Al-Shorfa

The solar power project in Awali, Bahrain will generate five megawatts of electricity. Above, a solar tower in the UAE. [Jumana El-Heloueh/Reuters]

Bahrain announces pioneering solar energy project

Energy | 2012-05-30

Bahrain's recently launched solar energy project is a praiseworthy effort aimed at alleviating the increasing pressure on traditional energy sources used in power generation, observers told Al-Shorfa.

Bahrain's Ministry of Energy announced on May 21st that the National Oil and Gas Authority plans to launch a solar energy pilot project in Awali that will generate five megawatts of electricity, enough to provide all the power needs for the community of 1,800 residents.

Professor Waheeb al-Nasser, vice president of the University of Bahrain for Planning and Development and vice president of the Bahrain Astronomical Society, said the timing of the solar energy pilot project is appropriate given Bahrain's need to diversify its clean and non-oil based energy sources.

"Bahrain needs to install 40 million solar modules to generate the equivalent of 4,000 megawatts of electricity, which would provide the country with a major source of electric power and create green jobs for Bahrainis," al-Nasser said.

He said Bahrain is capable of utilising solar energy considering the year-round high temperatures. More than 150 local studies recommended that the kingdom make the transition towards the use of solar, wind, and alternative energy sources.

"We need fully integrated solar module systems installed on the rooftops of homes and factories by [specialised] companies, training of qualified crews on the installation and maintenance of solar power equipment, electricity distribution networks between primary and sub-stations, and a reduction in the use of conventional batteries," al-Nasser said.

A scientific approach to renewable energy

Dr. Akbar Jafari, an economist and chief executive officer of JAFCON, a business consultancy, said solar energy utilisation began in Bahrain in 1973 when the region explored non-oil alternatives in light of the limited drilling of petroleum products and the volatile fluctuation in oil prices.

"Bahrain took the initiative [in utilising] renewable energy in the early 1980s by building a solar powered gas station in Manama. However, the experiment faltered and was discontinued. Now the government is taking a methodical and scientific approach," Jafari said.

He said the new pilot project will be a good indicator of the experiment's readiness to be introduced in all regions of the kingdom to maximise its benefit.

"In a country with limited oil resources, we must accelerate the process of adopting solar energy as an environmentally friendly and efficient alternative source of power generation and must limit the extraction of available oil to the production of high value products only," he said. "The solar alternative has been proven scientifically and practically to be an environmentally friendly, low-cost alternative."

Mohsin al-Saffar, an alternative energy applications expert, welcomed the move by the National Oil and Gas Authority.

"The earlier we start implementing solar energy applications, the sooner we fill the gap that separates us from other countries that have made giant strides in this field," he said.

In al-Saffar's view, the success of solar energy depends on whether a firm political decision can be made to implement it both locally and regionally.

"Fossil fuel reserves are destined to be depleted sooner or later. We need to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy sources and clean alternatives with solar energy being the most prominent among them so far," he told Al-Shorfa.

Al-Saffar said the new pilot project is capable of being replicated in all parts of the kingdom, especially since the cost of investing in solar modules is low.

According to the Electricity and Water Authority, Bahrain reached its maximum available power generation capacity in early May with consumption reaching 1,878 megawatts out of a total available capacity of 3,463 megawatts, the highest consumption level recorded by the authority in 2012.

The authority expects demand for electricity to reach 3,000 megawatts during the summer months, from July to early October, when temperatures rise to 45 degrees Celsius and above.

Bahrain relies on four power generation sources, including Bahrain's Electricity and Water Authority with a daily average of 725 megawatts, the Hidd power plant with a production capacity of 929 megawatts, the al-Ezzel power plant with capacity of 946 megawatts, and the al-Dur power plant with capacity of 987 megawatts.

