Embracing Renewable Energy in Kuwait

The Middle East has huge potential when it comes to renewable energy. Due to the all-year-long sunshine, and flat planes, it is a suitable area for solar and wind farms. This potential must be used! Because of that fact, many companies who are in the clean energy business choose to move to Kuwait. Opportunities are endless, and everyone should start embracing renewable energy in Kuwait.

Let’s research this topic a bit more, to discover the true potential and possibilities!

Types of renewable energy sources

In order to better understand the nature of renewable energy sources in Kuwait, it is crucial to learn a bit more about its types. Today, there are seven major renewable energy sources:

  1. Solar power – Solar energy is produced by exploiting the radiant energy of the Sun. Sunlight converts into heat, hot water, or electricity. That is achieved through the help of solar cells and the PV system.
  2. Wind power – Wind energy is produced at wind farms, using turbines. There are 3 types of systems used for the production of wind power: Single wind turbines, commercial-grade systems, and utility-scale wind farms.
    • single wind turbines are most useful for pre-existing energy organisations.
    • commercial-grade systems are used to power multiple organisations
    • utility-scale wind farms are for those who want to purchase on a wholesale or a contract.
  3. Hydroelectric power – When it comes to hydroelectric energy, the most known form is a dam. The water running through the turbines is converted to electric energy.
  4. Oceans – Oceans are massive sources of energy. When it comes to oceans, they can generate thermal and mechanical renewable energy. Thermal energy comes from the warm water surface, while mechanical energy develops due to the flow of the tide.
  5. Geothermal sources – Geothermal energy comes in the form of heat trapped beneath the earth’s crust. You can see these sources in nature, they are called volcanoes and geysers. The way geothermal energy is used is through the steam that is generated at the source.
  6. Biomass – Biomass is a matter that comes from plants or organisms that died. When it is processed, it creates bio energy. A very familiar example is using wood to start a fire. So, bio energy can be created either by burning biomass, or harvesting methane when organic materials decompose.
  7. Hydrogen power – Opposite to other sources, hydrogen must be combined with other elements to produce results. It can be used both for fuel and electric energy.

Kuwait is a fertile ground for solar and wind farms. There lies huge potential, waiting to be exploited. Not only it can be used for business purposes, but also in projects that include self-sustaining homes.

Wind farm at sunset, representing renewable energy in Kuwait

Kuwait is a fantastic area for solar and wind farms, and people must begin to embrace renewable energy in Kuwait

Embracing Renewable Energy in Kuwait

Even though such potential exists, not much is done on the matter of renewable energy in Kuwait. While I do think that raising awareness about renewable energy is the best strategy, there is more to the story. Long term goals for 2030 announce that Kuwait will produce 15% of electric energy thanks to renewable sources. However, current numbers are lower than 1%.

With such potential and conditions, one might wonder why is that.

It’s all about the oil

Let’s face it, Kuwait currently runs on burning fuel oil and imported gas. The volume of oil reserves is massive, and they export around 2m barrels per day. Furthermore, there are plenty of unexploited resources waiting in the background. With such a strong economy, the numbers are looking good. The production cost is also lowered, thanks to demand. Currently, it is just not that important to shift the focus toward renewable energy in Kuwait.

Nevertheless, there is a word of caution in this tale. As with everything else on our planet, oil and gas reserves are limited. That is something that must be taken into consideration. Embracing renewable energy in Kuwait is the strategy for the future! There are plenty of benefits of renewable energy, and that is an opportunity that must not be missed.

Important numbers to look at

Let’s talk a little bit about the situation with renewable energy around the world. Due to the potential benefits, all major countries are trying their best to improve in this area. Due to the demand, the production cost for solar power dropped by a whopping 90%! Even better, it is still declining, and it will continue to do so as long as possible.

On another note, the demand for electricity in Kuwait is becoming larger and larger on a daily basis. Due to the rising population and increased consumption of electric energy, it is essential to look for new, renewable energy sources.

Not only that the renewable energy could help Kuwait on a grand scale, but it would also power neighbouring countries. The potential is big, and the production cost is low.

Moving your business to Kuwait

Thanks to the potential of the market, a lot of companies are choosing to move their offices to Kuwait. Especially those companies that are in the renewable energy business. Since the awareness is still low, whoever uses the chance has the possibility of becoming a pioneer and tightly grab the opportunities on the market.

If you are thinking about moving your offices, you should know that transporting office supplies to your new address is now easier than ever. It is important not to lose any time, the sooner you start with the process, the better.

