Saudia Arabia's Electricity & Cogeneration Regulatory Authority announced new regulations on distributed solar power generation installations, and this is expected to encourage electricity consumers to install
Saudi Arabia’s Electricity & Cogeneration Regulatory Authority announced new regulations on distributed solar power generation installations, and this is expected to encourage electricity consumers to install solar systems in accordance with the country’s net metering system.
The new regulations should apply to solar PV projects ranging from 1KW to 2MW and various energy consumers, and will come into effect after the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) issues additional rules on the program's procedures.
The framework stipulates that Saudi electricity distributors must provide assistance to consumers who are willing to install solar energy by providing them with the information needed for feasibility studies and grid connection applications. Power companies must also raise awareness of the benefits of rooftop solar and report annually on the progress of this market segment.
In August 2017, Saudi Arabia tried for the first time to introduce small-scale solar net metering, but the draft regulations drafted at that time were not adopted.
According to statistics from the International Renewable Energy Agency, Saudi Arabia’s solar power capacity reached 334 megawatts by the end of last year. Most of these are provided by large-scale solar projects, and the largest share comes from the 300 MW Sacaka solar power plant that was connected to the grid in November last year.In Saudi Arabia,more and more bifacial solar panels are used in large scale solar power projects.