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عواد جميل

2012-6-13 01:06:36PM

It is known that the Arab Gulf countries are located in tropical areas, with high temperatures and sunshine almost all year round. Large per... iods of the day sometimes exceed the 14 hours a day in some countries during certain periods in the year, especially in the summer, in contrast to Western countries such as Europe and America and other countries in Southeast Asia and some neighboring countries. The proof of this assertion is the Arab countries, and especially the Gulf, and specifically Saudi Arabia and Yemen. And in Africa, Egypt, Libya and from Algeria to Morocco. It is well known that the Great Saharan desert passes through them all. This climate, that God had gifted the Arab with, including the Gulf States, which we now are about to speak of. This climate is hot and has bright sun, which can be used as beams of heat in the generation of electricity and the provision of billions spent in this area. As a result of importing electricity from other countries or as a result of the use of natural gas or diesel, high costs occur in the production of electricity and that costs the treasury of the states a lot and also affects the surrounding environment and the health of the population. Arab countries, especially the Gulf, are way behind in this area. The use of solar energy and manufacturing turbines that generate this clean energy naturally and the production of solar cells at the highest level of power would be a very good thing if it happened. First it will provide the States a lot of money which is now used in the production of electricity as we have said previously, and also it will allow the State not to need other countries to provide it with electricity or what produces electricity and therefore will be liberated from dependence on them. Also, producing electricity in this way not only provides the State with funds, but also consumers among homeowners and commercial shops, businesses and factories.See more...
منجد قاسم

2012-6-13 01:06:08PM

Production of solar energy from a source that is considered a permanent inexhaustible, clean is the right thinking towards which the Arab st... ates should take serious steps. You should know dear reader that some Gulf countries, but not all have already begun to act, and the implement serious steps, for these profitable and inexpensive projects and on top of these countries comes the Emirates especially Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.See more...
ابو قصي

2012-6-12 07:06:51PM

One of the best solutions that I see as an alternative to generating energy is the solar energy, but what bothers me is their little presenc... e in some areas and their abundance in some other parts of the country where we find a city interested in that and another not and the reason of the conviction for the solar energy is that it is not radiant energy that helps in the vacillation of the security element and its cost is very high and can't be available in all of the country or the existence of sufficient expertise to perform those tasks as it is a great responsibility and this brings the best for the solar energy, which is the opposite of what was mentioned previously. Those who make use of solar panels to generate clean, electric and renewable energy is one of the most important ways to generate natural energy including domestic production in an isolated way that does not affect electrical network and such energy is very important to be used in the areas where the electricity or the conveyance of electricity is isolated or in the case of the disability of the electrical network, which is due to the importance of electricity for everyone and through what we have seen that most satellites rely on those generators or solar panels for a long period for its spacing from the areas connected with electric power and it was the solution to that satellite and the non-use of electric energy and over time we have seen the evolution of those panels in different forms and sizes vary and they must be provided and the speed of its deployment in the houses and companies and isolated places in the desert to ensure the non-aggression against it to the time of ending or interrupting electric current, which ensures the non concern or fear for those areas. This is an evidence of their importance and its provision is indispensable and its energies are considered a form of innocuous and clean energy because operating them does not result in contaminated wastes or noise and there is no radiation and it doesn't even need fuel because these light cells are working silently. But its primary mandate is high compared to other energy sources and the solar cells generate electricity continuously and directly and eventually I recommend its frequent use and disseminating it all over the most advanced countries of the world, so that the rest of the countries would understand the importance of solar energy.See more...
كمال شامل

2012-6-12 06:06:07PM

The biggest problem that confronts many people when using such energy is the dust on the roofs of those generators that derive their energy ... directly from the Sun, which would be impeding the correct actions of those generators because the dust blocks too much light and prevents the entry of sunlight most of the time and therefore the surfaces of the generators must be cleaned from time to time, especially that the climate in most Arabic countries is a desert climate with the presence of dust in the air. The problem of those generators is that they vary depending on their sizes and the amount of storage for energy through which they work at night. Everyone using that energy should try as much as possible to avoid using unnecessary devices so as not to quickly deplete that energy and the size of the solar generators should be big so that we would have abundant energy. The Arabic countries should accelerate the establishment of those projects, which will save a lot of time and money and consumption of other energies. Also, the governments should make studies relating to those projects and implement them in the near future so that their utility would prevail in the entire world.See more...
منير هادي

