In this paper, we present a technical and an economic
assessment of several sources of renewable energy in Saudi Arabia;
mainly solar, wind, hydro and biomass. We analyze the
environmental and climatic conditions in relation to these sources
and give an overview of some of the existing clean energy
technologies. Using standardized cost and efficiency data, we carry
out a cost benefit analysis to understand the economic factors
influencing the sustainability of energy production from renewable
sources in light of the energy cost and demand in the Saudi market.
Finally, we take a look at the Saudi petroleum industry and the
existing sources of conventional energy and assess the potential of
building a successful market for renewable energy under the
constraints imposed by the flow of subsidized cheap oil. We show
that while some renewable energy resources are well suited for
distributed or grid connected generation in the kingdom, their
viability is greatly undercut by the well developed and well
capitalized oil industry.
[1] P. Vincent, Saudi Arabia: An Environmental Overview, Routledge,
2008, pp. 38-39.
[2] "CIA World Factbook: Saudi Arabia", Central Intelligence Agency,
2009.
[3] "Saudi Arabia", Energy Information Administration, August 2008.
Available: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/ cabs/Saudi_Arabia/Oil.html
[4] "EarthTrends Country Profiles: Saudi Arabia", World Resources
Institute, 2003. Available: http://earthtrends.
wri.org/pdf_library/country_profiles/ene_cou_682.pdf
[5] Claus Frohlich, "Construction of a Composite Total Solar Irradiance
(TSI) Time Series from 1978 to present", Physikalisch-Meteorologisches
Observatorium Davos, 2006. Available: http://www.pmodwrc.ch/pmod.
php?topic=tsi/composite/SolarConstant
[6] M. Thekaekara, Solar Irradiance, Total and Spectral, Solar Energy
Engineering, Academic Press, 2008, pp. 37-60.
[7] Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, August 2008. Available:
http://www.mofa.gov.sa/Detail.asp?InSectionID=1719&InNewsItemID=
34509
[8] "Federal Energy Management Program Maps", National Renewable
Energy Laboratory, 2009.
[9] N.M. Al-Abbadi, Wind energy resource assessment for five locations in
Saudi Arabia, Renewable Energy, 30 (2005), pp. 1489-1499.
[10] L. Fingersh, M. Hand, A. Laxson, "Wind Turbine Design Cost and
Scaling Model, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2006.
[11] Classes of Wind Power Density at 10m and 50m", National Renewable
Energy Laboratory.
[12] P. Vincent, Saudi Arabia: An Environmental Overview, Routledge,
2008, pp. 95.
[13] N.A. Norton, A. Sadiq, V.J. Norton, "Desalination as a Water Source for
Municipal and Industrial Water Users: The Future is Now", in 2003
Proc. Georgia Water Resources Conference.
[14] D.R. Legates, C.J. Willmontt, "Mean Seasonal and Spatial Variability in
Gauge-Corrected, Global Precipitation", International Journal of
Climatology, 2003, pp. 111-127.
[15] P. Vincent, Saudi Arabia: An Environmental Overview, Routledge,
2008, pp. 96.
[16] A.H. AbuZinada, E.R. Robinson, I.A. Nader, Y.I. Wetaid, "First Saudi
Arabian National Report on the Convention on Biological Diversity,
National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development",
2001.
[17] A.A. Al-Shaikh, "Evaporation Data Stochastic Generation for King
Fahad Dam Lake in Bishah", Saudi Arabia.
[18] D. Assmann, U. Laumanns, "Renewable Energy: A Global Review of
Technologies, Policies and Markets", Earthscan, 2006.
[19] I.I. Nawwab, P.C. Speers, P.F. Hoye, P. Lunde, Saudi Aramco and Its
World: Arabia and the Middle East, Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi
Aramco), 1995.
[20] K.S. Twitchell, E.J. Jurj─½, R. Bayly, Saudi Arabia: with an Account of
the Development of its Natural Resources, Greenwood Press, 1969.
