Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil producer and one of the top
five biggest polluters on a per capita basis, has announced plans to
launch a massive solar energy program capable of generating 41,000
megawatts of power within the next two decades, according to Bloomberg.
Ali Al Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s oil minister, claimed that “Saudi Arabia
aspires to export as much solar energy in the future as it exports oil
now,” back in 2010, according to The National. What many heard as an empty promise, or at best, an unrealistic one, now appears to be on the verge of becoming a reality.
Guiding the effort is the King Adbdullah City for Atomic and
Renewable Energy, known as KA-CARE. Although KA-CARE’s board hasn’t
officially approved the proposal, it is expected to go through with no
hang-ups. If the proposal sticks to its timetable of completion by 2032,
the country will be capable of producing about one-quarter of its total
electricity by means of solar energy.
