The Future of the Renewable energy of Saudi Arabia(Jeddah) - Dissertation Example

? Literature Review Solar energy From the studies of various scholars, it becomes evident that Saudi Arabia has the most suitable geography to utilize renewable energy sources like solar energy and wind energy. One such study comes from Ziyad Aljarboua. It is found by him that Saudi Arabia is one of the best solar regions on earth. There are various points found by Aljarboua (2009) to support this claim. Firstly, Saudi Arabia has one of the highest summer temperatures ever recorded on earth. According to the researcher, the amount of solar energy that falls on the Arabian region in any given day is sufficient to produce 12,425 TWh of electricity (ibid). This much energy can power the entire nation for 72 years. It becomes evident from the study that as the country lies very near to the equator, it is the best place to harvest solar energy (Aljarbou, 2009). In addition, it is seen that Jeddah has an average of 5.78 kWh/m2/day of insolation because of its higher solar intensity. This is because of the altitude of the place. So, in order to meet the entire energy needs of Jeddah, that is calculated to be around 50.915 GWh/day, the total area required will be 36.64 km2 which is about 1.22 % of the total land area of Jeddah (ibid). Aljarboua also looks into the financial aspects of installing Photovoltaic technologies. Here, the picture is negative. When the economic analysis is conducted using the national renewable energy laboratory guidelines, it is found that the saving to investment ratio (SIR) is very poor in Saudi Arabia as compared to other nations. While the SIR is less than 0.13 in Saudi Arabia, it is much better in other nations. The reason for this poor SIR is the low price of energy in Saudi Arabia due to the easy availability of oil resources. That means, if the solar energy technology is to become economically beneficial, either the cost of fossil fuels should go considerably upwards, or the installation costs of the photovoltaic solar energy technologies should come dramatically down. So, in his study, Aljarboua takes the other cheaper forms of harvesting solar energy. Some of them are solar water heating (SWH), and ventilation air preheating (SVP). From the study, it becomes evident that the last two forms of harvesting solar energy are more suitable for Saudi Arabia. While photovoltaic technology has an SIR of 0. 1175, that of SWH is 0.52 and of SVP is 7.78. In addition, the pay back years also vary considerably. If the PV technology requires 149 years, SWH and SVP require only 33.5 and 2.25 years respectively. In fact, the use of solar energy has been rising in Saudi Arabia since 1960. The King Abdulaziz University for Science and Technology’s Energy Research Institute has conducted many studies on the utilization of solar energy. Some practical use of solar energy mentioned in the study are ‘lighting, cooling, water heating, crop/fruit drying, water desalination, operation of irrigation pumps, running of meteorological stations, road and tunnel lighting, road signals and traffic lights’ (“Renewable energy feasibility study”). Despite all these developments, the practical use of solar energy has not made notable progress. There are various reasons associated with this failure. The first one, according to Said, I.M.Ei-Amin and A. M. Al-Shehri (n.d.), is that oil is easily available in Saudi Arabia. In addition, the oil is more effective as an energy source and it has a considerably lower cost in the nation. The second major issue is the dust effect that reduces the availability of the solar energy by 10-20%. The third most important reason is that while the government provides subsidies for oil and electricity generation, the same subsidy is not available for the use of any non-renewable energy source (ibid). Photovoltaic cells The term ‘photovoltaic’ indicates that electricity is made from light. The most widely used material to make photovoltaic cells is silicon. There are three different varieties of photovoltaic cells; monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and amorphous silicon. The issue with urban areas like Jeddah is lack of space. So, mono and polycrystalline are more useful in urban areas as they require less space. However, amorphous cells too suit the situation as they can be used on any surface; both rigid and flexible. However, as per the report of energy saving trust (Renewable energy sources for homes in urban environments, Energy Saving Trust), the problem with the photovoltaic cells in Saudi Arabia is that the installation cost is considerably high (Renewable energy sources). However, studies prove that in UK, a polycrystalline photovoltaic installation of 10 m2 will produce about 800 kWh electricity in a year, though installation cost is 4000-6000 pounds. In a study conducted by Rehman et al (2007), it was found that in order to establish a photovoltaic cell unit covering 35,000 m2 in Saudi Arabia, the expenditure will be US $ 39,864,634. In addition, it is pointed out that such a plant will produce about 8196 to 12,360 MWh per year. In addition, studies show that the photo voltaic cell array can self clean when it rains if the array is tilt at 15 degrees (Ibid). Solar thermal systems This system is used to harness solar radiation to provide hot water. In this system, water passes through the collector and gets heated. In direct systems, this heated water is used, and in indirect system, this hot water passes through a tank and transfers the heat to the tank. According to Aljarboua (2009), a normal domestic