Qatar Solar Technologies: on Qatar’s horizon

Before the discovery of oil and gas, the Bedouin, Hadar and Abd people of the Qatari peninsula lived in houses built predominantly from naturally sourced materials. The stone (hasa), limestone mortar (juss), limewash (nuwra), sand (raml) and earth (turab) all came from the desert; the built-in ventilation grilles on top of the buildings released the heat, the low-set generous windows – along with wind towers harnessing the prevalent northwesterly winds – cooled the houses while the children played in the
abundant sunshine.

Since then, Qatar has developed at an unprecedented rate. In just 40 years, Qatar has become the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas and this small peninsula that juts out into the Arabian Gulf and shares a border with Saudi Arabia, has been transformed into one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Qatar has one of the world’s highest per capita GDPs and its people are witnessing the development of an ultramodern infrastructure at a rapid pace.

Many sectors, such as health, education, transportation and tourism, are being developed with renewed vigour. This includes railway networks, a new international airport and seaport, modern highways and the state-of-the-art Sidra Medical and Research Centre.

The country is relentlessly pursuing a charter of modernisation widely known as the Qatar National Vision 2030, which will put Qatar on the path to becoming a knowledge-based economy with particular regard to social, economic, human and environmental developments – including the use and applications of solar technologies.

Power to the world
The solar power and applications initiatives currently being undertaken in Qatar are vast and cover solar cooling, solar desalination for water and agriculture, and solar use in the oil and gas industries. Simultaneously pioneering research for the use of solar technologies and applications that are suitable for Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) harsh desert environment is being actively pursued.

Programmes being undertaken by the Qatar National Food Security Programme, Qatar Solar Technologies (QSTec), Qatar Foundation, Qatar Science and Technology Park, and other organisations in Qatar will advance these technologies for use across the region and the world.

The technologies and techniques will improve, new patents will be created, costs will decrease and Qatar’s ongoing research into these areas will make a substantial contribution to expanding and developing our knowledge and best practices in this exciting field.

Qatar and QSTec will develop a new industry for the region that will provide solar energy for cities, new employment and entrepreneurial opportunities, sustainable technology solutions to provide fresh water for people, crops and agriculture, and will have a profoundly positive effect on the lives of millions of people.

All countries in the GCC regions have rapidly increasing populations, increasing water and energy needs, are blessed with abundant sunlight, and have some of the world’s highest Direct Normal Irradiation levels. The population of the GCC is forecast to increase to 53.3 million people by 2020 – an increase of 30 percent from 2000 – which greatly impacts electricity and water requirements.

The Economist Intelligence Unit forecasts the GCC’s electricity needs will increase on average by seven to eight percent per year until 2020, and within the faster growing economies this increase could be even higher. With increasing energy demands, we are witnessing a transformation in energy use across the region with an aim to become more sustainable by diversifying the sources of both electrical and thermal energies.

A region blessed with infinite sunlight could do well

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and a host of other countries are looking to use solar energy to meet their increasing energy needs, and to provide power for a wide range of applications. Qatar is expecting that by 2020, up to 20 percent of its electricity requirements will be met through solar power.

Energy intensive water desalination will use solar energy to turn the saline waters of the Arabian Gulf into fresh water to meet the increasing domestic needs of the GCC. Until recently, this desalination process relied on hydrocarbons to meet its energy needs, but increasingly solar energy is being used with great success.

In a region where summer temperatures are often over 40°C, air conditioning is essential. In the GCC, the peak electricity demand is in the middle of the day, when the air conditioners are running in homes and offices. This is also the time when solar is most effective. Research is currently being undertaken in Qatar and across the region in a bid to harness the sun’s energy for cooling. When Qatar hosts the first carbon-neutral World Cup in 2022, its stadiums and spectator zones will be cooled using solar energy.

Solar cooling technology is in its infancy, but with this announcement the research and development interest has increased dramatically in Qatar and around the world. The benefits from developing solar cooling technologies and applications are far reaching. Global warming will increase the global demand for air conditioning and, if solar cooling technology can meet this need, the positive impact on our environment and societies will be enormous.

Preparing for the future
QSTec is the realisation of the Qatar National Vision 2030 for the future of Qatar. The aim is to establish a distinctive, 21st century, iconic country that celebrates the special cultural and geographical heritage of Qatar and the Gulf Region, taking into consideration the reduction of harmful environmental effects, preservation of energy and water,  and the reduction of carbon emissions. All this will be achieved while ensuring high environmental quality to our residents, workers and visitors through the application of greener building standards based on sustainable technologies like solar power.

QSTec is leading the way by building a brand new solar industry in Qatar and working to efficiently harness this profound energy source. QSTec is currently building a polysilicon plant in Ras Laffan Industrial City. Polysilicon is the key ingredient in the world’s most efficient solar technologies, and the silicon chips found in our modern electronic devices. Initially, the plant will produce 8,000 tonnes per year (MTPY) of high-quality polysilicon and is designed to expand as demand grows.

Built on 1.2 million square metres, QSTec’s polysilicon plant can expand capacity to 45,000 MTPY and has been designed to seamlessly incorporate solar ingots, wafers, cell and module manufacturing facilities. In the not-too-distant future, QSTec aims to manufacture solar modules in Qatar – made from QSTec’s own polysilicon – for use locally and for export to the rest of the world.

Infinite sunlight and opportunity
The opportunities for innovation and groundbreaking research in Qatar remain promising. Qatar allocates an impressive 2.8 percent of its GDP to research – which is one of the highest government-funded initiatives in the world. As part of its multi-faceted mandate, QSTec aims to develop and export solar technologies and new patents from Qatar to the world – and Qatar is fast becoming a global research centre.

QSTec’s mother company, Qatar Foundation, is home to the world-class Qatar Science and Technology Park, as well as several leading international universities and research institutes. In addition, it also provides funding for high-quality research through the Qatar National Research Fund. Qatar Foundation has an excellent track record of bringing people and organisations together to develop new products, solutions and efficiencies, and QSTec plans to fully utilise these strengths to further contribute to realising Qatar’s National Vision 2030.

QSTec and its partners are continuously exploring opportunities for using solar energy solutions for solar desalination, cooling and hydrocarbon processing. The ultimate goal is to be a major contributor to the evolution of solar technology in the Middle East.

A region blessed with infinite sunlight could do well if it seizes the infinite applications solar technology is generating. One of QSTec’s recent projects was working with Barwa to supply Qatar’s first Passivhaus project with a high efficiency 34-kilowatt solar power system that will enable to house to be powered by the sun.

Open communication
QSTec encourages open communication channels with all businesses and organisations that have an interest in solar technologies and applications. In this regard, QSTec is actively working together with the Qatar National Food Securities Programme, Kahramaa, Barwa, Qatar Electricity & Water Company and Energy City Qatar – to name a few – and is in talks with a number of other key institutions in Qatar and across the world.

We are extremely proud to be working with these organisations to ensure solar power is able to reach every single person in Qatar and provide alternative energy sources to a wide variety of solar applications. QSTec’s collaborations will bring us full circle in solar energy, from the manufacturing of solar technologies and applications, to everyone in Qatar receiving energy from the sun directly into their homes. We look forward to working on many more projects using solar energy.

It is a new and emerging industry in the region, but one that is set to grow within the next decade as countries look to diversify their energy sources to meet increasing domestic power demands. With each new solar project or initiative, a clear message is being sent out that renewable energy is possible and very real. In times ahead, solar power will not be labelled “alternative or renewable energy” – it will simply be called “energy”.