Saudi Arabia signs Memorandum of Understanding to establish the world's largest solar project

[The SC]

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Chairman of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Masayoshi Sun, Chairman of the SoftBank Vision Fund, to create the world's largest solar energy plan. This agreement is a new framework for the development of the solar energy sector in Saudi Arabia, under which a new solar power plant will be established. Two solar plants with a capacity of 3 gigawatts and 4.2 gigawatts will be launched by 2019, and solar panels will be manufactured and developed in Saudi Arabia to produce between 150 and 200 gigawatts of solar energy power by 2030.


The MoU is based on the commitment of the two parties to the production and global distribution of solar panels with a capacity of 200 GW in Saudi Arabia, as well as opportunities to establish industries in the field of power generation systems and batteries in the Kingdom that will help to support sector diversification and job creation in advanced technologies. It is expected that the memo and the projects will help fuel energy production in Saudi Arabia, which will boost Saudi Arabia's role in supplying the world's oil-burning markets, especially as demand for oil is steadily increasing as production in some areas is depleted. The projects are expected to contribute an estimated 100,000 jobs in Saudi Arabia and increase Saudi Arabia's GDP by an estimated US $ 12 billion and an estimated US $ 40 billion annually.

http://www.aleqt.com/2018/03/28/article_1358536.html


200 GW with $200 billion on 10 years.. A Giga project.. So why Saudi Arabia is the most fitting country for this project?

1 - The sun: Our distinctive geographical location and large area, which is equivalent to a continent and our climate makes us in the ranks of a group of countries that are characterized and can invest in solar energy. But what divides us from them?

2 - Demand: Demand in Saudi Arabia is very high, especially with the major projects approved for the vision 2030; the Kingdom's consumption of electricity reaches 60 gigawatts, while it produces 70 gigawatts of electricity.. When this project is complete, the total production will reach 270 gigawatts..plus the Nuclear energy form the civilian Nuclear power plants..

3 - Raw materials, materials management and supply chain: The raw materials needed for the project require certain raw materials. Most of them if not all exist and are not exploited for us. For example: silica. Above this we have a competitive advantage. what is it? Our average purity is 97.5% and up to 99%. The rest of the material is made of copper and glass.. In addition to the above, there is the Saudi complete supply chain from the extraction of raw materials, processing, etc..., down to the distribution of the "product" in the right quantities to the correct locations at the right time; which makes the total system cost as low as possible while maintaining the quality required..And according to in-depth studies, only KSA has this advantage and it is impossible to compete against it.

In other words, the cost of this project is very small compared to the revenues. If KSA set itself a profit margin of 20% for example, all its competitors will not be able to compete on this margin, they will be at lost and get out of the market with heavy losses.So this can only be resolved by a new OPEC-like organisation that Saudi Arabia will put in place and lead..
This project = oil discovery

The most beautiful of all is that KSA has a huge and immediate cash capacity that enables it to invest immediately in this sector and take leadership in it. This is good for the whole world and not just for KSA. We are speeding up a path that will have the highest quality and the right price (in energy).. It is as if we have made light years progress for this industry .

Above all this. The project will create 100,000 jobs in Saudi Arabia. And a multi-billion dollar increase in GDP.

But will this affect the oil industry? Absolutely not. Oil by all studies will increase its role and importance in the world.

How will KSA benefit:

1 - Solar energy at an unbeatable price and a big profit.

2 - Reduced electricity prices for citizens.

3 - The company that will undertake this project will be put on the Saudi market and will be a great investment opportunity for citizens.

4. When Saudi Arabia's high dependence on oil is reduced domestically, it will export or convert it to petrochemical products, which all studies indicate will increase in prices for the coming years.

So, What is supposed to happen in 2030?

- 100,000 new jobs in Saudi Arabia and an increase of 12 billion US dollars in GDP, in addition to an estimated saving of 40 billion US dollars annually. This is why it is said that the new Saudi solar energy project is nothing less than the new 'Saudi Oil' (-like) energy project..

