New Saudi study identifies Red Sea sites as ideal for solar, wind energy storage

RIYADH: Scientists at a top Saudi university have identified two locations that would be ideal for the storage of solar and wind energy, the institution said on Monday.
The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology study said the sites were both along the Red Sea on the Kingdom's west coast.
The research identified a total of ten sites but said the Red Sea pair were the most feasible after several scientific and economic factors were considered and are able to meet all of the Kingdom’s inter-seasonal energy storage needs.
The scientists looked at the potential for seasonal hydro storage of desalinated water and the role it can play in meeting the high summer electricity and water demand in the Kingdom.
The study conducted by Yoshihide Wada, Julian Hunt and colleagues will be published in the next edition of “Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews”.
“The Kingdom is rich in solar and wind power potential. We are interested in determining how transitioning to these two renewable energy sources can benefit water management in the Kingdom,” said Wada.
As part of the wide-ranging reform program known as Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom plans to source at least 50 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2060, in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint and promote sustainable development.
To reach that goal there would need to be a considerable change in the power industry, the KAUST statement announcing the study said. The sector was responsible for “around half of the carbon dioxide emissions by the Kingdom in 2022.”
Renewable energy is part of Saudi Arabia’s long term sustainability vision, but storing the resource for times of high need still remains a challenge.
“Electricity consumption almost doubles in some years from the winter to summer months, which gives tremendous value for infrastructure that can keep energy stored in the cooler months from solar and wind and use the energy to generate electricity in the hotter months,” the release said.
There have been investments in battery storage solutions, but these can only store energy over daily cycles.
“For longer, seasonal cycles, seasonal pumped hydropower storage is under consideration. Here, desalinated water can be stored in reservoirs in high mountains and released upon demand to generate power and supply water.”
But with each seasonal pumped hydropower storage site costing around $10 billion, finding the most appropriate locations for construction is crucial.
Factors such as evaporation of the stored water, the salinity of the water, and the feasibility of building solar or wind plants nearby, were studied by the scientists.
“These storage sites have extraordinary upfront investments, so their value must be estimated as accurately as possible. Our study incorporates water management into the design, giving a more holistic estimate on how large-scale projects support the adoption of renewables in Saudi Arabia,” said Hunt.