Hamburg-based Conergy, a leading solar company, in association with Saudi Arabia’s National Solar Systems (NSS) has completed the first and the largest solar installation in the kingdom.

The 2 megawatt park has been built on the roof top of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust).

The 2 MW solar plant consists of two rooftop solar installations with a capacity of one megawatt each, installed on the north and south laboratories of the university.

The power system features premium components, combining over 9,300 high-efficiency solar modules with Conergy Suntop III mounting systems and Conergy 280K central inverters.

The photovoltaic plant occupies 11,577 sqm of roof space and produces 3,332 megawatt hours of clean energy annually, while also saving up to 33,320 tons of carbon emissions. This equates to carbon offsets of approximately 6,000 circumnavigations of the world by car.

Conergy designed the park and was responsible for the engineering, supervision and commissioning while installation works and operational management were implemented by National Solar Systems.

“Despite our country being the largest oil-producer, we think that it is essential to develop new and sustainable technologies for the benefit of the kingdom, the region and the world,” said a Kaust spokesman.

“This project demonstrates that the development of alternatives to traditional fossil fuel has taken on a new urgency, even in oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia,” stated Marc Lohoff, head of Conergy Asia Pacific and the Middle East. 

“For the first time, clean power is flowing into the national grid. This is a historical event for us in Saudi Arabia,” added Abdulhadi Al-Mureeh, MD of National Solar Systems.-TradeArabia News Service