This Solar energy project was concocted, designed and planned by the crown prince MBS, he struggled to complete it and convinced a partner who is the world's most distinctive.. namely SoftBank to get onboard. The trip began 3 years ago and matured when it was announced at the Investment Fund Conference in New York a few days back..


*Compiled from different sources

 

[El Sidd]

Interesting.................

 

[LeGenD]

Most impressive.

 

[mahatir]

Good Job, this project will make desalinating water for agriculture purposes viable.

 

[The SC]

The memorandum of understanding signed on the sidelines of the establishment of the largest solar project in the world include:
- Manufacturing and developing solar storage systems in Saudi Arabia -
- Establishment of companies specialized in the research and development of production of solar panels -
- Establishment of industries in the field of power generation systems and batteries in Saudi Arabia

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Saudi Arabia is planning to build the world’s largest solar power plant

It’s really, really big
By Liz Stinson Apr 3, 2018, 10:00am EDT

A 700MW PV Plant in Ningxia, China.
David Sanchez via Electrek


Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s biggest exporters of oil and natural gas. Now, the country is in talks to develop the world’s largest solar power plant. Mohammed Bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia and SoftBank have entered an agreement to develop a $200 billion solar power plant that’s anticipated to be up and fully running by 2030.

The proposed plant would generate 200 gigawatts of solar power, which is approximately double the amount of solar energy produced globally last year and more than 100 times as large as the new next biggest solar plant project, according to Bloomberg. The plan is to build the plant in Saudi Arabia’s vast desert, which gets above-average amounts of sunshine.

Though it’s still in the planning phase, proponents of the plan are already boasting about its value, which would reportedly generate more than 100,000 jobs. No telling how large a solar power plant of this size would be, but some estimate it could stretch for an area larger than most big cities. Stay tuned.

Via: Bloomberg

https://www.curbed.com/2018/4/3/17186292/saudi-arabia-largest-solar-power-plant

SOLAR BLANKET
What Saudi Arabia’s 200 GW solar power plant would look like—if placed in your neighborhood

Saudi Arabia has a plan to wean its economy off oil. In the biggest sign of what the future of the Gulf state would look like, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Japanese multinational Softbank to build 200 GW of solar power by 2030 at a cost of $200 billion.

These are eye-popping numbers. If built, that solar-power plant will be about 200 times the size of the biggest solar plant operating today. It would more than triple Saudi Arabia’s capacity to produce electricity, from about 77 GW today.

With current technology, solar panels capable of generating 200 GW would likely cover 5,000 sq km—an area larger than the the world’s largest cities.



And, yet, these are not unrealistic figures. Based on data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), the global solar industry produced about 100 GW worth of solar panels last year, and production capacity is ramping up quickly.

But memorandums like the one signed by Bin Salman often don’t turn into reality. “I’ve probably made more binding agreements to grab a coffee,” Jenny Chase, a solar analyst with BNEF, joked on Twitter.

Still, the prince stands to damage his reputation if he doesn’t at least ramp up Saudi Arabia’s solar-power contribution. Though the country has talked about investing in clean energy for quite some time, it was only in 2017 that it began taking bids to build solar-power plants. And if any country could build a solar plant of this scale, it’s Saudi Arabia: the country gets plenty of sun, has vast areas of empty desert, and possibly has the financial power to pull it off.

To come up with the estimated size, we calculated the area covered by one of the world’s largest solar power plant: the 1 GW Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park in India, which began operations in 2017. Officially, it covers an area of approximately 24 sq km. The massive Saudi solar power plant then would cover an area of about 5,000 sq km. It’s worth noting that the estimated area is based on current efficiency of solar panels, which will almost certainly increase in the next decade and thus the area is likely to be smaller (though it’s impossible to predict how much smaller). Also, the 200 GW of solar capacity is likely to be built across Saudi Arabia, rather than being concentrated in one area—but where’s the fun in that?

https://qz.com/1240862/what-saudi-arabias-200-gw-solar-power-plant-would-look-like-from-space/

It should not be necessary to state that KSA has one of the best prospects of turning into a "renewable energy superpower" as well (solar, wind etc.).