[21] "Agricultural Achievements", Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in
London. Available: http://www.mofa.gov.sa/Detail.
asp?InNewsItemID=24496
[22] S. Karam, "Saudi Arabia Scraps Wheat Growing to Save Water",
Reuters, Jan 8, 2008.
[23] "The Daily Report, Information & Studies Center", June, 18, 2008.
Available: http://www.mofa.gov.sa/media /81078 _18-06-2008Eng.pdf
[24] "Beyond the OECD-Saudi Arabia", International Energy Agency, 2006.
Available: http://www.iea.org/
Textbase/country/n_country.asp?COUNTRY_CODE=SA
[25] "Annual Statistical Bulletin", Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries, 2007.
[26] The Gulf Oil and Gas Sector: Potential and Constraints, 2006. pp.145-
160.
[27] "A Brief Introduction to Minerals in the Kingdom", Saudi Ministry of
Petroleum and Mineral Resources, April 2009. Available:
http://www.mopm.gov.sa/mopm/ detail.do?content=min_bg
[28] "Background Note: Saudi Arabia", U.S. Department of State, January
2009. Available: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ ei/bgn/3584.htm
[29] "Country Analysis Briefs: Saudi Arabia", Energy Information
Administration, August 2008. Available:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Saudi_Arabia/ Full.html
[30] C. Baltimore, "UPDATE 2-Saudi Arabia-s Oil Expansion Plans on
Track", Reuters, February 2008.
[31] J. Hoffman, M. Hoffman, Green Your Place in the New Energy
Revolution, 2008.
[32] T. Patel, S"audi Arabia Warns on Rapid Shift to Renewable Energy",
Bloomberg L.P., March 2009.
[33] "China Unleashes Clean Revolution", The Climate Group, July 2008.
Available: http://www.theclimategroup.
org/news_and_events/china_unleashes_clean_revolution/
[1] P. Vincent, Saudi Arabia: An Environmental Overview, Routledge,
2008, pp. 38-39.
[2] "CIA World Factbook: Saudi Arabia", Central Intelligence Agency,
2009.
[3] "Saudi Arabia", Energy Information Administration, August 2008.
Available: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/ cabs/Saudi_Arabia/Oil.html
[4] "EarthTrends Country Profiles: Saudi Arabia", World Resources
Institute, 2003. Available: http://earthtrends.
wri.org/pdf_library/country_profiles/ene_cou_682.pdf
[5] Claus Frohlich, "Construction of a Composite Total Solar Irradiance
(TSI) Time Series from 1978 to present", Physikalisch-Meteorologisches
Observatorium Davos, 2006. Available: http://www.pmodwrc.ch/pmod.
php?topic=tsi/composite/SolarConstant
[6] M. Thekaekara, Solar Irradiance, Total and Spectral, Solar Energy
Engineering, Academic Press, 2008, pp. 37-60.
[7] Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, August 2008. Available:
http://www.mofa.gov.sa/Detail.asp?InSectionID=1719&InNewsItemID=
34509
[8] "Federal Energy Management Program Maps", National Renewable
Energy Laboratory, 2009.
[9] N.M. Al-Abbadi, Wind energy resource assessment for five locations in
Saudi Arabia, Renewable Energy, 30 (2005), pp. 1489-1499.
[10] L. Fingersh, M. Hand, A. Laxson, "Wind Turbine Design Cost and
Scaling Model, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2006.
[11] Classes of Wind Power Density at 10m and 50m", National Renewable
Energy Laboratory.
[12] P. Vincent, Saudi Arabia: An Environmental Overview, Routledge,
2008, pp. 95.
[13] N.A. Norton, A. Sadiq, V.J. Norton, "Desalination as a Water Source for
Municipal and Industrial Water Users: The Future is Now", in 2003
Proc. Georgia Water Resources Conference.
[14] D.R. Legates, C.J. Willmontt, "Mean Seasonal and Spatial Variability in
Gauge-Corrected, Global Precipitation", International Journal of
Climatology, 2003, pp. 111-127.