The future of renewable energy in Kuwait

With all that has been said, I can say that Kuwait has a bright future when it comes to renewable energy. However, it is crucial to raise awareness. Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research is working on many future projects. One worth mentioning is the development of solar plants, located at Shagaya Renewable Energy Park. Nevertheless, it is crucial to raise awareness among people, and help them embrace renewable energy in Kuwait. Nothing is possible without the demand!

This article was kindly written and contributed by Sally Norton.

What are the Benefits of Renewable Energy Use?

Renewable energy, or clean energy, comes for natural processes that are regularly replenished. For example – sunlight and wind.

The sun keeps shining and the wind keeps blowing. Many people think of renewable energy as a new technology, but in fact, we have been using it for a long time for lighting, heating, and transportation. It is true that people have been using cheaper but dirty energy like coal or gas for the last five hundred years. However, now that scientists have found less expensive methods of capturing wind and solar energy, tables are turning. Renewable energy is booming and what is most important, people are starting to understand its benefits. So, without further ado, here is how we can benefit from renewable energy use.

Less Global Warming

Human activity is overwhelming and burdening our atmosphere with carbon dioxide and other emissions. Because of it, we have incessant storms, sea-level rise, drought, extinction, and many other extremely harmful impacts. In contrast, renewable energy does not have any emissions that are harmful to the atmosphere. This is because renewable energy comes from green and clean sources. So, if we turn to using renewable energy, we will be saving our atmosphere and our planet, that is, we will be responding to global warming. Not to mention, we will keep our environment safer and cleaner for generations to come.

Inexhaustible Source of Energy

Renewable energy will just not run out. And that is one of its strongest benefits. This cannot be said for fuel, gas, and coal. Even now, it is getting hard to obtain them, and it will probably be even harder in the future. However, fast-moving water, heath from the earth, strong winds and sunny skies are always going to be here for us. And they will provide a constant supply of energy. By using these inexhaustible sources of energy we will be more independent.

Improves Public Health

Health is the most important thing. But, we are affecting and damaging our health with pollution. Pollution affects everyone; there is no doubt in that. By constant use of coal and gas plants, we are polluting air and water, which then creates breathing problems, heart attacks, cancer, premature death, and numerous other diseases. But, by using clean and renewable energy we can stabilise the greenhouse effect, improve the quality of water we drink and the air we breathe. This will not only improve public health but also save many lives as well. People are slowly starting to understand the benefits of living in a ‘clean’ country. So, should you decide to relocate overseas, make sure that you are moving to a place that is using renewable sources.

Gives Independence

Renewable energy helps people and households gain morWhat are the Benefits of Renewable Energy Use?e independence. It is self-generated and as such helps people become independent from the coal-powered energy. By installing solar panels on your home or business, you instantly reduce your dependence on electricity and all the fees that come with it. Moreover, any solar energy that you generated but did not use, is sent back to the utility company. You can also install batteries and become even more independent as they will collect and store all the solar energy which you can use later on when your power usage overtakes what your solar panels are generating. By doing this, we are helping build a more sustainable world.

Saves Money

Using renewable energy will definitely help you save money in the long run. You only have to pay for the initial cost of construction and setup, and the whole thing will quickly begin to pay for itself. You will also save money on maintenance and operating costs as well. This is because you do not have to pay for the refuel. Sunshine is bountiful and we can easily capture it with solar panels. The same goes for wind and other sources of renewable energy. They are free. As previously mentioned, the only investment is to create a facility where energy power will be converted into electricity. This first investment might seem expensive, but soon, you will realise that you are saving anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Creates Jobs

Renewable energy creates more jobs as it is more labor-intensive than fossil fuel sources of energy. Just think about it. People need to install solar panels, and technicians need to maintain them. This applies to all renewable energy technologies. Today, thousands of people are working for this industry and according to some research, by 2030 even more people will be employed, that is, approximately 24 million people. And, increased support for renewable energy may create even more job positions. Two biggest renewable energy industries are the wind and the solar industry.

  • The wind industry needs a variety of employees. For example, in 2016, more than 100,000 people were hired to work in manufacturing, construction and turbine installation, project creation and development, transportation, logistics, finances, legal and consulting services, and many more. Moreover, many new factories are being open every day.
  • The solar industry is one of the biggest ones and it employs the biggest number of people. This industry employed more than 260,000 people in 2016.

