US solar project developer SolarReserve has announced plans to build a solar energy park in Saudi Arabia that will produce up to 600MW of baseload capacity
The plans by the Santa Monica?based company will be submitted to Saudi Arabian authorities for approval. SolarReserve will try to combine capacity in both CSP and PV at one location, which will include four solar thermal towers with storage and a further 400MW of solar PV.
The combination will allow solar PV to contribute during the daylight hours, with the solar towers working to store most of the energy collected from the sun for use during the evening.
SolarReserve senior vice president of development Tom Georgis said that Saudi Arabia has a baseload profile because of its high temperatures and high humidity, air conditioning and desalination plants that runs for 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Georgis added, ?They need a baseload profile and they don?t want to burn oil. Our technology is the only one that can cater to this particular requirement.?
