In an expanded workshop in Asharqia Chamber: the solar and renewable energy project contributes highly in Saudization
On Monday November 19, 2018, Asharqia Chamber held a workshop entitled "requirements for licenses for investors in solar and renewable energy."
The workshop highlighted a number of positive results generated by the entry of this service into the local market, most notably the added value of the national economy by providing job opportunities for Saudi youth and increasing investment opportunities for local institutions and companies.
The workshop was held with the participation of representatives of the Electricity and Cogeneration Regulatory Authority at the Saudi Electricity Company and King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy.
During the workshop, many of the desired positive results from entering this service, including diversifying energy sources in a sustainable manner was read.
The Executive Chairman of the Renewable Energy Sector at King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, Dr. Mohammad Qarwan, said that the city has provided three initiatives in the field of renewable energy: the National Center for Renewable Energy Data that contributes to providing comprehensive data from Earth and satellites to all users smoothly; the Initiative to Localize Renewable Energy Technologies that to enable and support national companies in the development of new renewable energy products, applications and services; and the Initiative to Build Human Capacity for Nuclear and Renewable Energy through the preparation of human capital required for the sectors of atomic energy and renewable.
Qarwan said the City has a lot of capacity to measure and model renewable energy sources such as Renewable Resources Atlas, which is an electronic platform to provide users with different data; the Engineering Monitoring Network through 47 measurement stations distributed throughout the Kingdom; Wind Network Monitoring via wind speed and wind direction stations, in addition to the Electrical Network, which provides support and consultation for the development of transport code and distribution code and studies the impact of renewable energy projects on the network.
He stressed that the City aims to increase local content by localizing renewable energy technologies in partnership with the private sector by accelerating the growth of the renewable energy sector in the Kingdom through enabling and supporting local companies to develop products, applications and services in the field of renewable energy and maximize opportunities for local companies to create economic growth and jobs in the renewable energy sector.
It also aims to develop jobs in the areas of atomic and renewable energy, 35% for industries in renewable energy and 30% for nuclear power industries.
For his part, the Deputy Director General of Technical Affairs of the Electricity and Cogeneration Regulation Authority, Engineer Sharif Al Barak, said that the Kingdom by 2030 will have a production of renewable energy of 9.5 GW.
This is due to the presence of catalysts such as the preservation of the environment as well as the economic value added such as creating job opportunities and localization of industries, and reducing the load on the net, and many more benefits to the consumers.
He stated that the Authority is working with various stakeholders to develop small photovoltaic solar systems, which is to facilitate the dissemination of this system, and to identify the conditions and requirements related to the regulation of energy systems related to distribution systems, ensuring the effectiveness, safety, installation, maintenance and operation of the service in order to ensure the quality and effectiveness of the service.
The Director of Planning and Distribution Department and the Director of the Solar Project of the Saudi Electricity Company, Eng. Mohammed Al-Taher, said that it was stated that current solar legislation concerned small projects with a production capacity of only 2 megawatts, while projects beyond that scope had not yet been legislated.
He said that there are three training centers approved by the Company to qualify consultants and contractors who are willing to provide renewable solar service to consumers.
The field is open to all centers in the case of providing the requirements of the company in this regard, including being under the supervision of the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation.
The duration of the approved training for consultants does not exceed five days for the trainee that is distributed in 70% of the theoretical aspects and 30% of the practical aspects, while the process is reversed for the contractors, and that this certificate is valid for three years.
The Company conducts the tests after training and before granting the work permit and service delivery and determining the success rate by about 70%.
He confirmed that the Company does not allow the service to be provided by any consultant or contractor that are not qualified by the Company itself.
During his management of the workshop's discussions, the member of the Board of Directors of Asharqia Chamber and the Chairman of the Industry and Energy Committee, Ibrahim Al-Sheikh
, said that the Kingdom has made significant progress in the global solar index, and is ranked among the most attractive countries in the renewable energy sector, while the country, according to the vision of 2030, is going to export solar energy during the next ten years.
In March 2018, the largest solar project was announced in cooperation with Softbank, which is expected to enable the Kingdom to reach a production capacity of about 200 gigawatts by 2030.
He pointed out that Asharqia Chamber held this workshop in cooperation with the relevant bodies, as it recognizes the importance of raising awareness of the business sector of industrial investors.
He added that these steps are serious requirements for licenses in the field of solar and renewable energy, and are the best and most recent means to raise the efficiency and rates of production and ways to preserve them, because it is significant to know the resources in the Kingdom and the areas of investment that are available as well as successful experiences of their uses within the Kingdom.
In the conclusion of the workshop, the speakers were honored by the board member Ibrahim Al-Sheikh.