 

[BATMAN]

Ooops, now Pakistani haters had to wait for the sun to stop shining on Saudi Arabia.

On positive note, this project will generate more jobs and if govt. of Pakistan is reading, they should start preparing the work force, and already start diplomacy for it.

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Ooops, now Pakistani haters had to wait for the sun to stop shining on Saudi Arabia.

On positive note, this project will generate more jobs and if govt. of Pakistan is reading, they should start preparing the work force, and already start diplomacy for it.

There are only 2 countries in the world (out of almost 200 nations worldwide) that have more natural resources and mineral wealth on the planet than KSA. Those are 6.5 times larger Russia and 4 times larger US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_resource

KSA could power the entire world with solar power (in theory).

Saudi Arabians Could Export Solar for the Next Twenty Centuries​

​

Every square meter of Saudi Arabia produces an extraordinary 7 kilowatt hours of energy daily in each 12 hours of sun power. If the Saudis were to use up each days solar energy supply, or 12,425 TWh of electricity, it would be a 72 year supply.

Put another way, in just one day, enough solar energy hits Saudi sands to power the kingdom for 72 years, according to a study made by the World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology.

That is an extraordinary resource. It is significantly more than the rest of the world. For example: as a Californian who used a typical 15 kilowatt hours of energy a day, this means my entire home could have been fully solar powered by just 2 square meters – or about 3 feet by 6 feet – of solar panels in Saudi Arabia!

And Saudi Arabia has over 2 trillion square meters able to produce 14 trillion kilowatt hours of solar energy every sunny day – that is enough to power the world.

But of course, no country wants to be entirely devoted to energy production, least of all one that is still making good money from digging up oil, but it is indicative of the kind of money the Kingdom could be earning from solar exports rather than oil exports.

Just as it earns its vast income from oil now, it could equally well earn a similarly vast income from solar in the future. And for vast eons of time.

Transitioning to solar from oil would take an initial investment in the infrastructure, and then would yield an income stream regardless of fuel depletion, because solar is there for the long run, unlike the oil which is getting harder and harder to get out of the ground.

But it is Saudi Arabia itself which is in the best position in the world to make that transition and invest in a replacement for oil. With oil prices at $102 a barrel at today’s market price, the Saudis have over $30 trillion in underground assets.

With that much money in huge (but depleting) assets in petroleum and natural gas reserves, now is the time that Saudi Arabia should invest and become the world’s largest producer of green solar energy.

Saudi Arabia could export solar for centuries either as electricity into the Desertec grid, or as hydrogen fuel, using its tankers and pipelines.

Desertec, which will be shipping billions of kilowatt hours of desert solar energy across to Europe in the near future is becoming a reality in more MENA region nations with the addition of Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, but the Saudis are not members of the visionary project.

Even though; unlike its poorer neighbors, it has tremendous financial assets – enough to become a leader in the project along with the giant German energy companies RWE and E.On – because it could self-fund its own Desertec infrastructure investment.

With over 250 hours of sunshine each month, Saudi Arabia is ideally located to make the most of solar power.

It even has the infrastructure already in place to be a leader in the solar-powered hydrogen economy of the future. Increasingly hydrogen researchers are turning to sustainable long term sources – wind or solar – for hydrogen production.

Solar powered hydrogen could be transported in the same pipeline and tanker infrastructure that now moves our climate-destroying oil energy around the world.

Saudi Aramco – 100% owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – through its affiliate, Vela Marine International Ltd, owns and operates the world’s second largest tanker fleet to help transport its crude oil production, which amounted to 3 billion barrels a year. It is a world leader in exploration, producing, refining, distribution, shipping and marketing.

Most of this infrastructure and expertise could be repurposed to transform Saudi Arabia into a solar hydrogen economy.

This infrastructure could be re-engineered to become a gigantic carrier fleet for hydrogen made with sustainable solar energy and shipped worldwide. New solar infrastructure could be added, as it has begun to do in making polysilicon from its sand.

It is Saudi Arabia that holds the key, with its unique combination of natural and financial resources, to creating a huge long-term future for the world that is based on a sustainable permanent source of energy: our sun.

