SolFocus CPV receivers will catch some rays in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has taken another step toward integrating solar power into its energy mix: Vision Electro Mechanical Co. (Vision) has signed an MoU with California-based SolFocus to build eight solar power stations in the kingdom, starting with a 130-kilowatt solar plant in the Bahra industrial complex near Jeddah, according to ameinfo.com.
Vision, a subsidiary of Jeddah-based Construction Products Holding Company (CPC), was established in August with a mandate to develop, manufacture and operate solar power plants in Saudi Arabia. The solar plant at CPC’s Bahra complex will be the largest in the region to utilize concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology for generating electricity. (Two smaller CPV arrays, developed by MST and ZenithSolar, are installed in Israel.)
According to Hassan Chahine, Vision’s CEO: “Vision and SolFocus will install 8 solar power stations in various projects in Saudi Arabia, as well as in the research centers of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), and in the new technology cities.”
Chahine added: “The Bahra plant will serve as a model for further research and study to develop peak efficiency under the weather conditions of Saudi Arabia and the Arab region.”
Dr. Faysal Alaquil, CPC’s Director of Business Development, noted: “We accomplished this partnership in line with Saudi Arabia’s efforts to promote investment in renewable energy projects and serve power projects in the Arabian Gulf and the wider Arabian region. Vision aims to be a leading national company exploiting solar power in Saudi Arabia where there is sun exposure for most part of the year, and will efficiently provide an alternative source of clean power to build up sustainable water and power capacity and preserve oil for future generations.”
:: ameinfo.com
Image via venturebeat.com
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Saudi Arabia’s “Vision Electro” Looks Up to Solar, Not Down to Oil
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