DOHA: With the focus now shifting to solar energy, Qatar is gearing up to produce polysilicon, a basic component of solar panel cells.
The first plant in Qatar for refining polysilicon is planned to open in Las Laffan next year.
This facility will lay the foundation for Qatar’s plans to set up a complete solar panel production capability.
The plant, a venture that is 70 percent owned by Qatar Solar Technologies (QSTec), a subsidiary of the Qatar Foundation, will produce 8,000 metric tonnes of polysilicon every year.
To make solar panels, polysilicon is melted into an ingot, then sliced into micro-thin wafers, then assembled into cells which are laid into the blueish-black panels that have become symbols of alternative energy.
“Our plans are to move along the value chain, making ingots, wafers, cells, and modules here in Qatar,” a COP 18 release said yesterday, quoting a representative of QSTec.
The efficiency of solar energy in a given location is measured by “payback time” that is, the time it takes for a solar panel to produce the same amount of energy that went into its construction.
According to an expert at QSTec, the abundance of solar radiation in the Middle East means that payback time for a solar panel in the region is less than a year. With the lifespan of a solar panel at 25-30 years, the potential dividends from solar energy are enormous.
In addition, peak demand for energy in the Gulf comes in the middle of the day, which, as it turns out, is the peak time of supply for energy coming from the high noon sun.
All of this fits into Qatar’s plans to make portions of the country fully reliant on solar energy. New buildings are being planned that will rely on solar energy.
The Qatar National Food Security Programme says it is looking into transitioning to solar power for Qatar’s water desalination, the air conditioning for the stadiums being built for Qatar’s 2022 World Cup will be solar powered, and the Qatar National Convention Centre, where COP18/CMP8 is taking place, already derives a portion of its power from solar cells. As a whole, the country hopes to receive 20 percent of its energy from the sun in coming years.
According to Dr Khalid Klefeekh Al Hajri, Chairman and CEO of QSTec, “Solar energy is definitely emerging in Qatar and is the key to providing a sustainable alternative source of energy while conserving and protecting the country’s natural resources for the future.”
The Peninsula