2012-6-12 06:06:27PM

The Arab States have no advanced technology, which has left us behind in making the progress witnessed by other countries in various sectors... . We must have multiple and sophisticated sources to use in many industries and develop them. Solar energy is a grace that is neither appreciated nor thought of by many people. Most tests which use such energy are very simple in the Arab States. However, the Arab governments don't think of developing projects that use this type of energy, which would save a lot of money for the Arab countries and reduce their consumption of other energies. The main reason for the strength of the economies of the Western countries is that they produce more than they consume. The governments of those countries finance their solar energy generation projects and if we calculate the cost and its situation in comparison with the cost of energy use in the European countries and the Arab countries, we find that one Arab country can spend on energy 5 times the quantity used by the largest industrial country in Europe, and this makes us always fall behind and we cannot make more progress than those countries in any area. Some rich countries have begun making use of solar energy in simple areas such as in the antenna towers for wireless devices such as mobile networks, for example, that are used most frequently on the highways and long roads in the absence of nearby ports that could provide electricity, and some ATMs and other very simple uses. The Arab governments must follow the correct methods to exploit and use this kind of energy in an economical way and should try to develop it to a better situation. As for the problems that might be encountered when using that energy, they may not be that important, but at the same time they are important for avoiding exposing tools or cells that produce this energy to quick damage.See more...
يحيى صابر

2012-6-12 06:06:33PM

If the use of oil remains essential, there will come a time when it will be drained, so there must be alternative means of generating electr... icity. Unfortunately, the Arabic countries do not have any source of energy except oil and we have no other energy sources like the developed countries that have nuclear power that is renewable and is generating the largest industries that provide its oil energy to keep as a wealth that cannot be compromised.See more...
مصطقى سالم مصطفى

2012-6-12 01:06:35PM

The use of the solar energy as an alternative source for energy will have utility much greater than its damages. Solar energy is the most p... owerful energy in this entire universe; it is a blessing from Allah, the Almighty, which is continuous and renewed energy and using will provide a lot of money and plenty of clean energy that does not waste any resource of the State. Solar energy has many advantages as it exists in our lives in a simply, costly way. This is related to the cost borne by the State from the generation of electricity through traditional methods. The Arabic countries are rich with the sun focusing on them throughout the year and especially that most of those countries do not miss the sun in some seasons as opposed to many European countries. Such energy will provide the greatest reserves of petroleum substances.See more...
نبيل حسن

2012-6-11 08:06:12PM

The Arab countries have all the essential factors for using solar energy on their territory, even the oil-producing states because they can ... replace the energy produced from oil with the solar energy and use it to meet the local needs or to export clean electric power to the other countries, to take advantage of the total revenues of oil exports, knowing that the sunrays are abundant in all Arab countries in all circumstances. Even the Arabs complain much, especially the Gulf States and Iraq, about the intensity of the sunrays in all seasons of the year. Hence, this experiment could help us in the development of various industries and businesses and provide clean energy to the homes of citizens and at low prices. However, the implementation of such projects needs brave decisions by Arab governments to enter this experiment, especially as most of its components are available in the Arab region.See more...
غانم عبالقير

2012-6-11 08:06:20PM

Implementation of solar power projects by some Arab countries is one of the good steps on the right track because all the necessary requirem... ents are available in the Arab region to ensure successful implementation of such experiments that will have positive results, especially the fact that we will have clean energy and preserve the public health from pollution due to gases and toxins emitted by other energy sources, in addition to the possibility of utilizing these projects in the providing services to people who need clean energy at prices less than the price of energy derived from oil derivatives, especially given that the world is facing the rise of the prices for fuel and oil derivatives, and indeed, some Arab countries, suffer from a lack or unavailability of oil resources, and have to work on the implementation of solar energy projects to generate electricity. These states include Jordan, which has abundant solar energy on its territory, which free of all the factors of pollution in addition to its renewability. At the same time, we can use it in various areas of life because it is one of the things necessary for the life today.See more...
غانم عبالقير

2012-6-11 08:06:20PM

Implementation of solar power projects by some Arab countries is one of the good steps on the right track because all the necessary requirem... ents are available in the Arab region to ensure successful implementation of such experiment that will have positive results especially the fact that we will have clean energy and preserve the public health from pollution due to gases and toxins emitted by other energy sources in addition to the possibility of utilizing these projects in providing services to people who need clean energy at prices less than the price of energy derived from oil derivatives, especially given that the world is facing the rise of the prices for fuel and oil derivatives, and indeed, some Arab countries, suffer from a lack or unavailability of oil resources, have to work on the implementation of solar energy projects to generate electricity. These states include Jordan, which has abundant solar energy on its territory, which free of all the factors of pollution in addition to its renewability. At the same time, we can use it in various areas of life because it is one of the things necessary for the life today.See more...
جميل داود

