Aramco aims for 10% solar power by 2020
 

...by investing US$80 billion.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_529019.html

Yeah, great. Assuming they pump 9 million barrels per day, with a selling price of say $75 and production costs of (a very generous) $10, that leaves them with a profit of $214 billion per year. That's $2,140 billion over the next 10 years. They've got as much sun as they have oil. Spend some more on renewables, please.

Re: Aramco aims for 10% solar power by 2020
 

Interesting...:)

Re: Aramco aims for 10% solar power by 2020
 

Problem is the production of huge amounts of electricity needed from solar just isn't feasible even with todays advances in panel technology.

Even Masdar it seems are sitting scratching their heads and realising it not going to be as easy as they initially said and and quietly changing some of the rules they set out?

Re: Aramco aims for 10% solar power by 2020
 

I bet if the oil dried up unexpectedly tomorrow they'd find a way...

Re: Aramco aims for 10% solar power by 2020
 

The heat produced by that many solar panels would heat up the area even more so would need more water, more air conditioning etc.....

Re: Aramco aims for 10% solar power by 2020
 

...'cept that solar panels don't generate heat, they convert it into other forms of energy.

Re: Aramco aims for 10% solar power by 2020
 

I was working with a guy a few years back who was installing fields full of solar panel farms in Spain, not sure how its going it would be interesting to find out.

Re: Aramco aims for 10% solar power by 2020
 

I just shipped 21 x 40' Containers of panels to Italy for a new development. Sale value of the panels was just shy of 10mil USD installation and engineering all on top. It either works, or some-ones got far too much money to throw away.

Re: Aramco aims for 10% solar power by 2020
 

Of course they generate heat- a massive amount of reflected heat. It is one of the major downsides of using solar power in this region.