“Solar Energy Might Strike A Right Chord For Saudi Arabia”: Halaa’s Mohammed Fagir

We see the pattern escalating due to a number of factors. As oil prices have fluctuated, making fossil fuels an uncertain investment, renewable technologies have become increasingly competitive with them in terms of price. In addition to having an abundance of sunshine, the Middle East is home to large, sparsely populated desert landscapes that are ideal for solar-energy farms. 

The rising price of natural gas and the falling price of solar photovoltaic panels in the United Arab Emirates have increased the attractiveness of renewable energy in that country. Within the next three years, the country wants to generate 20% of its electricity from non-fossil fuel sources, with a goal of generating 50% of its energy needs from such sources by 2050. 

Stretching further on that thought, Mohammed Fagir, Senior Solar Engineer, HAALA Energy stated, “Awareness of climate change and measures to counteract it on the part of the public and private sectors are recent developments in Saudi Arabia. The heat in MENA region is already so intense that handling a person's viral slide can be dangerous. People are understandably wary of embracing or being embraced by climate change, but they will do a fantastic job anyway. In light of this, we have made it a priority to spread information to the public. A growing number of corporations are exploring the potential of solar energy to help them meet their emissions reduction goals...”

After growing up in Saudi Arabia, Fagir studied Electrical and Electronics Engineering at the University of Sunderland in Malaysia. After completing his degree in 2014, Fagir returned to his home country – Sudan, to find work in the diesel generator industry. Even though Renewables accounts for approximately 80% of Sudan's energy generation, the country has other challenges. Today, Sudan’s market is just getting organised. It was here that he first became interested in solar power; after returning home, he continued work in the Kingdom. 

Fagir currently works at Haala Energy Industry. The enterprise is committed to C&I. However, the company also works on a variety of other projects, including research products for government institutions, Research Centres and feasibility studies for elite clients in the commercial and industrial sector.

Solar Energy Can Become The Oasis For Saudi Arabia

There has been rising hope in recent years that solar energy may become increasingly viable in Saudi Arabia. Since most of the country lies within the sun belt. Solar power has the potential to become an important part of the country's energy mix within the next few years, as was pointed out in a 2014 article published by academics at King Saud University.

“Since I first became involved, the solar industry has undergone tremendous growth, with dozens of conferences and dozens of new solar-related businesses opening each year, as well as massive investments in infrastructure and rules and regulations. So, I believe the market will begin to take notice within the next two to three years at the very most. Now we have a business with strong incentives to undertake solar installation, a task that remains challenging due to the myriad variables at play in building design, energy usage, municipal pricing structures, and so on,” opined Fagir.

By 2030, Saudi Arabia hopes to have produced half of its electricity from renewable resources. The Renewable Energy Project Development Office is responsible for the competitive procurement of 30% of this target; the kingdom's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is tasked with delivering the remaining 70% through direct negotiations with investors in an effort to develop Giga-scale projects. However, only 0.3% of its electricity supply came from renewable energy in 2020 (the most recent year for which data is available), meaning that additional investment is needed if Saudi Arabia is to achieve its high targets for renewables. 

However, the month of October saw significant impetus for climate action from the monarchy as it set a net-zero objective for 2060 ahead of the COP26 U.N. Climate Change Conference and updated its Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement. With the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia has committed US$340 billion in net-zero investments to be used for renewable energy, storage, and hydrogen, as well as carbon capture, utilisation, and storage projects.

Stronger Awareness Coupled With Technology Will Beef-Up The Entire System

What's happening in Saudi Arabia right now isn't just about energy; it's about everything that has an impact on the lives of the people in the region. This is why the shift is so important: it promotes a broader understanding of the region's ideology and the developments that have already taken place. Climate change is a bigger issue than these beneficial shifts, so let's talk about it. Because there are a plethora of options to consider when setting your sights on such long-term shifts. Which begs the question: how high up on your list of priorities (or lack thereof) does raising public awareness about climate change appear? We are essentially discussing business, the energy industry, and the tourism industry. So, according to these standards, how does the global warming rate on this bubble? The good news is that a lot of people are learning about it today and working to spread the word. That's why a lot of large corporations are making an effort to move in that direction.

Shedding some more thought on the involvement of technology, Fagir said, “what I've seen is that, at the most fundamental level, we're talking about cells, right? In what capacity does a single cell take in information? Therefore, if you have provided me with a model or panel that is one metre and two metres in size and generates 400 watts, I would like to further develop and optimise that design. Therefore, you increase the number to 600 or 550. However, expanding it also means making it bigger. You increase the 1.2 to the 1.5 by a factor of, say, 2.3.

Consequently, it is exceedingly challenging to document the progress in this area. Therefore, I am not claiming that the redevelopment has already taken place. Yet it moves more slowly than I anticipated. That, however, is only true for the past five years. However, if you look at the period between the recent five years and the ten years before that, you will notice a massive shift. I believe it was initially quite rapid but eventually slowed down. But the point is, now we're this generation, this era, and everything occurs swiftly, and we don't even recognise it. As a result, you should start construction on the little panel right once, because, in about two years and six months, it will be even more compact. We overestimated its speed. But, yeah, it has settled down to a constant rate.”

“Production versus consumption, that is, panel manufacture versus panel installation, depends on which is more rapid, but both involve completely automated processes. If we're focusing on the Middle East alone, I believe output is outpacing consumption,” he added further. 

Fagir’s travels have taken him to many destinations, but nothing stands out as much as sustainable Abu Dhabi. The cutting-edge technology is what sets it apart. Diverse traditions coexist in harmony, creating a stunning fusion of aesthetics.