KSA, famous for its massive oil reserves, is increasingly focusing on renewable energy sources in order to diversify its energy portfolio and minimize its carbon footprint. The Kingdom is currently exploring the possibility of harnessing wind power as an important part of its strategy to adopt sustainable practices and embrace green technology. Based on a report by Power Technology, it is projected that the installed capacity of wind power will experience growth from 2022 to 2035. During this period, wind power is anticipated to contribute approximately 4% of the total installed generation capacity.
Fuelling the Wind Energy Revolution
The Saudi government has seen that wind power has a lot of promise and has taken a number of steps to help it grow. For this reason, the government started the National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) in 2019. The project also intends to raise the contribution of renewables to the country’s electricity mix to 27% by 2030. Also, the government has issued tenders for many wind energy projects, including a 400 MW wind farm in Dumat Al-Jandal.
Because of its unique location, KSA has enormous potential for wind power. The country has a coastline of almost 2,500 kilometres along the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf. In addition, the country features a large stretch of desert with strong and regular winds. The Kingdom can create up to 700 GW of wind energy, according to a study conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). This potential is more than ten times the country’s present capability for electricity generation.
In 2021, the Kingdom announced that it had successfully connected its first wind farm to the electrical grid. According to reports, the Dumat al-Jandal wind farm, with a capacity of 400 megawatts, was developed by EDF Renewables and Masdar. It consists of a total of 99 wind turbines. The construction of the wind farm began in 2019 and is an integral component of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 initiative, aimed at reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
KSA has set ambitious goals for its renewable power capacity. In 2020, KSA had around 412 MW in renewable energy capacity, with 409 MW attributed to solar power. However, the recent establishment of the Dumar al-Jandal wind farm made a major impact by introducing an additional 400 MW to the country’s renewable energy portfolio. By 2024, it aims to build a total of 27.3 gigawatts (GW) of renewable power capacity. By 2030, it plans to increase this capacity to 58.7 GW.
Despite the enormous potential of wind energy in KSA, it must overcome various challenges before fully developing. One of the major obstacles to wind power development is a lack of infrastructure. Another challenge is the high cost of developing wind power in the Kingdom. The country has traditionally relied on oil and gas for its energy needs, and renewable energy infrastructure is lacking. Despite these obstacles, KSA has good prospects for wind energy growth. One of the most promising opportunities is the country’s rising energy needs.
Conclusion
The exploration of wind power potential in the Kingdom represents a transition towards sustainable practices and the adoption of green tech. Given the country’s ample wind resources, it has the opportunity to use wind power to broaden its range of energy sources, decrease the release of greenhouse gases, and promote economic development.
