Navigating Saudi Arabia's Solar Energy Regulatory Landscape: Solar Arabia's Approach to Environmentally Friendly Solutions

Could you give a general overview of Saudi Arabia’s present solar energy regulatory environment? How does your company work around these rules to provide environmentally friendly solutions?

The renewable energy policy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a central component of the country’s Vision 2030. Vision 2030 is a strategic framework to reduce KSA’s dependence on oil, diversify its economy, and develop public service sectors, health, education, infrastructure, recreation, and tourism.

The National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) is considered a strategic initiative under King Salman’s Initiative for Renewable Energy. This program is overseen by the Ministry of Energy (MOE) and aims to increase the KSA’s share in producing and diversify the country’s energy resources in order to reduce the dependence of KSA on its oil reserves; achieve a sustainable mix of renewable energy sources; reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of the Paris Agreement; and create jobs and facilitate sustainable and long-term social development in line with KSA’s Vision 2030.

With the Kingdom’s vision on 2030, as KSA is aiming big time in reducing carbon emissions and proceeding towards clean energy, renewable energy, specifically Solar Energy is aiming huge requirement. The country’s vision in establishing utility-scale power plants, establishing renewable energy grids like in NEOM, Red Sea. Al-Ula, making the kingdom hub for EV manufacturing, believes that the right path is already woven. Ever since Solar Arabia started as British Petroleum Solar, in 1989, we established the first assembly and manufacturing line for state-of-the-art Solar PV panels and PWM-based solar charge controllers and we have been helping companies like Saudi Aramco, Saudi Electric Company, Saudi Telecom Company etc. to achieve their clean energy demands and goals.

What potential markets do you see for solar energy in Saudi Arabia, and how well-positioned is your company to take advantage of them?

The continued rise of electricity demand in Saudi Arabia means that power generation must expand. Conventional generation is a major cause of environmental pollution and negatively impacts human health through greenhouse gas emissions. It is therefore essential that an alternative method of generation is found that preserves the environment and health and would support existing conventional generation during peak hours. Saudi Arabia is geographically suitable because it is located in the so-called sun belt, which has led it to become one of the largest solar energy producers. Solar energy is a serious competitor to conventional generation when the indirect costs of fossil fuels are included. Thus, processing sunlight via photovoltaic cells is an important method of generating clean energy. This article proves that the cost of solar energy will be less than the cost of fossil fuel energy if the cost of environmental and health damage is taken into account.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is blessed with empty lands and adequate sunlight, which makes it best for having gigawatt scale utility power plants and with the concept of interconnected grid lines, across GCC countries, Saudi Arabia can become the No. 1 power exporter in the region. In addition to the On Grid Power Plants, where Saudi can achieve its sustainable energy targets with the Off Grid / Hybrid Energy system with BESS. Having proudly served Saudi Aramco and most of the Oil Giants in the region, the Solar Arabia team is very well experienced with this kind of technology and well-equipped to provide necessary technical support.

Saudi Arabia has set high goals for renewable energy. What role does Solar Arabia Company play in attaining these objectives, and how will this affect the nation’s energy transition?

The need for energy security has never been more critical in the history of mankind. Amid heightened political tensions, energy diversification programs and sustainability initiatives are a key part of the global agenda today, and countries are working hard to achieve their net-zero targets within the stipulated deadline.

As the world continues its journey to achieve zero emission targets, Saudi Arabia, a country that has been dependent on oil for several decades, is spearheading the energy transition mission in the Middle East region.

Having its base rooted in the Kingdom for the last 34 years, specifically doing only solar-related activities, knowing the in and out regions, and climate thoroughly, the Solar Arabia team can perform way better than any other organizations in helping achieve the Kingdom’s renewable energy targets. Whether it is On-grid, off-grid or Hybrid technology, the Solar Arabia team can design and execute the requirement with utmost professionalism.

How does Solar Arabia Company address worries about the erratic nature of solar electricity and make sure that its Saudi Arabian customers have a steady supply of energy?

As the Kingdom is blessed with ample amounts of Natural energy resources, local and industrial clients have been receiving subsidized energy. To an extent, this was making Solar Energy look expensive, but as the news with the new regulatory board implications, it is evident that the energy costs are going to be expensive. With the gradual decline in Solar energy costs, we are helping critical consumers enjoy their solar electricity by using the most modern technologies like Bifacial Panels, highly efficient Inverters etc. to achieve the maximum potential and help get the payback very fast. In places where grid power is unavailable, we are helping our clients to proceed with either stand-alone systems or Hybrid Systems.

Has Saudi Arabia’s embrace of solar energy shown special promise in any particular fields or sectors?

How does your company meet the specific energy requirements of various industries?

Even much before the commercialization of Solar PV applications, Solar Arabia was established within the Kingdom since 1989, as we had a huge potential market here. It was earlier addressed to the much-needed sectors like Oil and Gas, Telecom etc. In fact, the majority of the Offshore oil platforms, Pipe Lines, and remote repeater telecom sites are still being functioned with the help of Solar Arabia-made Solar PV Systems. In that sense, we are fully adapted to meeting any of the client’s specific needs, no matter what type of requirement it is.

What part does technology play in Saudi Arabia’s solar energy solutions from Solar Arabia Company? Do you use any cutting-edge methods or technology to maximize the production and efficiency of solar energy?

Ever since our establishment in Saudi Arabia, long back in 1989, we have been the pioneers in helping the Kingdom achieve its renewable energy requirements. We were the first company in the Middle East to establish a fully functional Solar Panel manufacturing line and PWM-based Solar charge controller line. Ever since then, we have been regularly updating our technologies according to the client’s demands and changes in market requirements. Recently for a project, our newly introduced Self Cooled DC and Battery Cabinet with state-of-the-art hot pluggable type MPPT controllers received a lot of appreciation. In a similar manner, our highly skilled and experienced technical team is capable of adapting to any of the latest technologies to meet the market requirements.

How does your company go about forming alliances and working together in the Saudi solar market? Can you provide examples of productive partnerships and how they affected business operations?

Ever since our establishment, Solar Arabia has always believed in localizing state-of-the-art technologies to meet market trends and requirements. We brought in many players all across the globe to successfully delivering our 12,000+ projects. In addition, for all our projects, we make sure to collaborate and promote local manufacturers to promote the local businesses the most. In addition to all our previous achievements in bringing international firms to KSA, we are now actively working towards establishing our new state-of-the-art battery manufacturing line in the kingdom.

How would you assess the feasibility of a solar project in terms of its technical, economic, and regulatory aspects?

As far as the Kingdom is concerned, due to its abundant solar energy availability, a high energy yield is obtained, provided the installation meets all the basic requirements. Highly skilled Solar Arabia team can design any kind of system in meeting the technical requirements, by complying with all the quality standards. In addition, we will always make sure that the client gets the maximum yield by designing a proper system that is economically feasible while considering all the regulatory standards. This includes, but is not limited to most modern software technologies like PV Syst, Homer, Google Sketch-up etc.

What measures would you take to mitigate potential risks and challenges associated with solar project development in Saudi Arabia?

Being in the Kingdom and knowing the in-and-out policy regulations, the Solar Arabia team always makes sure all the challenges can be taken care of during the initial project phase itself. With our vast on-field and manufacturing experience, we forecast the possible risks and challenges during the beginning of project commencement itself.