solar water heater will save 1000-2000 kWh every year which amounts to about 50% of the total electricity use for heating. The cost of installing a solar water heater ranges from 2000-5000 pounds in UK, according to Energy Saving Trust. Wind energy Another important area of consideration is wind energy. As Al Abbadi (2005) found in ‘Wind Energy resources assessment for five locations in Saudi Arabia’, two cities of Dhulum and Arar are good places for harvesting wind energy. In addition, the study identified that using Nordex N43 wind turbine; it is possible to produce about 1080 MWh power from Dhulum. In the same way, from Arar, Yanbu, and Dhahran, 990, 730 and 883 MWh power can be produced respectively (ibid). However, the study pointed out that the cost of energy production using wind in Saudi Arabia would be around $ 0.0919 /kWh. This amount is 287% of the existing cost of energy in Saudi Arabia from conventional sources. The wind map of Saudi Arabia indicates that the nation has two windy regions; along the Arabian Gulf and the Red sea coastal areas. In both the cases, the average wind speed is more than 9 knots (16.7 kmph). Though harnessing wind energy is considered as one of the most promising forms of alternative energy, there are certain shortcomings associated with it. Firstly, it is not constant throughout the year. Secondly, as Said et al point out, it has to be saved using batteries. Thirdly, good sites are often located away from cities where power is required. In fact, a number of studies have been conducted to assess the feasibility of wind power in Saudi Arabia. In a study that assessed the wind energy possibility in ten sites in Saudi Arabia, it was found that while the Red Sea area offers 250-500 KWh/m2 power annually, in the inland areas, it is about 50 KWh/m2. In a study conducted to identify the possibility of wind and solar power in Dhahran, it was found that while the maximum attainable wind power potential is 543 KWh/m2/years, (Said et al) the maximum solar energy power potential is 2.03 MWh/m2/year. In the East Coast of Saudi Arabia, it was found that the mean attainable wind power is 70.6 W/m2, while the mean attainable solar power is 500 W/m2. The viability of using wind energy to reduce the peak electricity demand is analyzed by Obaid (Obaid, 2011) too. It is suggested by Obaid that as Jeddah lies very close to the Red Sea region, it is possible to utilize the wind energy. In fact, several studies have been conducted to assess the possibility of incorporating wind turbines in the power system. Out of the places suggested as possible locations for wind power production, Yanbu lies 260 km north of Jeddah, on the West coast. In the opinion of Obaid, the suburbs of Jeddah are more effective than Yanbu for wind power production. In addition, the wind tendency in the area perfectly suits the peak energy demand times of Jeddah. The new place suggested is 8 km northwest of Bahaban, a village 48 km north of Jeddah. The place records an average wind speed of 6.35 m/s (ibid). In addition, it is found that the wind speed rises between 12 noon and 6 pm. Also, it is found that the wind speeds are higher during the months of May to September and weak in the months of November to January. When the collected wind speed is normalized, it becomes evident that at an altitude of 100 m, the average wind speed will range from 7 m/s to 11.7 m/s (Obaid, 2011). Thus, it is seen that the higher wind speeds are available in the hours and months of peak electricity use. If the wind turbine of GE Energy brand is selected with 1.6 MW and 2.5 MW capacities, and are set at a hub height of 100 meters, and if the wind speed is an average of 8.68 m/s, the 2.5 MW turbines would produce about 1.515 MW, and the 1.6 MW turbines would produce 1.095 MW of energy. If it is assumed that a single 1.6 MW turbine would take an areas of 0. 68 sq km and a 2.5 MW turbine would need 1 sq km, the selected location will be able to accommodate 175 turbines of 1.6 GW, or 120 turbines of 2.5 MW. In the former case, the total electricity production will be 280 MW and in the latter case, the production will be 300 MW. In fact, when this fact is compared with the demand of electricity in Jeddah, it becomes evident that the production will be higher when demand is higher (ibid). Despite all these revelations, the utilization of wind energy in Saudi Arabia is relatively nil. This is because of the high production costs associated with wind power and the considerably low price of petroleum in the nation. Hydropower Saudi Arabia is almost totally dependent on desalinated sea water. In fact, Saudi Arabia does not have even a single natural river flowing to the sea. So, Saudi Arabia has become one of the largest producers of desalinated seawater as the country meets 70% of is freshwater requirements through desalination. In the opinion of Aljarboua (2009), Saudi Arabia does not have the environmental and climatic conditions that support hydroelectricity production. According to the records of NASA’s Atmospheric Science Data Center Survey, the average precipitation in Saudi Arabia is nearly 100 mm while the global average is 1123 mm. Thus, evidently, Saudi Arabia has a harsh and dry climate that does not support hydroelectricity production. In addition to all these, due to the high temperature, there is high evaporation. Thus, evidently, there is little chance for more use of hydroelectricity. Presently, there are 200 dams in Saudi Arabia with a total storage capacity of 774 million cubic meters of water. Though rainfall is quite low, the dams are constructed to make