CleanBeta

Saudi Arabia Is the Saudi Arabia of Solar Energy

Since 1995, the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory and NASA have operated radiation monitoring sites all over Saudi Arabia — known as the NASA Remote Sensing Validation: Saudi Arabia – to measure the area’s solar energy potential. The data from those records were published this afternoon by the Department of Energy. They are difficult to navigate, but the bottom line isn’t difficult to discern the gist — Saudi Arabia is freaking dripping in solar energy resources. I’m not sure if its irony or extreme sadness or extreme pain to learn that the same country with the highest concentration of non-renewable energy (or at least oil) also has the highest concentration (or one of them) in solar power. If anyone knows how slice-and-dice solar radiation/irradiation data well enough to confirm or disprove this report, please do so ASAP. The data sets are here. Please let me know.