Saudia Dairy and Foodstuff Company (Sadafco) announced an investment of SR2 million in a solar power project at the company's state-of-the-art Regional Distribution Centre in Sulay, Riyadh. The Riyadh Regional Distribution Centre (RDC), built at a cost of SR65 million and operational since the end of last year to improve Sadafco's ability to service the capital and the surrounding area, has until now been powered by diesel generators. A photovoltaic (PV)-diesel hybrid system will be installed to combine the output of the existing diesel generators and 226KW power generated via more than 2,000 solar panels. The panels, with a surface area of about 1,600m2, will be installed at the parking area and supported by steel structures to offer the added benefit of shading for cars. The new system not only offers cost savings through reduced diesel consumption but also reduces pollution. It will allow for up to 40% of daytime energy requirements to be generated by the sun. The project will commence this month and installation will take less than six months. It will be undertaken by National Solar Systems (NSS)/First Solar, a leading solar energy company that has already delivered projects for King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Aramco, Riyadh Municipality and several government and private clients throughout the Kingdom. "In the sun, we have an abundantly available source of energy ready to be harnessed," explained Sadafco CEO Wout Matthijs. "As a trusted pioneer in the food industry for almost 40 years, Sadafco has made great strides in conserving scarce resources like water through our food production processes. We now aim to take a lead in capturing the benefits of clean, renewable sources of energy to the benefit of our planet, a key part of our corporate responsibility." While this project currently only affects Sadafco's Riyadh Regional Distribution Centre, it will provide the company insight to the extent of possibilities for solar energy applications for all of its current 28 locations across the Middle East. — SG
