Environment & Energy | Monday 10 December, 2018 3:06 am |

The Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) participated in Solar Power-Gen Conference held in Orlando, Florida in the US from Dec. 4 to 6.
The authority represented Saudi Arabia at the event with the aim of creating awareness about the investment opportunities available in the solar energy sector in the Kingdom.
Under the Solar Power Project Plan 2030, the Kingdom expects to produce 200 gigawatts of solar energy by 2030.
The Saudi solar initiative will help to diversify the national economy and stimulate investment in non-oil industries. The project will also reduce solar power production costs and create employment opportunities for Saudi workers, with up to 100,000 jobs in solar power schemes alone.
The Kingdom’s history of solar research goes a long way back, when a research plant was opened at King Abdul Aziz City — the first solar-powered site in the Kingdom. The plant provided solar electricity to Uyayna, Jubaila and rural centers near Riyadh.
The solar village, part of a Saudi-US partnership, produces 350 kilowatts of electricity through concentrated photovoltaic complexes.