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October 2014 - issue 1409
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Feature article:
Desert protocol tests to be required for PV in Saudi Arabia
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Saudi Arabia is the only place in the world with a desert simulator for solar PV modules. As KACST's PVLAB approaches global accreditation, it's time to take a closer look at the certification procedures and desert protocol tests that it will provide, and how the current pilot plants are supporting this initiative.
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SOLAR GCC ALLIANCE NEWS
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Solar momentum building in MENA region
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Diesel uncertainty motivating SEC, banks, private sector.
Third-quarter solar events highlighted a number of promising trends throughout the region. New initiatives were also revealed to Solar GCC Members in private meetings with government and industry leaders. Here's a quick summary of major developments in the last month:
Solar is moving ahead in Saudi Arabia, with or without K.A.CARE. While there have been no formal announcements for solar tenders in the KSA, there is a growing undercurrent for solar on many fronts. Leading academic institutions are stepping up their research efforts, and grid connection issues are being discussed by government agencies in public and private sector forums.
Other Saudi government institutions are presenting 10-year growth plans with clear renewable targets. During last month's Saudi Solar PV Trade Mission, Ziyad bin Mohammed Alshiha, Chief Executive of Saudi Electric Company (SEC), revealed a plan to spend SAR 80-100 billion over the next ten years to add 9-11 GW of renewable energy capacity, including 6 GW of PV and 1 GW of CSP.
Even more funds are slated for infrastructure: transmission, smart grid / smart meter expansions, and new business development. SEC wants to launch the plan as soon as possible, probably in 2015. All this is in addition to an ambitious plan for solar-powered water desalination plants, also in the works.
K.A.CARE is expected to reveal more details about its solar support program by the end of this year. The program will most likely have a PPA structure, with SEC as the off taker of the power. The Kingdom aspires to supply energy to the region, similar to how things work in Egypt.
Solar/diesel hybrid systems for self-consumption power are becoming increasingly attractive to the private sector, which is currently dependent on diesel fuel and its uncertain future availability-regardless of the subsidy. The concept of solar as a hedge against future energy cost increases is beginning to resonate in the Kingdom. SEC and Saudi Aramco are likely to team up to get the first projects off the ground.
O&M questions are the key issues holding major stakeholders back. Operating expense estimates range from 2-10% of capital expenditure. Sand and dust storms make cleaning requirements a key issue in this market. New desert-oriented panel designs and waterless cleaning technologies should quickly reduce costs and concerns.
KACST certification, based on a special desert protocol, will be required for all modules in the KSA. KACST already has its own solar module production line, separate from its R&D department, with 14 MWp capacity. Cells are imported. All modules will require a Certificate of Conformity, also called a SASO. The aim is to establish a certification standard for the entire MENA region, not just Saudi Arabia.
Financing options are likely to improve soon as solar becomes more mainstream and support increases for green initiatives. Securitization options such as Solar Yieldcos may help accelerate the process. Saudi Arabia's 13 banks are extremely conservative, but all have IPP experience and massive liquidity is available. Most are waiting for the first projects to get on the ground. Once a few get in and the first PV plants are operational in the Kingdom, it's likely the others will quickly follow suit.
The general feeling among key stakeholders in Saudi Arabia is that it may take perhaps another 6 months to a year before the market takes off, but once it does, it will develop very fast.
Browning Rockwell
Executive Director, Solar GCC Alliance
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Solar GCC Alliance Update
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Solar Careers in the MENA/GCC Region portal launched
The Solar GCC Alliance Jobs Portal is your source for opportunities in the GCC's growing solar industry. Click below to find jobs or qualified candidates.
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SASIA in the News
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Saudi Solar Trade Mission to Spain
Madrid, Spain: November 17th - 21st 2014
The Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF), in collaboration with the Saudi Arabia Solar Industry Association (SASIA), are holding a Trade Mission to identify potential investment and partnering opportunities between Saudi and Spanish companies. This Mission, which will include face-to-face meetings as part of the Spanish Solar Forum hosted by UNEF, will encourage Spanish and Saudi stakeholders to share experiences and will present an excellent opportunity to discuss PV technology, successful strategies, and develop partnerships for joint projects in Saudi Arabia.
Invited participants include representatives from SIDF, SEC, Saudi Aramco, K.A.CARE, SWCC, SADF, KACST, KAUST, KSU, KFUPM, MARAFIQ, ECRA as well as senior representatives from Saudi Arabia banks, manufacturing, industrial and agriculture sectors.
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Solar Trade Leads and Tenders Bulletin Board
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Coming next month -
tradeleads.solargcc.com
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Upcoming Events
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The Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF), in collaboration with the Saudi Arabia Solar Industry Association (SASIA), are holding a Trade Mission to identify potential investment and partnering opportunities between Saudi and Spanish companies.
SASIA Breakfast Briefing, December 10, 2014, Hilton Garden Inn, Olaya, Riyadh
Topic: Solar Diesel Hybrid Solutions for Self Consumption Energy Production
Empowering successful and profitable MENA solar utilities.
Join us for the forum and post event networking reception |
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REGIONAL & GLOBAL SOLAR NEWS
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Global - MENA - GCC countries:
Middle East - With 12 GW pipeline, PV markets in Middle East, Africa show strong growth potential
The PV market in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) is set for strong growth, with many multi-megawatt ground-mounted projects in the planning or pre-planning phases, according to a new report by NPD Solarbuzz.
