Official government website of the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
The conference "Solar Energy Prospects in Saudi Arabia: Applications and Challenges" concluded its work the day before yesterday, Thursday, April 26, 1442 AH, after holding 10 scientific sessions over two days with the participation of a number of academics and researchers in solar energy applications and industry experts from within and outside Saudi Arabia.
The conference outcomes resulted in the issuance of 12 scientific recommendations that covered many aspects and axes of the discussions regarding solar energy, in line with the directions and plans of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 to diversify energy sources and become an exporter of sustainable energy, especially solar energy.
Dr. Meshal Al-Mushaiqeh, Dean of the College of Engineering and Head of the Scientific Committee of the Conference, explained that the recommendations from the conference covered all the themes discussed by the participants. These recommendations included establishing vocational and university training programs in solar energy at all universities and incorporating solar energy into the curricula of colleges of Architecture, Science, Agriculture, and others. Additionally, the recommendations called for integrating solar energy concepts and technologies into the university engineering college curricula and teaching them in middle and high schools.
Al Mishaiqih added that the conference recommended enacting legislation (systems, regulations, and instructions) and incentives, as well as investment maps for renewable energy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It also recommended raising awareness of the social, economic, and technological aspects of the new and renewable energy field within the local community, in addition to focusing on local manufacturing of solar energy technology equipment. Furthermore, it recommended exchanging expertise with Arab countries in the field of renewable energy by periodically working to unify testing standards and methods for solar energy systems in Arab countries. This includes focusing on solar thermal and electric applications for cooling and air conditioning, and preparing Saudi standards for solar thermal collectors and systems.
The head of the conference's scientific committee also explained that the recommendations included urging detailed studies on the impact of dust accumulation on solar/photovoltaic power complexes, recommending the use of geographic information systems and multivariate analysis to select the best locations for building solar desalination plants, in addition to improving the production of desalinated water through solar distillation. It is preferable to use a type of porous column to store a larger amount of moisture and utilize a rotating wheel in solar distillers to enhance the production of desalinated water. It is worth noting that the efficiency of solar distillers that used rotating wheels improved compared to conventional distillers. He prayed to Almighty God that these recommendations would benefit those working in and interested in the field of solar and renewable energy.
