Prince Turki bin Saud bin Muhammad, Vice President of the Riyadh-based King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) has said Saudi Arabia is now looking to enter the world of solar energy with the launch of the first of a three-stage solar power initiative. In the first phase, the Saudi government and its agencies, in cooperation with the Riyadh-based King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), has begun building a desalination plant using solar power. The plant will have a capacity of 10 megawatts and a reverse osmosis plant that utilizes developed technologies in the field of solar energy. “The solar energy scheme will reduce the cost of producing desalinated water and of generating power for use in the Kingdom, which has also launched a national energy efficiency program,” said the Prince. He said there was a need to promote solar energy projects in the Kingdom and the Gulf as these nations are planning and executing huge industrial, residential and manufacturing projects, according to a report published today by Arab News. --MORE