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 "Until now, PV market growth in the MEA region has been mainly driven by a small number of economically prosperous countries, in particular South Africa and Israel," says NPD Solarbuzz analyst Susanne von Aichberger. "These two countries, and Saudi Arabia, are expected to offer stable demand levels within the MEA region over the next few years. The capacity share of the remaining MEA region is projected to increase; however, the increase depends on relatively few, but very large, projects."
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Solar-diesel hybrids: the perfect fit for Saudi Arabia's energy dilemma
Advancements in solar inverters and expensive diesel costs have made a winning business case for photovoltaic (PV) hybrid solutions across the world's remote areas. In Saudi Arabia, the world's second-largest producer of crude oil, the appeal is even greater.
Every summer, when the demand for power shoots up, the Kingdom has been forced to use imported fuel oil and diesel to reduce the amount of crude burnt in the power sector. Last year, Saudi Aramco imported about 7.5 million barrels of diesel each month on average from January to October, reaching record volumes of almost 11 million in July.
"A lot of diesel - millions of barrels - is imported to Saudi Arabia during the summertime to address the peak electricity consumption," says Imtiaz Mahtab, executive vice president of Air Liquide MENA Electronics and a board member of the Saudi Arabia Solar Industry Association (SASIA). "Companies that use diesel generators can consider hybrid PV technologies right away."
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Irena chief says UAE & GCC needs plan to hit renewable energy goals.
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The head of the International Renewable Energy Agency says the UAE should look to set a clear pathway to achieve its renewable energy goals, especially now that it has become competitive with traditional sources of power generation.
Adnan Amin, the director-general of the Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), an intergovernmental agency promoting the transition to renewable energy globally, said that the countries of the Arabian Gulf, despite the potential conflict of interest for their oil-based economies, have been great supporters of renewable energy. He added that they have realised not only the long-term case for a transition to renewables, but also the short-term cost to their economies.
"They really have taken a far-sighted approach to renewables in the Gulf: the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, even Kuwait," said Mr Amin in an interview with The National.
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SunEdison seals $50mn for Jordan solar project
SunEdison announced the closing of a $50mn debt financing arrangement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Overseas Private Investment
Corporation (OPIC).
The debt proceeds will be used to finance the construction of a SunEdison owned 23.8MW DC solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in the Ma'an Governate, in Southern Jordan.
Construction will begin in Q4 2014 and interconnection is expected to take place in Q3 of 2015.
The project will cover an area of approximately 50 hectares and will feature SunEdison 330 monocrystalline PV modules and the AP90 Single Axis tracker.
On an annual basis, the system is expected to generate approximately 57,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of solar power, saving the emission of 35,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).
Read article - click here
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World Bank OKs Half-Billion Dollars to Fund Morocco Solar
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The World Bank will provide a half-billion dollars to help fund two solar-thermal power projects in Morocco that are among the world's largest.
The World Bank Group's Board of Executive Directors approved today a US$519 million project to support Morocco's ongoing efforts to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels by developing its renewable energy resources. The project will back the government's strategy of harnessing power from the sun through the use of concentrated solar power technology.
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Gestamp Solar signs $28 million contract with Kuwait Oil for 10 MW PV plant
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Spain's Gestamp Solar has signed a $28 million contract with Kuwait Oil Company to build the first utility-scale PV plant in Kuwait.
Gestamp Solar, the photovoltaic energy division of Gestamp Renewables, will engineer, construct, operate and oversee maintenance of the 10 MW Umm Gudair Field solar plant. Kuwait Oil is a subsidiary of the state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and the world's fourth-largest oil exporter.
The installation is Gestamp Solar's first project in Kuwait and in the Middle East. It is scheduled to be completed by the middle of 2015.
The facility will have more than 32,000 and 12 transformation centers. Gestamp Solar estimates annual electricity production to reach 17,600 megawatt hours, equal to the emission of 9,100 tons of CO2.Gestamp Solar teamed up with corporate affiliate Solar Steel by Gonvarri as a supplier of one-axis trackers for the project. The group is part of Gonvarri Steel Services, which, like Gestamp Renewables, is a division of the Corporacion Gestamp conglomerate.
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Hybrid power plant plan on track
Work on a hybrid power plant for solar and wind energy in southern Bahrain is expected to start in the next three months.The five megawatt pilot station will be built on land covering 120,000sqm near Al Dur
Power and Water Plant.
It is part of efforts by the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) to develop renewable energy sources and will be linked to Bahrain's power-distribution grid by the first quarter of 2015. A tender has already been issued and a company specialising in renewable energy plants will be awarded the project before the end of the year, said Minister of State for Electricity and Water Affairs Dr Abdulhussain Mirza.
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CONFERENCES & EXHIBITIONS
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Featured Event
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Canadian Renewable Energy trade mission
Dammam and Riyadh, 28 - 30 October, 2014
The program will include a Canadian renewable energy seminar and a B2B matchmaking event in partnership with the Saudi Solar Industry Association (SASIA) and the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce. The Canadian Embassy will organize a reception in honour of the delegation. Canadian participants include Morgan Solar, Canadian Solar, Silfab Ontario, QD Solar and Sky Power
Draft Trade Mission Agenda
To register please contact Mariyah Jafferji, Marketing & Events Coordinator
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www.solargcc.com
Published by - Solar GCC Alliance
P.O. Box 16111 , RAK, U.A.E.
Email: info@solargcc.com
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Disclaimer:
Warning: Although the company has taken reasonable precautions to ensure no viruses are present in this email, the company cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage arising from the use of this email or attachments.
Copyright © 2014 Solar GCC Alliance. All Rights Reserved.
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