2012-6-10 06:06:29PM

Obtaining alternative energy has become a basic objective for most of the world countries, for alternative energy has many advantages, inclu... ding: the cheap economic cost, the ease of consumption, its permanence and the fact that it is renewable energy which also resulted from eco-friendly natural resources. In fact, the development of clean energy will contribute to reducing the industrial emissions of toxic gases that cause the phenomenon of greenhouse effect. The latter threaten life on earth. Thus, investment in alternative energy represents a huge amount of cleaner profits. Indeed, according to recent studies, European countries will rely more on clean energy in the coming years. Therefore, keeping up with the developed countries in such fields is not an information issue but a future option. The importance of the project lies in the fact that it is the first project of this kind in the region in terms of the production capacity and the first of the promising projects in using renewable energies in generating electricity. In this respect, the project uses the sun which is available throughout the year in generating electricity using the latest technologies which are available in the international markets. Consequently, this will play an important role in supporting the sustainable development plans, preserving natural resources and protecting the environment from pollution.See more...
كامل صلاح

2012-6-10 05:06:52PM

Human beings are inspired by development and progress which will provide them with all the means of a happy and peaceful life that will fulf... ill joy for them away from pain and sadness. In fact, one of the manifestations of people’s development and maturity is their struggle to achieve the best through creativity and innovation so that life will have a better meaning which will be reflected in the coming generations. As a result, the coming generations will enjoy the manifestations of civilization and progress. In so doing, life will be in a constant development. For instance, there is a project to produce electric power from solar energy or the strength of wind, especially as the Gulf region enjoys abundant solar energy all year round which will enable it to become an international center of producing and exporting the resources of alternative and renewable energy. However, this issue does not need only the provision of solar energy but the existence of the financial investments which are required to develop the sources of this power. The latter needs huge capital and developed technologies. In fact, the solar electricity boards capture the energy that comes from the sun and then they convert it directly into electric power through cells that exist in the panels. On the other hand, the concentrated solar energy systems use mirrors or lenses in order to reflect a large area of sunlight on a small area. Then, electric power is produced when solar energy is transformed into heat which works a heating engine linked to an electric power generator.See more...
نور

2012-6-9 05:06:40PM

The nature of the Arab countries and the existence of vast desert areas is a key element for the establishment of huge plants for solar ener... gy, due to the intensity of the brightness of the sun in these areas. This helps in the generation of a large proportion of energy from the sun.See more...
liv

2012-6-9 04:06:07PM

The subject of studying solar energy as an alternative to thermal power has now become a global approach. Many studies were conducted on ren... ewable energy alternatives, and these studies indicate that during the coming decades, humanity will face unprecedented challenges in terms of climate change. This in turn will be followed by an increasing demand for energy and water, because the world economy depends mainly on the energy sources of oil. The burning of these power sources by cars, factories, plants and generators over a short period of time has led to a clear increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This is the primary cause of the sharp rise in temperature and climate change from whose consequences and their negative effects we are suffering. An advantage of solar energy is the low expenses in terms of operating; it is also non-polluting to the environment and easy to spread. It keeps up with human activity, especially in the countryside, because it is based on temporary use. In mosques, for example, it can work in times of prayer only; they do not require staff or a permanent technical operator, because it is self-operating after the first installation, so it works without the need for staff or an operator.See more...
عبدالجبار

