Today, Saudi Arabia must think about other means of generating electricity and water production. Nuclear energy is clean and cheap, but very volatile when it comes to safety. And Saudi Arabia is not ready yet to introduce this form of energy. We are not an industrial country and we will need to rely heavily on foreign expertise. Also it will take Saudis a long time to master this form of science. On the other hand, solar energy is clean and safe. And there are serious research centers to produce cheaper, more efficient and easier to maintain solar sheets.
l by Abdulateef Al-Mulhim
(September 24, Alkhobar - Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka Guardian) I had been to Germany twice in my life. And I was impressed by their usage of something they really don't have much of, that is, sun rays.
It is cloudy most of the time and the sun rays are cold even in the summer months. And whenever they have a sunny summer day, then it is an October Fest in July. The Germans used these sun rays to become the leading country in solar energy. But, how about the real genuine hot sun rays of Saudi Arabia?
These days, Saudi Arabia is at its peak of consumption of crude oil to produce water and generate electricity. And yes, we are the richest country in oil reserves, but we are the poorest in water resources. Now, we rely on oil to produce water by desalination method. This means, we spend our only source of income to produce water and electricity. This means if we sell the desalinated water the same way we sell oil at a gas pump, then we will charge ten times more for water than super unleaded gasoline. Saudi Arabia now uses two million barrels per day just to feed the electric generating plants and the desalinization water plants. Two million barrels per day equal the daily oil production of China which has more than fifty times our population. Nowadays, Saudi Arabia is simply depleting its oil reserves faster than what have been predicted. It took millions of years to form the oil beneath our feet. So, what are the solutions? I am not an expert in the fields of energy. I am a simple Saudi citizen who wants to see his kids enjoy living a good life as much as I did.
Every day, the Saudis and expatriates in the Kingdom complain about the sun rays. Our sun rays are so hot, they would win a cooking competition with a Kenmore Microwave oven. So, if Germany used their cold sun rays to produce energy, then why can't we? Saudi Arabia has the longest hours of sunshine on this planet. There is no other country that prays for rain or cloud as much as we do. So, if we have this unlimited form of energy, then why can't we use it? At least for some uses such as lighting. Saudi Arabia should have established the largest research center for solar energy a long time ago. We were the ones who should have been able to export solar energy sheets to Japan, Europe and the US.
And every time there is a discussion about implementing solar energy projects, we face the question of the cost. Solar energy products are expensive, but they were more expensive when they were first introduced. Just like personal computers when they were first introduced. Only a few people can afford them. Now, laptops are a must in kindergarten. Saudi Arabia must find solutions to electric and water consumption very soon. We are just like Siberia. Both are considered harsh environments to live in, with opposite kinds of environment. One will be unlivable if the cool air-conditioning units are out and the other if the heaters are out.
Today, Saudi Arabia must think about other means of generating electricity and water production. Nuclear energy is clean and cheap, but very volatile when it comes to safety. And Saudi Arabia is not ready yet to introduce this form of energy. We are not an industrial country and we will need to rely heavily on foreign expertise. Also it will take Saudis a long time to master this form of science. On the other hand, solar energy is clean and safe. And there are serious research centers to produce cheaper, more efficient and easier to maintain solar sheets. And solar research didn't reach the end of improvements and there are daily discoveries for ways to generate more energy per solar sheet. Also, there are a lot of research centers to improve the cleanest and cheapest forms of energy. Either the sun or the wind.
As for us who live in Saudi Arabia, citizens and expatriates, we must join hands to conserve energy and water. We must teach our kids to turn off unnecessary electric appliances and to respect the shortage of water. We saw China asking for French expertise on how to use energy more efficiently. And some Chinese high-rise buildings were able to cut energy consumptions by half. We don't have to start from scratch. We could start from where others have stopped. Even our religion taught us the importance of water. The Qur’an mentioned the word "water" many times and stated that everything alive on this planet is because of water. And having the cheapest gas prices at the gas pumps could be history sooner than what we think.
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