Saudi Arabia’s first solar power station inaugurated on Farasan Island

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/10/05/170310.html

Last Updated: Wed Oct 05, 2011 13:25 pm (KSA) 10:25 am (GMT)

Saudi Arabia’s first solar power station inaugurated on Farasan Island

Wednesday, 05 October 2011

By Ahmed al-Zila’i
Farasan Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia inaugurated its first solar power station on Sunday. It is located on Farasan Island and will produce 864,000 kilowatts.

The station, which contains 6,000 solar cells, was built by government-owned utility Saudi Electricity (SECO) and Showa Shell Sekiyu, a Japanese energy company partly owned by Saudi Arabian Oil.

Ali bin Salih al-Barak, executive head of SECO, said that the project is the beginning of a new era for the production of solar energy in the kingdom.

He also said that there will be constant coordination between the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology and the King Abdullah City for Renewable and Nuclear Energy to advance the best ways to invest in the production of solar power.

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[Warpy]

1. They're sprouting up all over the place here in NM

wherever somebody's got a spare acre or so of land. One thing this state has in abundance is sunlight.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. The thing is… how much oil does New Mexico have?

Naysayers should take notice when Saudi Arabia starts putting up solar panels…

[FBaggins]

4. Actually... Solar makes lots of sense in SA - with or without peak oil.

Oil's highest value isn't electricity generation. They need it for export or nothing else in their economy works.

Whereas solar panels would be more efficient there than almost anywhere else (and S.A. has plenty of peak demand that lines up well with that supply).

If anything, places like this would be the FIRST places that we should expect solar power without the need of government subsidy as PV prices fall.

[Warpy]

5. Not much oil but plenty of natural gas

Most wells out here are gas wells and they didn't involve fracking, just drilling into existing pockets.

[pinto]

3. I love the "urban solar plan" for the Southwest.

All new unobstructed high rises, shopping centers, warehouses, etc. incorporate roof top solar in construction. Plus retro fit to existing solar "candidates" Seems a good use of space that's going to be developed / has been developed any way.

[Javaman]

6. One would think, that if a nation that has the largest proven oil reserves

is starting to put up solar panels for energy, the largest buyer of that oil would take notice.

I know, call me crazy.

[FBaggins]

7. Why?

Crude oil is a lousy source of electricity.

Why would a country that lives on selling the stuff for it's most valuable uses ever consider using it for power generation if it didn't have to (particularly as the price of oil has risen)?

[Javaman]

8. Because they had no reason to do so up until this point. nt

[FBaggins]

9. Sure they have.

The price just didn't work out until recently.

Generating electricity with crude oil is dirty, inefficient, and expensive.

It's the same reason they're planning ~20GWs of nuclear power starting construction over the next few years.

[Javaman]

10. I believe it has more to do with the issue of their reserves not being what they

state they are.

there hasn't been an non-saudi accouting of their reserves in over 30 years.