-term potential:

For the coming three to five years, additional development of the Nation's PV value chain is capable to be attained where the market is developed in parallel implying that at least a single cell and single module manufacturing project. Within this speculated time, another probable expectation is evolution of a true solar industry cluster in Saudi Arabia, pertaining two to three industrial parks, two to three leading R&D institutes, as well as several manufacturers and installers. There can be commissioning of various CSP pilot scale projects that cover diverse technologies that can be applied within the Country, for example Fresnel, Trough, Tower and hybrids thereof, accompanied by outputs that vary from power generation, water desalination, process steam, to Solar cooling also.

Long-term potential:

Running from five years and above; Solar has the capability of becoming among the major industrial pillars of the nation, and can offer an estimation of 50,000 jobs, U.S.$10 billion in sales as well as an export share above 50%. In that way the industry is capable of acting as a pioneer for the downstream industrial development of Saudi Arabia in general.

In terms of Research and Technology attraction side, the country is capable of attracting research driven solar companies as per the extremely attractive research environment that KAUST is establishing. An essential facilitator will be availability of funding opportunities for innovative solar companies. These kind of funding opportunities are to be identified as solar VC is on creation and during matchmaking with the country's investors.

According to another result of this study, it is recommended to establish a center for testing, demonstration as well as certification of solar products, hence providing opportunities for commercialization of solar technologies in the country. A two-step approach have been used in identifying most attractive solar technologies and research fields for KAUST capturing market potential and synergies to KAUST. Five solar technologies prevailed during selection process:

Crystalline silicon PV: Seen as the most mature PV technology with high cell efficiency and has a significant potential for cost reduction, (Greentech Media, 2009).

Concentrated PV (HCPV): It is a PV technology that is currently of highest efficiency as well as futures highest potential for the lowest levelized energy cost within areas that has high sun irradiation, like the one the country has.

CIGS thin-film PV: Using this thin-film technology which provide a wide range of potential for efficiency improvement, based on building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV), is likely to offer amore attractive fields for future application, (Deutsche Bank, 2008).

Third generation PV: Capturing various solar technologies that are viewed to be most exciting even in the future because of its capability to achieve very low production costs.

Solar thermal heat and solar thermal power (CSP): Following their same characteristics that exists together, such solar technologies posses an extreme capability for domestic application in the country.

Discussion

There is need to develop a national Saudi Arabia solar energy strategy which can function as framework for the entire solar-related activities in the country. In addition, it is recommended further that the country establishes a national solar energy authority to act as a steering body for solar related activities, hence controlling as well as coordinating the work of various entities. Indeed opportunities solar present to the country tend to be vast. This is the time to establish solar as a key industry, so that the nation can benefit from the huge potential that is offered by solar based on energy generation and job creation. Saudi Arabia should consider subsidies since this assists in creating markets for solar power like in most of the nations. Even nations like Germany and Japan who were not blessed with high solar irradiation have managed to develop thriving solar industries because of the subsidies, (Robert Peltier, 2007).

For the Saudi Arabia to be in a good position of recruiting foreign direct investment within solar environment, among the first steps for critical analysis is to determine the conditions of the location where the leading industrial parks are situated, and come up with a benchmark for such sites against other top areas for solar manufacturing in the world. Moreover, it is of importance to identify various shortcomings and come up with the recommendations for improvement.

Conclusion

Saudi Arabia taking a move to change into solar energy result to reduction in cost since sun is always free, and solar cells tend to be long lasting energy paving way for its use nearly everywhere. Use of solar cells offer cost effective solutions to places that experience energy problems especially where there is no main electricity. Its use is also human friendly because it has no pollution and is also silent since there are no moving parts, they only need little maintenance and their lifetime is long. When compared to other renewable sources, solar energy is always the best.

References

ABS Energy Research, (2005) "STP 2005: Solar Thermal Power -- CST Concentrated Solar

Thermal Energy," Edition 1

Alawaji, Saleh H., (2001) "Evaluation of solar energy research and its applications in Saudi

Arabia -- 20 years of experience," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Review 5, 59-77

Battelle Memorial Institute and R&D Magazine, (2008) "2009 Global R&D Funding

Forecast,"

(http://www.battelle.org/news/pdfs/2009RDFundingfinalreport.pdf)

Bradford, T. (2008). Solar Revolution: The Economic Transformation of the Global Energy Industry. Massachusetts: The MIT Press.

Bradford, T. (2006). Solar revolution: The economic transformation of the global energy. (1st Ed.). Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press.

CPV Today, (2009) "The CPV Challenge (PartI): Achieving Grid Parity," Executive

Summary.

Deutsche Bank, Stephen O'Rourke, (2008) "Solar Photovoltaic Industry," Presentation at PHOTON International Conference, Munich

Greentech Media, Shyam Mehta, Travis Bradford, (2009) "PV Technology, Production and Cost, 2009 Forecast: The Anatomy of a Shakeout -- Executive Summary"

Tanquintic-Misa, E. (2013). Saudi Arabia Pushes Renewable Energy Programs, Wants to Become Solar-Powered Efficient and Capable by 2032. ibtimes: http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/486391/20130704/saudi-arabia-renewable-energy-solar-power.htm#.Umq87vmVM0I

Robert Peltier, (2007) "Nevada Solar One, Boulder City, Nevada," POWER Magazine, (http://www.powermag.com/issues/cover_stories/Nevada-Solar-One-Boulder-City-Nevada_230_p4.html)

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), (2009) "Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs),"

(http://www.er.doe.gov/bes/EFRC/index.html) READ MORE

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