The Saudi government has announced an ambitious plan to generate 54 GW (including 41 GW of solar power, geothermal, waste-to-energy and 9 GW of wind) of power from renewable energy sources by 203.
How can wind energy be used in Saudi Arabia?
By increasing the hub height and selecting a high average wind speed, the output power can be increased. Effective utilization of wind energy is the second promising source of renewable energy alternatives in Saudi Arabia that is considered seriously.
Due to Saudi Arabia's large land area and the vast variability of wind speed over regions and seasons, it is very important to accurately assess the potential of wind resources in the region so as to harness maximum power output.
A thorough assessment and analysis for monthly available wind speed and power density at 100 m height for different locations in Saudi Arabia is carried out. Based on the estimated wind speed and power levels, the suitability of the installation of large, medium and small-scale wind turbines in 12 different sites considered in the work is analysed.
What is the average wind speed in Riyadh?
From the table it is clear that 9 out of 12 sites have an annual average wind speed more than 3.5 m/s, whereas that for Riyadh, Gasim and Nejran the wind speed is lower than 3.5 m/s. The highest average wind speed is recorded in Haql city which clocks a wind speed greater than 2 m/s when compared to other sites.
The Saudi government has announced an ambitious plan to generate 54 GW (including 41 GW of solar power, geothermal, waste-to-energy and 9 GW of wind) of power from renewable energy sources by 2032with an investment amounting to $108.9 billion.
How much electricity does Saudi Arabia need?
In other words, the electricity demand of Saudi Arabia is rapidly advancing for example from 114,161,021.00 MWh in 2000 to 287,442,172.00 MWh in Dec 2016. Thus in order to meet the future electricity demand of the Kingdom, it is essential to enhance the power generation capacity to 122.6 GW by 2030.