California-based SolFocus has disclosed that its concentrator photovoltaic solar systems will be used in the largest and first commercial solar power plant of its kind in Saudi Arabia through a partnership with a local company.
Vision Electro Mechanical Company, a subsidiary of Saudi-based Construction Products Holding Company, reportedly plans the solar plant to be the first in a series of solar-powered stations to be built in Saudi Arabia.
Concentrating photovoltaic is an emerging solar technology that involves minimizing the amount of silicon materials used in a system by using smaller portions of high-efficiency cells, upon which solar rays are concentrated using reflectors.
SolFocus claims its CPV systems integrate high-efficiency solar cells with advanced optics to produce low-cost solar power.
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The Saudi project will be built in the Bahra region at Construction Products’ industrial complex. It is projected to generate 300 megawatt-hours of solar power every year.
Vision Electro will market and install the SolFocus solar power systems in Saudi Arabia, starting with this plant. It will develop the other solar power stations in Saudi Arabia and in the research centers of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
“This is a breakthrough in Saudi Arabia’s thrust for energy diversification. We believe the Bahra plant will serve as a model for further research and study of clean water and power solutions that diversify the region’s energy mix,” said Hassan Chahine, general manager of Vision Electro.
Mark Crowley, chief executive at SolFocus, said that the favorable sun conditions of the Middle East provide an ideal environment for reaping large-scale, low-cost solar energy from concentrating photovoltaic systems.
According to a study by the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, the country boasts of abundant solar potential with 2,200 thermal kWh per square meter.
SolFocus revealed that the project is the latest in a series of groundbreaking developments it has acquired. Earlier this October, it became the first CPV company to have a power warranty backed by Munich Re and in May it finished the largest CPV installation in North America.