2012-6-9 04:06:47PM

Providing solar energy as an alternative source of energy does not mean that we will get rid of the stations of electricity generation which... depend on diesel and nuclear power. Let's keep everything as it is, but the demand is to employ solar energy in new plants, which we always need. Rather than depending totally on diesel or gas, why don’t we have one or two stations that depend on solar energy to operate? The gradual switch to solar energy will increase our experience in establishing, operating and maintaining those plants. Accordingly, we will decrease the future cost and economize our increasing consumption of oil. So we can sell some of the energy we save to keep our national income and the consumption of energy, but this means a lower share for export. The shift to solar energy cannot be done overnight, but we can pave the way to the future. The cost of building power plants that operate with the heat energy of the sun is much higher than the cost of building plants operating with diesel fuel and gas. But if we look at the cost of operation over the life expectancy of the power plants, we will find that the solar power plants are less expensive, if we take into account the changing market price of fuel. In addition, there are other features of solar power; it is clean for the environment and human health, which is affected by air pollution. Currently, the electricity company is providing new projects of power plants for the investors, so they can build and operate them; then eventually, they can own the plants. If the electricity company provides investment projects which produce electricity for a higher cost, then the state will execute them. This will create a new kind of industry and new experiences that we desperately need right now, especially in Iraq. At this time of international shifting toward the use of technology of renewable energy that does not have harmful emissions into the environment, i.e. that is eco-friendly, we have to pay attention to this kind of energy which reduces the greenhouse gas emissions and global warming emissions, according to the experts in this field. It also helps in reducing the usage of woods, and that has a positive effect on desertification in the country. That means it protects green spaces surrounding the housing areas.See more...
مقداد

2012-6-9 04:06:22PM

Since the Gulf states in the Middle East are characterized by the availability and production of oil, so their economic growth is rising at ... a rate of production and availability of the exporting country and therefore they need to consume and generate more quantities of energy to maintain the nature of the average production of the state and as the production of electrical energy has become costing more oil which is an important source of economy, this leads to think and find another solution and the need to find an alternative for the production of electric power that is safe from the economic presence and reduces dependence on natural resources the consumption and depletion of which could lead to a significant burden in the use of electric power.See more...
عاطف عمر

2012-6-9 04:06:01PM

In the Arab countries, the sun is found throughout the year, making it a suitable environment for the use of such generators. Arabs have suf... ficient money to work on those development projects which will cause the rise of the Gulf states and make it the essential energy in these countries and it will cause the renaissance of all sectors which need permanent power, especially as in the Gulf there a specific time of the cessation of that energy every day, especially for the major factories consuming a lot of energy, and energy generation dependent on the sun can provide an improvement of the economic life in the Gulf more and more, because the factories that produce largely depend on very sophisticated technology devices in the manufacturing of these products and need a lot of energy to produce those products, which costs the owners of those factories a lot of money in order to get energy and makes them reduce their work schedules or they increase product prices so prices become very high for the consumer. Generation by solar energy can make much money and will save a lot of energy that will encourage the owners of those factories to increase production, and thus prices will encourage consumers to purchase and marketing will make the movement large, which increases the productivity of that country.See more...
سميح عادل

2012-6-9 04:06:54PM

Gulf states need to search for other sources that may reduce their consumption of oil, especially asthe consumption of citizens in the Gulf ... is significant for other countries and as the Gulf countries have resources by which they can set up the best projects for energy support. The Gulf States are working on solar energy in many processes in modern homes and hospitals, but they use these generators in case of power failure only, but do not use them constantly for generating electrical power and using the generation of solar energy instead of oil. The material cost of the equipment is very low for the use of oil in power generation as it costs those countries a lot of money and a lot of consumption of materials used in these generators which can provide to the Gulf countries a lot of renewable energy, which depend on the sun to convert that energy into electrical energy. That is to say that energy is renewable and cannot run out, unless there is no sunrise, and that is not famous in the Arab States.See more...
حسن عبدالقادر

2012-6-9 03:06:32PM

Solar energy should be used which brings benefits to the Gulf states in terms of its so-called Sunbelt, and exploitation of the provision an... d storage of solar energy in order to obtain high-energy as well as electric power and the lack of its consumption, and this gives the Gulf states who want to depend and derive their energy from solar energy to reduce the use of crude oil. There is also a study and plan for the distribution that will also be subjected to the supervision of construction management or general features to create a home with a low cost relative to the abundance that is produced with a reduced electricity bill. This comes after the organization of the Ministry of Electricity to view and test the efficiency of electricity and how to use it to rely on solar energy as one of the main axes, with the review and study of international and local experience in the exploitation and use of this important and vital energy to take advantage of it. That comes with knowledge of the importance of the current status of the Gulf countries for uses of that energy and available means and future plans for investment and benefit from it and the study of its economic output and the feasibility of investment, which contributes to the development of the Gulf states in energy production and its use, with the advantage of reducing the stress of electric power from earlier natural resources.See more...