Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted Strategic Analysis of a Low-Carbon and Cost-Effective Power System in Saudi Arabia by 2030(University of Cambridge, 2025) Albanmi, Faisal; Smail, FionaSaudi Arabia is undergoing transformative changes in its power sector as part of its broader Vision 2030 agenda, presenting a unique opportunity to reshape its energy landscape. With a national target of achieving 50% electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030, the Kingdom is not only rethinking its energy mix but also actively investing in innovations that support decarbonization and long-term cost-effectiveness. These shifts open up strategic opportunities to design a modern power system that aligns with both national ambitions and global climate responsibilities. This dissertation presents a comprehensive strategic analysis of Saudi Arabia’s pathway to a low-carbon and economically viable power grid by 2030. It begins with an in-depth review of the Kingdom’s power sector development, historical emissions, and policy targets under Vision 2030. The study then explores the country’s renewable energy potential, focusing on solar and wind resources, while also assessing the role of emerging low-carbon technologies, such as hydrogen, carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), and large-scale energy storage systems. To evaluate system performance and identify the most viable future grid configurations, the project employs PyPSA (Python for Power System Analysis), an open-source modelling framework, to simulate generation scenarios, optimize the energy mix, and analyse trade-offs between cost and emissions. Through this modelling effort, the study estimates the Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE) across technologies and assesses the overall system’s carbon impact, offering insights into the most strategic and practical pathways forward. Ultimately, this work aims to provide actionable guidance for policymakers and stakeholders on how to structure Saudi Arabia’s future power system in a way that balances energy security, affordability, and sustainability.29 0Item Restricted Planning Saudi Arabia’s Energy Transition for 2060 with PyPSA(University of Edinburgh, 2022-08) Algarei, Anas; Parzen, MaximilianPlans for energy transition are more critical than ever as the impacts of climate change intensify. Saudi Arabia is making significant efforts to reduce its emissions in contribution to the global efforts to tackle climate change through its projects Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI), where net zero target has been set for 2060. The work in this dissertation is the first attempt to forecast Saudi Arabia's net zero energy system in the year 2060. The PyPSA-Africa package, which is a derivative of PyPSA, was used to construct a variety of models for the energy system. The models built in this study consist of a base model for validation, a model for 2030 as a comparison to the Vision and a transitional period, and two models for 2060 net zero, one of which is fully renewable energy while the other incorporates direct air capture (DAC) technology. Based on the generation mix, storage capacity, network expansion, hourly dispatch, curtailment, and costs, the models were assessed, and recommendations for the energy system in 2060 were provided. A spatial resolution of 30 clusters with an hourly timestep were considered. Weather data were obtained for the full year of 2013. The findings indicate that the 2030 model has a high penetration of wind energy, mostly to satisfy nighttime demand, whereas solar energy represents around a quarter of the generation mix. In contrast, battery storage is more cost effective for meeting 2060’s nighttime demand, allowing solar energy to be the predominant type of generation. The implementation of DAC technology can reduce the necessary total generation capacity by about a quarter, making it more economically beneficial than the fully renewable option, with an estimated average marginal price of 0.185 SAR/kWh. Hydrogen storage did not appear to be feasible for these models. However, A significant curtailment was noticed, which may be an opportunity for exporting electricity or producing hydrogen. The recommendations in this thesis can aid in developing policies for the country’s net zero target.103 0