Showa Shell Sekiyu has said that its subsidiary Showa Shell Solar and Saudi Aramco have signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct tests and build a 10MW pilot solar power plant in Saudi Arabia. Showa Shell Solar has said that its 2sqkm silicon-free, copper-indium-selenium panels are capable of generating 80W of power. Faisal Habiballah, head of the Saudi Aramco team that is leading the initiative, said: “Technology has advanced. It is much more cost-effective, much more efficient and much more durable.” “It is more attractive to use now.The fossil fuels can be used for high-value industry and high-value conversion products rather than burning it. They can generate more revenue for the company and the country.” Moreover, Showa Shell Sekiyu plans to build a 100 billion yen ($1.1 billion) photovoltaic-panel factory to expand solar capacity about 10-fold and offset waning demand for oil products. The unit of Royal Dutch Shell Plc will buy a disused plasma-television factory in Miyazaki, southern Japan, from Hitachi Ltd., Showa Shell and Hitachi said in separate statements released in Tokyo. The plant will have a capacity of 900 megawatts a year, Showa Shell said. Showa Shell plans to spend as much as 160 billion yen over five years to expand its solar business as domestic sales of oil products wane and renewable energy demand is poised to rise under environment policies proposed by Japan's newly elected Democratic Party of Japan.
