Gulf Construction Online - Saudi firm to build eight solar plants

Regional News

Saudi firm to build eight solar plants

01 November 2010

VISION Electro Mechanical Company, a subsidiary of Saudi-based Construction Products Holding Company (CPC), plans to build a 130 kW solar power plant in Saudi Arabia in alliance with SolFocus of the US.

California-based SolFocus, a developer of concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) solar power technology, said the partners have also agreed to build at least eight other solar power stations for other projects in Saudi Arabia.

Under the deal with SolFocus, Vision will market and install solar power systems to generate electricity, starting with solar power plant in CPC’s Bahra industrial complex, which will be the region’s largest plant using CPV technology, according to the company.

“We accomplished this partnership in line with Saudi Arabia’s efforts to promote investment in renewable energy projects and serve power projects in the Gulf and the wider Arabian region,” said Dr Faysal Alaquil, CPC spokesman and director of Business Development.

Vision’s move to introduce CPV technology from SolFocus – a finalist in the category of “Sustainable Technology Innovation of the Year” Award for the 2010 Global Energy Awards – is a breakthrough in Saudi Arabia’s thrust for energy diversification, he added.

Vision was formed last August with a capital of SR563 million ($174 million) to develop, manufacture and operate solar power plants in Saudi Arabia.

Vision and SolFocus will install eight solar power stations in various projects in Saudi Arabia, as well as in the research centres of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust), and in the new technology cities, revealed Hassan Chahine, Vision CEO, after signing the pact with SolFocus chief technical officer Steve Horn.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Vision solar power plants manager Tarek Khateeb and other officials.

SolFocus, a leader in CPV technology, said it has a double-mirror device that is more efficient than conventional solar panels, as it requires but a fraction of the land area, for installation compared to competitors.

Its technology is widely rated as the world’s most efficient solar power generating system for feasible energy diversification, explained Horn.

According to Chahine, the Bahra plant will serve as a model for further research and study to develop peak efficiency under the weather conditions of Saudi Arabia and region. “It will ideal to exploit it in further projects, especially in industrial parks,” he said.