A German trade delegation comprising representatives of eight companies will visit the Kingdom on Oct. 1 to promote bilateral cooperation in the fields of solar power and seawater desalination.
“The visit will be mutually beneficial for both countries. The eight companies will not only be introducing various sources of energy, but will also transfer technology to local firms,” Andreas Hergenroether, a delegate of the German Industry and Commerce for Saudi Arabia and Yemen, told Arab News on Wednesday.
Hergenroether said the Kingdom bears excellent conditions for the generation of solar energy because of its high rate of daily sunshine.
“There are companies that have installed solar power plants in the Kingdom, such as Saudi Aramco and Kapsarc, and it is anticipated that demand for renewable energy sources will increase in the future,” he said.
Hergenroether said that if the Kingdom might find itself being an oil importer in the year 2038 because “its oil consumption is high” if does not find alternative energy sources.
“It is much higher than the world average,” he said, adding that besides high oil consumption, it is also OPEC’s biggest oil producer, which can lead to depletion of its reserves.
A report issued last month said the Kingdom was set to pump out 10.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude in the third quarter, one-million barrel increase over the second quarter and its highest quarterly level production ever.
Heregenroether said that besides being an alternative energy source, solar power also helps conserve the environment, unlike fossil fuel, which is a pollutant. Other environment-friendly sources of energy include geothermal and wind energy.
He said demand for desalinated seawater will also increase as the population grows.
Estimates last July indicated that the Kingdom’s total population had grown to 29.55 million. The 2013 population growth rate was estimated at 1.51 percent. It is the world’s 80th highest growth rate. Of the total figure, Riyadh accounts for seven million, or 24 percent of the Kingdom’s population.
The delegation includes Philipp Schramek representing Solar Tower Systems; Matthias Kittler of the Apricum Group; Thomas Freyberg, ET Solutions; Nedim Zaklan, Ammonit Measurement; Martin Scheuerer, Protarget; Dr. Harald Mueller, Re:cas; Oussama Chehab, SMA Solar Technology; and Zouhaier Kefi, Soleos AG.
German delegation to promote solar power, water desalination