[15] P. Vincent, Saudi Arabia: An Environmental Overview, Routledge,
2008, pp. 96.
[16] A.H. AbuZinada, E.R. Robinson, I.A. Nader, Y.I. Wetaid, "First Saudi
Arabian National Report on the Convention on Biological Diversity,
National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development",
2001.
[17] A.A. Al-Shaikh, "Evaporation Data Stochastic Generation for King
Fahad Dam Lake in Bishah", Saudi Arabia.
[18] D. Assmann, U. Laumanns, "Renewable Energy: A Global Review of
Technologies, Policies and Markets", Earthscan, 2006.
[19] I.I. Nawwab, P.C. Speers, P.F. Hoye, P. Lunde, Saudi Aramco and Its
World: Arabia and the Middle East, Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi
Aramco), 1995.
[20] K.S. Twitchell, E.J. Jurj─½, R. Bayly, Saudi Arabia: with an Account of
the Development of its Natural Resources, Greenwood Press, 1969.
[21] "Agricultural Achievements", Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in
London. Available: http://www.mofa.gov.sa/Detail.
asp?InNewsItemID=24496
[22] S. Karam, "Saudi Arabia Scraps Wheat Growing to Save Water",
Reuters, Jan 8, 2008.
[23] "The Daily Report, Information & Studies Center", June, 18, 2008.
Available: http://www.mofa.gov.sa/media /81078 _18-06-2008Eng.pdf
[24] "Beyond the OECD-Saudi Arabia", International Energy Agency, 2006.
Available: http://www.iea.org/
Textbase/country/n_country.asp?COUNTRY_CODE=SA
[25] "Annual Statistical Bulletin", Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries, 2007.
[26] The Gulf Oil and Gas Sector: Potential and Constraints, 2006. pp.145-
160.
[27] "A Brief Introduction to Minerals in the Kingdom", Saudi Ministry of
Petroleum and Mineral Resources, April 2009. Available:
http://www.mopm.gov.sa/mopm/ detail.do?content=min_bg
[28] "Background Note: Saudi Arabia", U.S. Department of State, January
2009. Available: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ ei/bgn/3584.htm
[29] "Country Analysis Briefs: Saudi Arabia", Energy Information
Administration, August 2008. Available:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Saudi_Arabia/ Full.html
[30] C. Baltimore, "UPDATE 2-Saudi Arabia-s Oil Expansion Plans on
Track", Reuters, February 2008.
[31] J. Hoffman, M. Hoffman, Green Your Place in the New Energy
Revolution, 2008.
[32] T. Patel, S"audi Arabia Warns on Rapid Shift to Renewable Energy",
Bloomberg L.P., March 2009.
[33] "China Unleashes Clean Revolution", The Climate Group, July 2008.
Available: http://www.theclimategroup.
org/news_and_events/china_unleashes_clean_revolution/
@article{"International Journal of Business, Human and Social Sciences:52276", author = "Ziyad Aljarboua", title = "The National Energy Strategy for Saudi Arabia", abstract = "In this paper, we present a technical and an economic
assessment of several sources of renewable energy in Saudi Arabia;
mainly solar, wind, hydro and biomass. We analyze the
environmental and climatic conditions in relation to these sources
and give an overview of some of the existing clean energy
technologies. Using standardized cost and efficiency data, we carry
out a cost benefit analysis to understand the economic factors
influencing the sustainability of energy production from renewable
sources in light of the energy cost and demand in the Saudi market.
Finally, we take a look at the Saudi petroleum industry and the
existing sources of conventional energy and assess the potential of
building a successful market for renewable energy under the
constraints imposed by the flow of subsidized cheap oil. We show
that while some renewable energy resources are well suited for
distributed or grid connected generation in the kingdom, their
viability is greatly undercut by the well developed and well
capitalized oil industry.", keywords = "Energy strategy, energy policy, renewable energy,Saudi Arabia, oil.", volume = "3", number = "9", pages = "1719-10", }