 Lower Reliance on Foreign Energy Sources

Another benefit or renewable energy and its industries is that it can be produced locally and lower the reliance on foreign energy sources. Nowadays, the usage of fossil fuels is the most common. Even though it is polluting the atmosphere. The USA approximately imports 57% of fossil fuels from other countries in the Gulf. That is a lot of ‘dirty’ energy, which costs a lot as well. That is why by using renewable energy and reducing the dependency of fossil fuels can save both the economy and the environment.


This article was kindly written and contributed by Sally Norton.

What’s wrong with big solar in cities? Nothing, if it’s done right

Many of us are familiar with developments of big solar farms in rural and regional areas. These are often welcomed as a positive sign of our transition towards a low-carbon economy. But do large-scale solar installations have a place in our cities?

The City of Fremantle in Western Australia is considering a proposal to use a former landfill site for a large-scale solar farm. The reportedly 4.9 megawatt solar power station on an eight-hectare site would be, it’s said, Australia’s largest urban solar farm. The initiative is part of Fremantle’s ambition to be powered by 100% clean energy within a decade.

The proposal is facing some community opposition, however. Residents are reportedly alarmed by the potential public health consequences of building on a rubbish dump, which risks releasing toxic contaminants such as asbestos into the environment. Other concerns include glare from the solar panels, or excessive noise.

Similar complaints about solar panels in cities are being seen all over the world, with opponents generally of the view “they do not belong in residential areas”. So what are the planning issues associated with large-scale solar installations in cities? And should we be concerned about possible negative impacts?

What is large-scale solar?

According to the Australian Clean Energy Regulator, large-scale solar refers to “a device with a kilowatt (kW) rating of more than 100 kilowatts”. A kilowatt is a measure of power – the rate of energy delivery at a given moment – whereas a kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a measure of the total energy produced (so a 100kW device operating for one hour would produce 100kWh of electricity).

Device here refers to not only the photovoltaic (PV) panels – the actual panels used in solar energy – but also to the infrastructure “behind the electricity meter”. So interconnected panels may still constitute a single device.

By this definition, there may already be large-scale solar installations in Australian cities. In Sydney for example, the recently opened system on top of the Alexandra Canal Transport Depot is by all accounts a large-scale solar system. It combines around 1,600 solar panels with enough battery storage for 500kWh of electricity.

But this is not Sydney’s largest solar installation. That honour is presently held by the Sydney Markets in Flemington, among Australia’s largest rooftop solar installations, which generates around 3 megawatts (that’s 3,000kW). To date, there have been no publicly disclosed complaints received about these facilities.

Large-scale solar (sometimes called “big solar”) can also refer to solar arrays that use mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto solar PV panels. This is different to concentrated thermal solar, which uses mirrors to focus sunlight onto the top of a tower to heat salt, oil or other materials that can then be used to generate steam to power turbines for electricity generation.

What’s the problem with solar in cities?

Internationally, there is increasing recognition cities could be ideal locations for large-scale solar installations due to the amounts of unused land. This includes land alongside freeways and main roads, flood-prone land, and rooftops on factories, warehouses and residences. And locating big solar in cities can also reduce the energy losses that occur with transmitting electricity over long distances.

Australia’s combined rooftop solar installations already supply the equivalent of enough power for all the homes in Sydney. And even former landfill sites – which have few uses other than parkland and are often too contaminated to sustain other land uses such as residential development – can be a good use of space for solar farms. But such sites would need to be carefully managed so contaminants are not released during construction.Large-scale solar installations can present some challenges for urban planning. For instance, mirrors can cause problems with glare, or even damage if they were misaligned (problems thus far have been in solar thermal plants). Maintenance vehicles may increase traffic in neighbourhoods. Installing solar panels could cause temporary problems with noise and lighting. And views could potentially be disrupted if adjoining residents overlook a large-scale solar installation.

Originally Published by The Conversation, continue reading here.

How Do Food Scraps Turn Into Renewable Energy?

During a trip in India, Yair Teller, then a curious student and today the co-founder and CSO of Homebiogas, saw a family cooking on gas in a village of people who predominantly cooked over firewood. This was quite shocking.

The family used the biogas their biodigester produced from food waste to cook their food, and the fertilizer it produced to nourish flowers, which they then sold  in the market to create extra source of revenue. They got all of those benefits simply from recycling their cow’s manure in a biodigester.

Fast forward a few years and Yair was joined by Oshik Efrati (CEO) and Erez Lanzer (CFO). The three proceeded to start HomeBiogas the company in 2012, with the main goal of spreading affordable, sustainable and renewable energy to the whole world.

