Middle East Region Likely to Lead Renewable Energy Sector

More renewable capacity was linked in Qatar, Oman, and Lebanon in 2022 than had been added in those countries in the preceding decade, according to data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). An important energy transition momentum will be established in one of the world's largest producers and exporters of fossil fuels as a result of both ongoing expansions among established leaders and significant new renewables projects in surrounding countries.

Expressing his views, Mohammed AlGhazal, Co-Founder & CEO, Noor Energies Group stated, “Sustainable development is the target, with longevity and prosperity as its byproducts. Green technologies are the wave of the future, and their popularity will only increase. Products that are better for the environment and the climate will become increasingly common. This holds true everywhere you look because the modern world demands nothing less than spotless and intelligent infrastructure.”

The energy picture for the world is greatly impacted by developments in the Middle East. Furthermore, the area is endowed with renewable energy resources. 

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman AlSaud, announced as an extension of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's presidency of the G20, Saudi green initiative and Middle East green initiative aim to unite Middle Eastern leaders around a common vision to enable far-reaching goals for the green economy. The green effort backed by Middle Eastern nations has supporters outside the region. This initiative's attraction and attractiveness can be directly attributed to its noble goal. In order to capture far-reaching opportunities and enhance the positive influence on the environment, countries throughout the world must work together under this regional collaboration.

Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as a pioneer in the renewable energy sector with the launch of its ambitious, visionary green agenda.

Challenges of Energy Projects

Energy projects are highly sophisticated to accomplish due to their complexity, the number of labour and domain-expertise departments involved, and the amount of raw materials and capital costs required to complete them. Futuristic researchers, technologists and regulatory experts in renewable energy are constantly innovating and perfecting new techniques.

“There are many obstacles. Wind energy, for example, has many moving parts.  As a result, regular upkeep is essential. Since solar and wind rely on the weather and other conditions, the supply that is delivered is not constantly reliable and suffers from intermittence. Also, renewables are material-intensive and this necessitates more mining for metals, rare minerals, and other raw materials to manufacture industrial components, which presents significant difficulties. Despite this, we've had a lot of success and are making progress towards massive renewable deployments,” opined AlGhazal.

“The goals of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s vision 2030 are lofty. And the vision is the driver to facilitate pathways towards sustainable growth. The plan also includes the incorporation of renewable energy resources. This is why the kingdom is implementing long-term plans to build enormous renewable energy facilities of international standard. Hydrogen is also gaining momentum as a solution to low-carbon emissions and the expanding energy sector. The kingdom's approach to renewable energy is therefore hybrid, opening up environmental, energy, and economic possibilities,” he added further.

Wind turbines, blades, and magnets are all examples of complex industrial components relevant to the renewable energy sector when addressing wind energy projects. In addition, solar panels are included when discussing solar energy. A large number of manufactured components, such as the motor and batteries are needed for electric vehicles. This would necessitate more activities and processing to be done at mines. Moreover, there must be a sufficient quantity of the raw materials involved at a reasonable price to make a larger scale more feasible.

Innovation in material science will be a major factor in accelerating this move. More energy must be stored in batteries, and batteries must charge more quickly. When the battery technology evolves, the result will be a leap increase in the number of electric, environment-friendly vehicles on the road, and the widespread use of renewable energy sources made possible by the compact, light-weight, more efficient batteries. Some answers can be found in these examples.

New jobs are created in part because of the influx of young people attracted by these renewable energy initiatives. The bright side is this. While this process requires a lot of raw materials, it also generates economic benefits in the form of new jobs and skills, as well as technological advancements in the form of improved designs and the promise of a better tomorrow thanks to the talents that pioneer and lead forward the renewable energy markets.

Clean Hydrogen New Kid in The Block

Through international cooperation, carbon-free hydrogen continues to emerge as a clean fuel. Hydrogen has a greater energy density than any other mass carrier—it can replace three times as much petrol. The fuel's energy density is unparalleled. It's incredible to think that hydrogen will one day shine a light into the darkness. Thus, the smallest molecule in the universe, H2, is fueling the largest industrial operations on Earth, as well as powering agriculture, refrigeration, mobility, energy storage etc. “As the hydrogen niche unlocks, more H2 vehicles and fuel-cell products will occupy a significantly increasing share, reshaping the energy markets,” according to AlGhazal.

As far as transport, while compressed hydrogen is viable for short distances, liquified hydrogen has higher potential for longer transport distances, e.g. conversion to ammonia.

“It's fascinating how would the tiniest molecule in the universe make the biggest positive effect in the future. We conducted deep-dive studies and research at Noor Energies, looking into various ranges of hydrogen technology advancements, market trajectories, regulatory framework conditions and environmental impacts. The findings are promising along the full hydrogen value chain. And hydrogen would be the clean energy sector's leading light,” commented AlGhazal.

Highlighting some of the ongoing projects of his firm, AlGhazal spoke about deploying low-carbon industrial internet of things (IIoT) and low-carbon communication networks  on solar panels. The application of IIoT technology enabled predictive maintenance and enhanced energy efficiency. These are all aspects of the IIoT technology that promotes greater levels of visibility, transparency, and traceability through unprecedented levels of monitoring, control, and cognition. Because of this, we can make more environmentally responsible decisions. And it enables renewable energy to become more affordable, stable and secured.

Depending on his location, Mohammed AlGhazal enjoys exercising and sports. He would be playing and attending a soccer game if he was in Saudi Arabia. If he is out of town, he could go for a skate, swim, run, or even just ski.  As spring turns to summer, he splits his time between the gym and the beach, where he plays beach volleyball and other games. He lists volunteering and helping others as a favourite pastime; it gives good feeling and instills hope for a better future for all.  “If it can inspire and empower someone else to rise and shine, then it is all worth it.”