Mena sees brighter future in solar energy

To many observers, the effort to develop solar energy in countries in the Middle Eastern region is seen as suicidal. This is largely due to the fact that majority of these countries are oil-revenue generating economies… right? Wrong.

At last week’s World Future Energy Forum in Abu Dhabi, a number of countries demonstrated their respective progress on solar technology as part of the global policy alignment on renewable clean energy campaign. It is ironic, of course, that countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar are as rich in sunlight as they are in petroleum.

According to a study carried out by German Aerospace Agency (DLR) each square kilometre of land in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region receives every year an amount of solar energy that is equivalent to 1.5 million barrels of crude oil.

That is enough to produce up to 250 gigawatt/hour (GWh) of electricity, using concentrated solar thermal power, and this would supply electricity not only for the Mena region but also for export to Europe. It is also sufficient to desalinate seawater by concentrating solar power, with an amount of 165,000 cubic metres per day, the report says.

Oil-rich Saudi invests heavily in solar projects

It is this foresight that continues to guide Saudi’s policy on clean energy. Though the kingdom boasts close to 270 billion barrels of proved oil reserves, it is committing vast sums to its development of solar technology now while there is still time, and for reasons that were summed up crisply by King Abdullah that “the oil won’t last forever.”

Abdullah argues that diversification away from oil is “a wise insurance policy.”

“The Middle East is rich in oil, but once the “oil boom” is over, “…all of us must get used to a different lifestyle,” the King said. Solar energy is currently being used for oilfield lighting systems, protection for pipelines, advertising signage and traffic signaling in Saudi Arabia.

“Preparing for the future is not a threat," said Helene Pelosse, the Interim Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).

“Many oil producing countries are blessed with sun — renewable energy thus presents them with the unique opportunity to diversify their national energy mix,” she added.

The Mena region’s first solar powered desalination plant is being built at Jordan’s Aqaba Hotel & Resort Ayla Oasis. The plant is expected to provide 10 MW of power, 40 MW of district cooling and 10,000 cubic metres per day of desalinated water for the resort.

UAE powers on in renewable energy

Here in the UAE, the country’s large hydrocarbon wealth gives it one of the highest GDP per capita in the world and Abu Dhabi owns the majority of these resources, with 95 per cent of the oil and 92 per cent of gas.

A number of solar energy-powered projects have been initiated. Solar energy is now being used to power parking meters, offshore buoys and water heating in hotels. The first solar-cell production line is also operational in the Fujairah Free Zone.

As one of the largest oil producers in the world, the UAE saw opportunity in renewables relatively early. This was further strengthened after the country was selected to host Irena headquarters.

During the energy summit in Abu Dhabi, a German company known as Flabeg introduced unique large solar panels that have been designed mainly for the markets in the Mena region.

With a dimension of 1570 x 1900 mm, one solar mirror covers nearly three square metres of a given area. The larger collector units allow for huge ‘solar harvesting’ while covering significantly smaller areas of solar fields.

“With this, achieving competitiveness of solar-thermal technology with fossil-fuel power plants is one step closer,” said Kerstin Kötter, Flabeg’s Head of Marketing.

Speaking to reporters at the summit, Kötter cited the success of the integrated solar cycle power project in El Kureimat, Egypt, which is equipped with Flabeg’s solar mirrors. The project has increased the share of solar-based electricity in Egypt’s energy generation grid.

“The general objective of the solar panels is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from anthropogenic sources by increasing the market share of low greenhouse gas emitting technologies,” Kötter added.

She revealed that the company has begun another path-breaking integrated solar power project in Madinat Zayed, western Abu Dhabi.

“The project will also use the parabolic trough technology, which reflects the direct solar radiation onto a receiver,” the marketing executive said, adding “we hope it will supply the UAE’s national electricity grid by 2011.”

Industrialised nations seek clean and green eco-solutions

There are, certainly, enormous problems to be solved before solar power is economically acceptable and technically satisfactory and there are doubts as to the amounts of energy that present technology can provide.

According to Irena’s director general, solar energy has been discussed, in theoretical terms, for years, and some countries have even undertaken large experiments. “Industrialised countries are now paying serious attention to solar energy – or other alternatives to conventional sources of power,” she said.

“Realising that oil and petroleum products are faster running out, and that coal has contributed heavily to pollution, the industrialised nations have began to look more closely at alternatives, especially at developments in solar energy,” Pelosse added.

Nevertheless, it is already obvious that solar energy is a clean and inexhaustible source of energy.

In Syria, industry experts predict that oil will only be available in the country for the next 10 years. As a result, the country is investing heavily in alternative means of generating electricity.

“Indications are that oil will only be available in Syria for the next 10 years, and renewable energies will achieve half of the energy required in Syria by 2050,” the Middle East’s Oil&Gas Journal says.

The magazine also quoted a leading Bahraini scientist who suggested that the country must “start laying the groundwork and allocating budget for new solar technologies as a result of the enormous increase in energy demand expected over the next decade.”