The Association for Sustainability in Business got the chance to speak with Yair about HomeBiogas, off the grid living and the importance of sustainable living.

Q. What is HomeBiogas?

A. Using an anaerobic process, the HomeBiogas 2.0 system takes organic waste (e.g. fruits, veggies, meat, dairy pits, seeds, animal manure etc.) and turns it into cooking gas and liquid fertilizer. This enables you to create renewable energy in your own backyard and close an eco-cycle!

Instead of throwing your food scraps in the garbage, where it will rot in landfills and will emit methane into the atmosphere, you can simply throw your food scraps into HomeBiogas 2.0. The system can accept up to 4KG of organic waste a day, and in return, produces up to 3 hours of cooking gas a day AND up to 12 L of liquid fertilizer a day. With an estimated life span of 10 years, the system is built in a modular way though, so any part can be easily replaced without replacing the entire system.

Inside the HomeBiogas 2.0 digester there is over 1,000 L of water and bacteria that consume the leftovers thrown inside the system. The bacteria break down the leftovers and emit methane, the main component of the biogas that allows the gas to be flammable for cooking.

The HomeBiogas 2.0 system arrives as a DIY (do-it-yourself) kit. You can assemble it in about an hour. To understand exactly what can you put inside the HomeBiogas 2.0 system, click here.

Q. What does it mean to live ‘off the grid?’

A. Living off the grid means being independent when it comes to resources, may it be water supply, electricity, cooking gas or even waste management.

People that choose to live off grid are self-sufficient people that rather use existing and every-day resources to live a more simple or sustainable life.

Because off gridders provide for themselves and their needs, they have a sense of freedom, independence and control over their lives.

Q. What else can you do to live more sustainably? 

A. Having an organic garden is a way of ensuring you take in all the good things that you need, and your food is free of things that can cause you harm (such as the pesticides). From an ecological standpoint- Growing food in your backyard requires much less energy than produce from the supermarket. Why? Produce from the supermarket is packaged with plastics and Styrofoam which cannot be recycled or broken down easily. This packaging is totally unnecessary for a home organic garden.

To get more information on HomeBiogas, browse the Knowledge Center.


Interested in finding out more about innovative sustainable solutions?

Explore the liveability of our metropolitan and regional urban centres at the 2018 Liveable Cities Conference this July.

This year’s conference will focus on sustainable transport solutions, greening and redesign of cities, renewing regional areas, integrating community decisions, government policy, health and wellbeing and strategies for environment implementation.

Register to secure your place here.

Grattan Institute urges compensation for higher power bills caused by energy grid ‘gold plating’

Consumers must be compensated for higher bills caused by the excessive “gold-plating” of electricity networks and the value of energy assets should be written down, according to a report out today.

The Grattan Institute blames “poor decisions” by governments in New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania for driving unnecessary investment in power networks, which has ultimately left consumers footing the bill.

In the Down to The Wire report, the Grattan Institute estimates consumers in those three states are being slugged between $100 and $400 more a year as investment outstripped population growth and demand.

“Consumers connected to the National Electricity Market are paying for a power grid that grew from around $50 billion in 2005 to $90 billion today,” the report said.

“The expenditure significantly outstripped growth in population, demand and even peak demand.

“There have been some improvement in reliability of supply but not enough to justify the expenditure involved.

Grattan report says consumers are footing the bill for unnecessary investment in power networks.

“Taking our recommended approach would rectify mistakes of the past and ensure a more efficient grid in the future.”

The report recommended that state governments should fix the problem and that where energy businesses are still public, their assets should be written down.

In the case of NSW with the sale of Ausgrid, the report said the State Government should provide a rebate “to compensate consumers for historic over-investment”.

The over-investment in energy infrastructure — or “poles and wires” — comes as the Federal Government pressures the energy industry to deliver relief to consumers and businesses reeling from surging energy prices.

State governments have pumped billions of dollars into electricity infrastructure to ensure reliability amid growing industry concerns that an “energy catastrophe” might force energy intensive businesses offshore.

The report warned that the over-investment in current energy technology might see some infrastructure becoming irrelevant for future needs.

“Some assets built for a previous era will become further under-utilised or ‘stranded’. Assets being planned today could suffer the same fate,” the report said.

Energy consumer groups, economists such as Ross Garnaut and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims have previously pointed the finger at the “gold-plating” and over-investment in the power grid for contributing to surging prices.

Originally Published by ABC News, continue reading here.