Vision Electro Mechanical Co is the company who contracted the project. The power plant will be built in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia in the province of Mecca, but it’s not specified what type of plant it will be.
Vision declared: “The solar power field is designed to work under the highest temperatures to commensurate with the atmosphere of the Gulf region, and will keep track of the movement of the sun throughout the day to achieve the maximum potential use of solar energy.”
With oil prices around $80 per barrel, the king of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, stated that there is a plan to increase the use of energy from renewable sources. Saudi Arabia is a country covered by sand for more than 1 million square kilometers and provides plenty of space for solar power plants.
The new power plant is the result of Saudi Arabia’s quest for renewable energy which led in April, this year, to a new establishment called King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy.
The Saudis aren’t at their first attempt to build cities specifically for being green, or at least for posing in such a position. The oil dependence they create for others leads them, surely but safely into engaging in similar activities with European and American companies. Still, money well invested in greenifying already existing locations would be much more appreciated than building elite, model cities that the world will watch as a far dream, rather than a close accomplishment.
[Source: GreenProphet]