- See more at: Saudis Could Export Solar for the Next Twenty Centuries | Green Prophet

Brother, no offense, but I would prefer that workforce to be local as most of it likely will become.

Do you know what would be even better? If Pakistan followed suit with similar solar power projects inside Pakistan. I am sure that if KSA is successful, Pakistan can gain valuable insight and experience from KSA and other countries.

Cheers.

 

[BATMAN]

There are only 2 countries in the world (out of almost 200 nations worldwide) that have more natural resources and mineral wealth on the planet than KSA. Those are 6.5 times larger Russia and 4 times larger US.

Allhamdullilah and don't just fell to the traps of overnight revolutions.
Resources in Saudi Arabia are befitting all the people of region, whereas resources of US and Russia are benefiting the cults behind the scenes.

 

[Hiraa]

Yup. Its summer all year here. Great news for the kingdom.
In shaa Allah this will benefit for all the citizens in thr kingdom.

 

[BATMAN]

Yup. Its summer all year here. Great news for the kingdom.
In shaa Allah this will benefit for all the citizens in thr kingdom.

I hope and dream that Pakistan may follow Saudi lead and venture into Solar energy as well.
This not only will generate energy but would lead to development of human resource. If we don't act now than Saudi Arabia will have no choice but to look for skilled labour in India.

 

[BATMAN]

If one day sunshine can power Saudi Arabia for 72 years, we are the idiots who are wasting our sunshine. We don't have any less sun than Saudi Arabia.

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Yup. Its summer all year here. Great news for the kingdom.
In shaa Allah this will benefit for all the citizens in thr kingdom.

KSA is a huge country dear. 12th largest in the world and to put it into perspective, most of Western Europe. A gigantic country like Russia is "only" 6.5 times larger.

So it depends on the region. Only a few regions of KSA and areas have what we would call summer temperatures year around (don't forget the big temperature swings between day and night, common for mostly arid climates). Makkah for example.

Large parts of KSA (in particular Northern and the mountainous regions of Hijaz as a whole, in particular the Tabuk region and even Southern mountainous areas) receive regular snowfall during winter and some of the coldest temperatures in Western Asia have actually been measured in KSA.

Floods in the South and Hijaz occurred this summer. The weather is behaving strangely.

If one day sunshine can power Saudi Arabia for 72 years, we are the idiots who are wasting our sunshine. We don't have any less sun than Saudi Arabia.

Every square meter of Saudi Arabia produces an extraordinary 7 kilowatt hours of energy daily in each 12 hours of sun power. If the Saudis were to use up each days solar energy supply, or 12,425 TWh of electricity, it would be a 72 year supply.

Which in other words is unrealistic to begin with anyway as every inch of KSA cannot be turned into a solar power park, lol. It's just to illustrate the potential.

It can be said about many countries of the world but KSA has the location, size and sunshine hours (although other countries have even more, for example Arizona has more sunshine hours, Yuma being the city in the world with most sunshine hours in the world) as have Egypt which is almost completely desert (geographically) to give you two examples.

 

[BATMAN]

Every square meter of Saudi Arabia produces an extraordinary 7 kilowatt hours of energy daily in each 12 hours of sun power. If the Saudis were to use up each days solar energy supply, or 12,425 TWh of electricity, it would be a 72 year supply.

Sure, Saudi Arabia should make full use of God gifted solar energy. It doesn't need any exploration or lab testing.

Do you know how much Saudi govt. will pay to the investor /kWhr. unit?

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Sure, Saudi Arabia should make full use of God gifted solar energy. It doesn't need any exploration or lab testing.

Do you know how much Saudi govt. will pay to the investor /kWhr. unit?

This can be said about Pakistan as well and every country of the world. It is the duty of the leadership of every country to use what was given to them in the best possible manner. Every country of the world have some positives that they can use wisely.

Cheapeast in the world if I recall. Don't remember the number but Google can help with this.

This should help.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...cheapest-ever-bids-for-solar-power-in-auction

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/02/0...-project-saudi-arabia-record-breaking-tariff/