[ad_1]
Engineer Abdul Rahman Ibrahim Al-Baker, Director of Production Planning and Development at Qatar General Electricity and Water Company (Kahramaa), confirmed that the State of Qatar’s current renewable energy production is estimated at 5% of the total energy mix, which is expected to rise to 18% by 2030.
Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), the director of Kahramaa’s Production Planning and Development Department said that renewable energy is crucial for the State of Qatar in order to achieve the goals contained in the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030. The Qatar National Renewable Energy Strategy aims to develop a sustainable energy system at a competitive cost, leveraging the country’s abundant natural gas reserves and renewable energy potential.
He noted that Qatar’s Renewable Energy Strategy sets a target of 4 GW of centralized renewable energy projects and 200 MW of distributed projects by 2030, focusing on achieving three main objectives: reducing CO2 emissions through sustainable policies and trends that will enhance environmental sustainability and contribute to improved air quality, expanding access to renewable energy while maintaining grid reliability, and maximizing the social and economic contributions of renewable energy initiatives.
In terms of economic benefits, Engineer Abdul Rahman Ibrahim Al Baker said that due to the competitive cost of renewable energy technology solutions, many benefits can be achieved, as the adoption of renewable energy technologies in Qatar and the region becomes more attractive due to the low average cost of generating electrical energy. The costs associated with the production of solar photovoltaic and wind energy have fallen significantly over the years, with the levelized cost of producing solar photovoltaic having fallen from approximately 4 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2017 to approximately 1.5 cents in 2023, with an additional drop of approximately 1 cent per kilowatt-hour expected by 2030. Similarly, the levelized cost of wind energy production has fallen from approximately 5 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2017 to approximately 4.5 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2023, and is expected to reach approximately 4 cents per kilowatt-hour by 2030. The recommended energy mix will reduce the average cost of electricity generation by 15% in 2030, as stated in the strategy.
He explained that in addition to the above, the strategy will also enhance energy security by diversifying the sources of power generation, thereby ensuring the stability of the energy sector. In this context, the strategy recognizes the importance of ensuring that the transition to renewable energy does not threaten the reliability and resilience of the power system. To achieve this goal, the strategy adopts a balanced approach that combines centralized renewable energy installations with efficient natural gas thermal power generation.
He pointed out that Qatar has excellent solar resources and has great capacity to increase the use of renewable energy. The country’s global horizontal radiation level is also among the highest in the world, with an average annual total radiation rate of more than 2,000 kWh per square meter. The strategy focuses on solar photovoltaic technology because Qatar has high levels of solar radiation, which means that the cost of solar power generation is low, especially due to the maturity of the technology and the large number of companies specializing in this technology.
Kahramaa Production Planning and Development Director pointed out that the current renewable energy production is distributed between the Siraj 1 solar project with a capacity of 800 MW in Al Kharsa’a and distributed solar projects with a capacity of more than 9 MW. Overall, Qatar’s current energy structure mainly relies on thermal power generation, and the total power generation capacity of thermal power plants is currently about 12 GW, which accounts for more than 90% of the country’s total power generation.
The operation of the Al Kharsa’a Siraj 1 solar power plant project and future solar projects to be implemented by Qatar Energy Company (with a capacity of 875 MW) reflect the country’s willingness and commitment to effectively utilize renewable energy projects of the scale of central stations.
Regarding the most prominent challenges expected in the implementation of the strategy, Al Baker stressed that one of them is the limited capacity of the private sector to contribute effectively to large-scale projects, due to the current small market size and the small number of experienced companies. This poses a challenge to achieving the goals of the strategy, especially in the field of distributed generation, in addition to the need for significant investments, as the value of capital expenditures required by 2030 is estimated at US$7.6 billion. These investments represent the long-term commitment necessary to support the development of significant renewable energy infrastructure.
He believes that in order to continue to make progress, it is necessary to continue to help renewable energy development companies build skills and capabilities, assess the attractiveness of renewable energy manufacturing in Qatar, pay special attention to the expansion of the local market, and consider whether financial support factors are needed if domestic renewable energy manufacturing is considered attractive.
He pointed out that the strategy proposed several contents in this part: including launching a net billing mechanism to encourage investment in distributed solar energy projects, all relevant technical procedures and regulations will be announced soon, and coordinating with financial institutions such as Qatar Development Bank to promote the development of distributed solar energy projects. Financing plans with attractive conditions for clean energy projects, and facilitating the application process for distributed renewable energy projects through effective coordination with municipal governments.
It also recommends developing clear technical controls and regulations to control quality and assist companies in developing projects efficiently, coordinating with relevant departments to provide vocational training courses at reasonable prices for employees of development companies, engineering, procurement and construction companies, and operation and maintenance companies, and launching a supportive strategy for renewable energy tenders to stimulate the development of local players. In addition to adopting local content targets, development companies are also encouraged to involve local engineering, procurement, construction, and operation and maintenance companies in renewable energy projects.
It is worth noting that Kahramaa announced the launch of the Qatar National Renewable Energy Strategy in late April, which aims to diversify and increase the use of renewable energy (especially solar energy) in Qatar and integrate it into the power structure to provide security for the country’s high-quality solar energy resources.
Kahramaa said the launch of the strategy stems from the belief in a more sustainable future for Qatar and the achievement of Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030, and builds on the company’s efforts to advance work in this area and develop policies and strategies for the use of renewable energy in coordination with the State of Qatar’s 22 main energy institutions.
[ad_2]
Source link
