Saudi Arabia

A subsidiary of TCL Zhonghuan Renewable Energy has signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Vision Industries to begin producing 20 GW of solar ingots and wafers per year in the country.

China’s Sungrow has signed three landmark energy storage contracts with Saudi Arabia’s Algihaz Holding, amounting to the world’s largest grid-side storage order. Each project will have a capacity of 2.6 GWh, totaling 7.8 GWh.

A JinkoSolar-led consortium has announced plans to construct a 10 GW solar cell and module factory in Saudi Arabia with PIF and Vision Industries Company.

Though it already hosts several of the world’s largest PV installations, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s solar industry is still young, with limited local infrastructure and expertise. Project developers are learning quickly that building PV in harsh desert environments requires a careful eye on quality. New testing laboratories are looking to meet demand.

The Saudi Arabian developer has reached financial close for the Tashkent Riverside project in Uzbekistan, which includes a 200 MW solar plant and a 500 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS).

The Saudi research institute said its new four-terminal tandem device has achieved the highest efficiency ever reported for perovskite-based 4-T and triple-junction tandem solar cells to date. The key feature of the cell is the hole transport layer of the top perovskite cell, which was engineered with self-assembled monolayers.

Part of the National Renewable Energy Program, the ambitious project will identify the best sites to develop renewable energy projects throughout the country. Contracted companies will install 1,200 stations across all regions of the kingdom to measure solar and wind energy. Beginning this year, Saudi Arabia will tender new renewable energy projects with a capacity of 20 GW annually.

An international research team has proposed to use recyclable biomass-digested polymers as a material for PV coatings and encapsulants. The scientists developed a coating for PV cells that reportedly allows an increase in power output of up to 10%.

Researchers in the Middle East have conducted a series of simulations to assess the technical and economical feasibility of building-integrated photovoltaic-thermal systems. The proposed framework could apply to various building types and geographical locations.

A new research paper urges the Saudi Arabian government to improve consumer knowledge of renewable energy to encourage the adoption of solar by domestic consumers.