‘Kuwait to produce solar power on roofs of houses’

Model pilot project to involve 150 homes

Kuwait is planning to boost production of electricity on house roofs through model pilot projects in 150 homes, to be increased to 1,500 in a later stage after 2018, Director General of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) Adnan Shihab-Eldin has said.

According to the plans, the cost of a kilowatt of electricity produced through solar energy is 20 fils (65 cent), Shihab-Eldin told reporters as part of the final arrangements for the 6th Middle East and North Africa Renewable Energy Conference (MENAREC-6) that opens Monday evening.

It is very competitive, compared to the cost of a kilowatt of traditional electricity produced through fossil fuels, 30 to 40 fils.

Kuwait, in cooperation with Germany, established the first solar power plant in the region in 1984, with one megawatt capacity, he said.

Shihab-Eldin pointed to the various renewable energy projects launched by the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) such as the 70 MW Shagaya complex.

He suggested that the government directs part of power subsidy to renewable energy, to raise its share of Kuwait’s production of electricity to 15 percent, a target set for 2030.

For his part, Director-General International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Adnan Amin said that the world has witnessed a remarkable change in the alternative power systems over the past three years.

He stressed the necessity of paying more attention to alternative energy amid the various crises of the world is suffering.