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| Fig. 2: Abadan Petrochemical Complex. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
Energy is at the basis of everything we do, particularly in modern society. For over 200 years, humans have been rapidly increasing their consumption of energy, leading to vast strides in terms of scientific achievement and significant improvements in life standards. However, the way we as a society have been using this available energy has not been the most sustainable, particularly with respect to the energy source. We have been using large amounts of fossil fuels to power our world, with consequences to the environment and to people around the world.
Many of the countries in the Middle East are amongst the top oil producers in the world. Saudi Arabia is the largest oil producer in the region and the third largest in the world, with annual output equivalent to over 10 million barrels per day. [1] However, the region is also one of the sunniest globally, with over 300 days of sunshine per year, making it a prime candidate for the installation of solar power. [2] In 2009, oil and gas accounted for over 90% of energy sources for electricity generation, with similar figures over the following few years. [3] The broader question at hand is about why the Middle East does not take advantage of its solar abundance and shift to cleaner energy sources?
Middle Eastern nations have been producing oil for over five decades; this has led to significant developments in their expertise and know-how in the field, complemented by the massive infrastructure these nations have spent billions of dollars on, with the Abadan Complex being a perfect demonstration of this (see Fig. 1). Other examples include production terminals, pipelines, drilling machinery, and the establishment of national oil corporations (such as Saudi Aramco, Qatar Petroleum, and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation).
To shift to a solar energy model would require the installation of massive solar fields (given that solar panels have a lower energy density than oil and gas), placing solar panels on many of their buildings, connecting the solar panels to the grid, and much more. [4] All of this would also require support from foreign nations with more expertise in solar energy to assist Middle Eastern nations in the transition. But more importantly, this would come at a major cost to these nations, which would include the decommission of billions of dollars worth of assets, and the large expenditure associated with the installation of solar panels.
One of the biggest benefits of oil and gas is its ability to act as a source of energy storage. Whenever additional energy is needed, these nations can simply feed more of these fossil fuels into their generators, something which is simply not feasible with solar panels. Solar energy, similarly to many renewable power types, is an intermittent source which would not be effective during darker hours. Given that the sun sets earlier in the region than in other areas (i.e. Europe), it would be impossible to keep using the solar panels at night. While some might argue that excess energy produced during the day can be stored and then discharged during nighttime, modern-day batteries still do not have the characteristics to implement such an ideal on a city-wide scale.
Another factor to keep in mind is the extreme temperatures in the region, particularly during summer months. [5] Temperatures average around 27°C in Dubai, (vs. 8.55°C in the US) meaning the use of air conditioning is necessary. Such a large power-consuming appliance would likely exceed grid capacity if based solely upon solar energy.
The Middle East holds today 48% of proven oil reserves, demonstrating that it is self-reliant for energy. [1] Moreover, the oil and gas sector accounts for over 85% of the Saudi GDP. [6] Should the Middle East shift to a solar-based economy, it would lose out on billions, if not trillions, of dollars in export revenue which could have long-term ramifications on a region which has prospered in large parts with the wealth brought in by oil exports.
Even if Middle Eastern nations manage to produce large quantities of solar energy, exporting it would be incredible challenging, due to the issues with modern-day batteries (described previously), as well as the increased costs associated with such an operation.
The Middle East is a great candidate for becoming a solar economy based on the science alone; many economic and political factors will hold it back from becoming one in the short term. However, significant investments are being made to decrease these nations dependence on oil and gas as a source of energy and income. The UAE inaugurated the Masdar project in 2008, a small city which will operate purely on renewable energy, and with one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world. [7] Moreover, Saudi Arabia is investing $200 billion in building a 200 GW network of solar farms throughout the country, as it seeks to shift the way it approaches energy in the long term. [8] There is still much to be done in the area, but these countries are definitely moving in the right direction.
© Omar Fidawi. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.
[1] "BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2020," June 2020
[2] H. Al Garni et al., "A Multicriteria Decision Making Approach for Evaluating Renewable Power Ggeneration Sources in Saudi Arabia," Sustain. Energy Technol. Assess. 16, 137 (2016).
[3] M. R. Qader, "Electricity Consumption and GHG Emissions in GCC Countries," Energies 2, 1201 (2009).
[4] B. E. Layton, "A Comparison of Energy Densities of Prevalent Energy Sources in Units of Joules per Cubic Meter," I. J. Green Energy 5, 438 (2008).
[5] F. Hassan and E. Peltier, "Scorching Temperatures Bake Middle East Amid Eid al-Adha Celebrations," New York Times, 31 Jul 20.
[6] M. Khorsheed, "Saudi Arabia: From Oil Kingdom to Knowledge-Based Economy," Middle East Policy 22, No. 3, 147 (2015).
[7] D. Reiche, "Renewable Energy Policies in the Gulf Countries: A Case Study of the Carbon-Neutral 'Masdar City' in the Middle East," Energy Policy 38, 378 (2010).
[8] T. DiChristopher, "SoftBank and SaudiArabia Are Creating World's Biggest Solar Power Generation Project," CNBC, 31 Mar 18.
