In 2010, the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) established the Solar PV Cell & Module Manufacturing Plant and PV Reliability Laboratory to produce solar panels and cells. The project aims to transfer solar energy technologies and develop commercial-grade equipment suitable for severe heat and sandstorms.
His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs and Minister of Defense, inaugurated the second phase of the project during his visit to KACST in November 2018.
The project demonstrates a real-world industrial application of solar research and development conducted at the national research laboratories based at KACST. The work conducted forms part of efforts to achieve Vision 2030 objectives by raising the Kingdom’s Global Competitiveness Index to be among the top 10 countries globally.
KACST has also established the first internationally accredited laboratory to examine the efficiency and reliability of solar panels and develop standards that suit the Kingdom's environment.
PROJECT01
Solar PV Module Manufacturing plant with an annual production capacity of 100 MWPROJECT02
Solar PV Cell Manufacturing plant with an annual production capacity of 100 MWPROJECT03
Internationally accredited solar panel reliability testing laboratory authorized to issue IEC certificationsPROJECT04
Use solar energy for water pumpingPROJECT05
Use solar energy to power schools
