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Saudi Arabia Begins Using Small-Scale Solar PV Systems to Generate Electricity

Saudi Arabia begins using small-scale solar PV systems to generate electricity. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia begins using small-scale solar PV systems to generate electricity. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Begins Using Small-Scale Solar PV Systems to Generate Electricity

Saudi Arabia begins using small-scale solar PV systems to generate electricity. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia begins using small-scale solar PV systems to generate electricity. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are ready to generate electricity for houses and enterprises, to be later connected to Saudi Arabia’s grid, announced the Saudi Ministry of Energy on Tuesday.

The systems will help provide renewable energy and enhance local content usage, in addition to encouraging Saudization in several energy fields, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, it said in a statement.

Qualified companies and contractors, which will be responsible for installing and connecting these systems to the country’s grid, will be shortlisted according to specific criteria, it explained.

“The qualification process will compromise several phases, including general assessment of bidders, technical assessment of proposals, approval of bidding proposals and then the announcement of the qualified bidders.”

The project participants are the Ministry of Energy, the Electricity Cogeneration Regulatory Authority (ECRA), Ministry of Municipality and Rural Affairs (MoMRA), Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Commerce and Investment (MOCI), King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE) and Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO).

Meanwhile, ECRA announced the launch of the “Shamsi” portal for the PV system.

The new portal informs consumers of the economic feasibility and estimated costs of installing a solar energy system in a home or business before connecting it to the public electrical network, ECRA said in a statement.

The Shamsi portal provides consumers with an easy-to-use e-calculator that helps in analyzing the financial and technical aspects of the estimated installation cost, and provides various other support services.

“It also allows the qualified consultant to conduct an economic feasibility study of installing the solar energy system,” the statement added.

The e-calculator provides a detailed cost estimate, estimated revenues and savings based on the solar power generated, applicant’s consumption rates, and payback period, it explained.

The authority said the small-scale solar PV systems will have a capacity of no more than two megawatts and are connected in parallel with the distribution system of the electrical service provider.

The SASO, for its part, commenced implementing the requirements of technical regulations for PV systems on Tuesday.

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Putin Says Recession in Russia 'Must Not Be Allowed to Happen'

Putin wants officials to keep a 'close eye on all indicators of the health of our industries, companies and even individual enterprises'. Olga MALTSEVA / AFP
Putin wants officials to keep a 'close eye on all indicators of the health of our industries, companies and even individual enterprises'. Olga MALTSEVA / AFP
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Putin Says Recession in Russia 'Must Not Be Allowed to Happen'

Putin wants officials to keep a 'close eye on all indicators of the health of our industries, companies and even individual enterprises'. Olga MALTSEVA / AFP
Putin wants officials to keep a 'close eye on all indicators of the health of our industries, companies and even individual enterprises'. Olga MALTSEVA / AFP

President Vladimir Putin on Friday urged officials not to let Russia fall into recession "under any circumstances", as some in his own government warned of a hit to economic growth.

Economists have warned for months of a slowdown in the Russian economy, with the country posting its slowest quarterly expansion in two years for the first quarter of 2025, reported AFP.

The Kremlin has said this was to be expected after two years of rapid growth as it ramped up military expenditure to fund the Ukraine campaign, but officials including the country's economy minister have raised alarm about possible pain ahead.

"Some specialists and experts are pointing to the risks of stagnation and even a recession," Putin told attendees at Russia's flagship economic forum in Saint Petersburg.

"This must not be allowed to happen under any circumstances," he said.

"We need to pursue a competent, well-thought-out budgetary, tax and monetary policy," he added.

The Russian economy grew in 2023 and 2024 despite the West's sweeping sanctions, with massive state spending on the military powering a robust expansion.

But analysts have long warned that heavy public investment in the defense industry is no longer enough to keep Russia's economy growing and does not reflect a real increase in productivity.

At his address to the forum on Friday, Putin was upbeat about Russia's economic prospects and denied the economy was being driven solely by the defense and energy industries.

"Yes, of course, the defense industry played its part in this regard, but so did the financial and IT industries," he said.

He said the economy needed "balanced growth" and called on officials to keep a "close eye on all indicators of the health of our industries, companies and even individual enterprises."