Efficacy of Alternate Renewable Energy Sources in Saudi Arabia

A small residential community in Jubail industrial city in Saudi Arabia was selected to assess the economic feasibility and optimal renewable energy combination systems that cover the energy demands of the community and help in reducing carbon emissions. Jubail is a 40 years old industrial city that has a significant role in the economic impact of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The maximum part of the area of the city consists of industrial companies ranging from petrochemical, mineral, and manufacturing. The population of this industrial city is estimated to be around 100, 000. In our study, we considered a small community in Jubail that represents a residential complex of two hundred residential buildings for the Royal Commission in Jubail. We examined the efficacy of using alternative renewable energy sources for the residential community in Jubail, Saudi Arabia considering the present economic scenario. The analysis indicates that the wind farm has a good potential in increasing the renewable fraction while maintaining a relatively low cost of energy. At the same time, the photovoltaic (PV) energy system is a slightly expensive choice unless the government subsidy is raised to a high level. However, considering the location of the country, it has a huge potential in contributing to the energy resources requirement.