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.
