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Going solar Is Qatar in a position to harness its sunlight? By Asha Toulmin
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p
hil Warrilow tried something new. A science teacher at the Qatar International School, he decided there had been enough talk about solar energy. Qatar has a lot of sunshine – why not harness it? The school had its work cut out. It found panels from ARI Green Energy. It raised money and earned sponsorships. It installed a new circuit for the five computers the energy sourced from sun would power. “From an environmental perspective, we are shocked that the solar resources haven’t been used here,” Warrilow says. Qatar Vision 2030 designates renewable resource generation as a priority, with good reason. Energy consumption is extremely high. In 2006, Qatar ranked fifth worldwide in per capita energy consumption at 15,938.943 kWh per capita. According to Kaharamaa reports, electricity generation has increased by an average of 13.2 percent annually since 2005 (figures available till 2008). Research from international solar energy research and consulting company Solarbuzz indicates solar energy demand worldwide has grown at about 30 percent a year for the last 15 years. The rising demand for renewable resources, combined with the availability of Qatari sunshine, makes the fast expanding technology an appealing solution. “They have so much sunshine here; it could become one of the solar centres for excellence. Qatar is looking to the future when their gas runs out; they’ve got
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“We need to identify appropriate technologies and applications and demonstrate that they are sustainable solutions,” Omran Al-Kuwari CEO, GreenGulf
to look for an alternative. It’s there already,” Warrilow says.
Developing the resources
Qatar Foundation (QF) has made an initial investment of about 1.8 billion riyals in creating Qatar Solar Technologies (QST), a solar grade polysilicon production company (polysilicon is also used to make solar panels). QST is still in the development stages but plans on exporting polysilicon worldwide. The amount of future domestic supply remains unclear but a Qatar-based supplier may result in lower material prices. Energy usage in Qatar is particularly high due to the amount of resources that go into water purification. At the launch of the new Global Water Sustainability Centre based in Qatar Science and Technology Park, Stephen Brand, Senior Vice President of Conoco Phillips said the initiative could potentially partner with solar power projects. Dr. Patrick Linke, professor at Texas A&M University in Qatar, has also researched a way to link the above two technologies. He was
involved in this as an engineer with Qatar National Food Security Programme. “If you desalinate with thermal processes, boil the water, condense it, you need heat and power. If you desalinate with reverse osmosis, then you need electricity. You need a different type of solar technology depending on which desalination process you choose,” he says. “We’re still assessing the benefits that would come from reverse osmosis water purification. With that you would need only electricity. You can feed in solar energy to the grid, and feed in the solar energy. That would be the ideal case, but it’s still being studied.”
“Solar panels are impacted by many environmental factors including dust, heat and light quality. A panel that is designed for northern Europe may not perform well here”
The biggest commitment to solar technology has come from Chevron Qatar Ltd and GreenGulf Inc. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding to test solar energy technologies at QSTP and each is investing around 36 million Riyals in the project. “We see solar as potentially an important part of the region’s future energy mix. Together with energy efficiency,
we need to identify appropriate technologies and applications and demonstrate that they are sustainable solutions,” says Omran Al-Kuwari, CEO of GreenGulf. Chevron Qatar Ltd calculates that every 3.4 kWh of electricity that Qatar saves through energy efficiency, or solar power, yields an extra cubic metre of natural gas for export. “To meet rising demand, the world is going to need both conventional and new sources of energy. Chevron’s approach has been to invest strongly in advanced technologies on both of these fronts. Where we see interplay between petroleum and solar in Qatar is by maximising gas available for export,” says Ben Figgis, External Affairs and Technology Advisor, Chevron Qatar Ltd.
Not the perfect solution
Significant drawbacks still exist in developing Qatar’s solar power possibilities. A major obstacle for Warrilow was price. The school has not been able to expand its commitment to solar power because initial investors did not want to stay involved – the novelty seems to have worn off. Environmental incentive may not outweigh initial economic disadvantages. “Large manufacturers of thin-film solar cells now claim to be able to produce cells at around 3.6 riyals per Watt. A ruleof-thumb for complete solar installations in the US is around 29 riyals per Watt, however the cost in Qatar may be different,” says Figgis. “The savings that a solar system generates depend on incentives set by local governments. In places with sufficient incentives, like in California, Chevron has been able to design and JUNE 10
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green scene install solar panels on behalf of clients so that they benefit financially.” Although solar panels initially incur high costs, in the United States and the United Kingdom, excess energy created by solar panels actually earn users money in the long term. In the UK, Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) became available as of April 1 of this year, where energy suppliers will pay households that generate their own power from renewable or low carbon sources. However, Warrilow argues there is no pressure to use energy efficiently at QIS since the school is owned by a Qatari who doesn’t have to pay energy bills. “The impetus to come up with creative economic solutions is not there.” Climate context also needs to be taken into account. While sunshine makes for ideal solar conditions, the dust could interfere with productivity. Additionally,
A Solar City
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bu Dhabi’s 'Masdar City' may be a good example of working solar power in the Gulf in the next few years. The project, being built by Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, is a residential and industrial city. The city will rely completely on renewable energy resources, including solar power. Since construction began in 2008, Masdar has completed the largest PV plant in the Middle East, which is projected to supply 10MW of clean energy annually (equivalent to carbon savings of 15000 tons a year). This plant has been connected to Abu Dhabi’s municipal power grid. “The connection of this plant marks an important milestone in the development of Masdar City and in our emirate’s history,” says Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar. “We believe this is just the first delivery of the rich potential of solar energy and we will continue to deliver clean sources of energy to Abu Dhabi and beyond.” Masdar PV has also invested $2 billion in thin-film solar photovoltaic technology and plans to build their own PV manufacturing facilities in Germany
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and Abu Dhabi that could rival Qatar Solar Technologies (QST). “It will not only establish Masdar as a major global PV player, but will be the first high-tech semiconductor nanomanufacturing facility of its kind in the entire region, positioning Abu Dhabi as a developer and producer of clean technology,” Al Jaber says. The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Japan’s Cosmo Oil Company and the Tokyo Institute of Technology are also experimenting with a Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Tower project in the City. “Our strategic partnership with Cosmo Oil and the Tokyo Institute of Technology enables us to explore innovative procedures or the improvement and efficiency of solar thermal energy production. The initial project findings have been very positive and if the results continue to be successful, ‘beam down’ technology has the potential to revolutionise the way in which all solar towers are built in the future,” Al Jaber says. The project is also looking to involve water recycling and inventive desalinisation techniques.
“Qatar is looking to the future when their gas runs out; they’ve got to look for an alternative. It’s there already,” there is evidence that panels may lose efficiency when it gets hotter – Solar Centre UK explains that “if you make the collectors too hot they will have a very short life time. Overheating will cause problems.” “Solar panels are impacted by many environmental factors including dust, heat and light quality. A panel that is designed for northern Europe may not perform as well here,” Figgis says. Warrilow wipes down his panels every month, but large-scale implementation would require a more regulated maintenance system that does not yet exist in the Gulf. Like much of the country’s other sustainable development goals, there is a firm commitment - Qatar’s World Cup bid committee has also pledged to build five solar powered stadiums as part of their bid for 2022, is ample proof. But still little of substance, since every project is still in the research or planning stages. However, the outlook remains sunny n