The problem is scarcity of drinking water. The solution could come from the sun, but the very sunny Gulf countries are not easily convinced. The third summit of investors in Qatar's alternative energies closed today in Doha, and the final debate was precisely on this issue: "The Gulf countries and solar energy: where we are and where we want to go in the next few years ?”.
THEenergy from the sun could be used by these countries for water desalination processes. Unfortunately, none of them have yet taken this path, nor have any projects been set up that go in this direction.
Indeed, “solar energy alone is too expensive – explains Mohamed Darwish, chief researcher at the Qatar Institute of Energy and Environmental Research -, but combined with natural gas it is the best solution, since gas reduces the costs of solar energy by about 50%.
Not only. Exploiting the sun's energy also means reducing greenhouse gas emissions, allowing companies not to pay pollution-related expenses. The related cost management in the solar system, however, it is very complex.
According to the analysis of Hassan Harajli, project manager at the United Nations development program, the maintenance costs of the plants are very low, but the initial costs are rather heavy. When one decides to invest in this type of energy, it is therefore necessary to sign long-term contracts, of at least about 20 years.
