Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia will soon make available solar energy systems in government facilities in five regions across the Kingdom.

The King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy is in the process of concluding contract with specialized companies to implement the project of solar photovoltaic systems by installing solar panels on government facilities, Al-Watan Arabic daily reported.

The project includes the installation of nine solar systems with a capacity of one megawatt in nine different locations. Among these are rooftop systems, of which two are in the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dhahran, Al-Jouf and Jazan.

The distribution of the network will be based on the use of solar photovoltaic energy in the Kingdom. The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing announced earlier the requirements it applies for installing solar energy cells in residential buildings and facilities. This coincided with the Ministry of Energy’s announcement of its readiness to work with small solar photovoltaic systems, which allows consumers to produce electrical energy from their house or establishment and connect it to the network of public electrical grid in the Kingdom.

The ministry said that the aim of formulating the terms and conditions for the installation of solar systems is to ensure the protection and safety of life and property through regulating and monitoring the engineering design for solar photovoltaic systems in buildings and facilities within the Kingdom. It stressed that the requirements target all the service beneficiaries including inspectors, contractors, designers, as well as engineering and consulting and offices.

The ministry stated that the requirements include a review of the building documents and plans, and a final inspection of the building structure through a consultancy office, before giving the green light to the service provider to complete the connection procedures.

The application of the small solar photovoltaic system will be carried out with the participation of several agencies including the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, Ministry of Commerce, the Water and Electricity Regulatory Authority, the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, and the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO).”

The targeted regions are Riyadh, Makkah, Eastern Province, Jazan and Al-Jouf while the targeted cities are Riyadh, Jeddah, Dhahran, Jazan, Dumat Al-Jandal, Sakaka and Tabarjal.