Renewable Energy Research, Development and Applications in Saudi Arabia

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews and evaluates the research and development efforts and applications of renewable energy in Saudi Arabia based on the technical and economical feasibility. It also presents the policy of the country regarding the future utilization of renewable energy sources and their effective commercialization. The commercialization progress of renewable energy technologies in Saudi Arabia is very slow due to various reasons such as the higher cost of the systems (as compared to subsidized utility power) and due to the lack of awareness of public towards the potential capability of renewable energy as well as the lack of technical skills amongst users. Therefore, effective measures are necessary to be adopted and implemented for dissemination of knowledge and renewable energy technologies to promote the commercialization process in Saudi Arabia.