maximum use of the rain and also to prevent flooding. Anyway, presently, 20% of the country’s energy needs are met using hydro electricity. Biomass Studies prove that biomass has no future in Saudi Arabia as the geography of Saudi Arabia does not support creating biomass. For example, during the 1973 oil crisis, Saudi Arabia tried to promote wheat cultivation. However, as it led to considerable depletion of water sources, the step was abandoned. In fact, Saudi Arabia only has 2% of its geographical areas as suitable for agriculture. There are not trees or woodlands except for a few plants that adapted to the harsh regimes. As a result, 80% of the nations 2% agricultural land is totally dependent on irrigation. Thus, from the above, one can conclude that biomass is not in favor of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, Petroleum and minerals The name of Saudi Arabia is inseparable from oil. According to sources, the oil reserve in Saudi Arabia is more than 267 billion barrels. The nation has the largest on and offshore oil fields named Saffaniyah and Ghawar. In addition, the nation also has the fourth largest national gas reserve in the world, estimated about 7300 billion m3. According sources, more than 75% of the nation’s revenue comes from oil. In addition, 45% of the GDP is from the sale of petroleum based products. Admittedly, Saudi Arabia has spent a lot of money on developing petroleum industry and related infrastructure. This step was taken on the finding that its price will not go down in the near future. Between 1985 and 2010, the population of Saudi Arabia rose by 85%. In the same period, the refining capacity of the nation grew by 49%. As the result of the government’s heavy investment, that is about 90 billion dollars, the country has developed an impressive range of refineries, processing and treatment plants, pipelines and shipping tankers. From the situation, it is clear that Saudi Arabia has the potential to utilize certain renewable energy sources. The most important ones are solar and wind energies. Considering the economic costs, one can see that in the case of solar energy, ventilation air preheating, and solar water heating are two viable options. Though not as effective as solar technology, wind too promises considerable amount of energy in Saudi Arabia. However, other forms of renewable energy sources like biomass, and hydro are less promising due to the specific geography and climate of Saudi Arabia. Still, as Saudi Arabia enjoys considerable amount of petroleum storage for future use, it is clear that Saudi Arabia is in no hurry to look for alternative sources as far as the economic situations are concerned. It is highly unlikely for a nation which has 90% of its income from oil to think about other renewable forms of energy, especially after spending huge amounts to develop a good infrastructure. In fact, the renewable energy sources in Saudi Arabia like solar and wind energy deserve attention as they pose too strong a case to ignore. However, considering the fact that the oil reserves will not dry out for the coming 100 years, even if the present level of consumption is continued, energy security issues will not force the nation to shift to alternative energy sources. Considering the fact that the presently available technologies to harvest non-conventional energy are not so efficient, and that even if they are efficient, the cost of producing conventional energy from petroleum will be much cheaper and more effective, the nation is highly unlikely to think about alternative sources. Despite the claim of Saudi Arabia that it can easily deliver 10 million barrels a day for the coming fifty years, there are people who doubt the believability of the statement. For example, according to Simons, President of Simmons and Co, if the Aramco estimate of 1975 that the Ghawar reservoir contained 60 billion barrels is correct, one has to admit that the Ghawar reservoir is, in fact, 90% drained (Darley, n.d.). Whatever the exact information maybe, a look into history proves that there was a decline of about 8% in the oil production in Saudi Arabia in 2006. Though there is no specific reason to explain why the fall took place, as Simons points out, many large fields have litany of problems ranging from sand control, water cut struggles, hydrogen sulphide and pressure drops, and so on. So, the time is not far away when people in Saudi Arabia will have to look for alternative sources of energy for survival. Though alternative sources are presently not so lucrative, they will help ensure a safe future. Hybrid systems Said et al also looked into the possibility of hybrid systems. These hybrid systems do not rely on a single energy source, instead, they depend on two, three or, at times, four potential sources. The use of these options depends on the availability energy and the operational cost. However, the number of studies that look into using hybrid system in Saudi Arabia is quite limited. So, it requires more studies to effectively implement hybrid systems. So, Said et al are of the opinion that the future of renewable energy sources in Saudi Arabia is dependent on the availability of government subsidies. In addition, it is pointed out that more studies are required to effectively utilize renewable energy sources in the Saudi Arabia energy system. References Rehman, S., Bader, MA., Al-Moallem, SA 2007, Cost of Solar Energy Generated Using PV Panels, renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 11 . pp. 1847-1847 Darley, J . “The future of global oil supply: Saudi Arabia” viewed 23 July 2011, Read More