KUWAIT: Director General of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) Adnan Shihab-Eldin (center) attends a preparatory meeting for the 6th Middle East and North Africa Renewable Energy Conference. —Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: Kuwait is planning to boost production of electricity on house roofs through model pilot projects in 150 homes, to be increased to 1,500 in a later stage after 2018, Director General of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) Adnan Shihab-Eldin has said. According to the plans, the cost of a kilowatt of electricity produced through solar energy is 20 fils (65 cent), Shihab-Eldin told reporters as part of the final arrangements for the 6th Middle East and North Africa Renewable Energy Conference (MENAREC-6) that opened yesterday evening. It is very competitive, compared to the cost of a kilowatt of traditional electricity produced through fossil fuels, 30 to 40 fils.

Kuwait, in cooperation with Germany, established the first solar power plant in the region in 1984, with one megawatt capacity, he said. Shihab-Eldin pointed to the various renewable energy projects launched by the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) such as the 70 MW Shagaya complex. He suggested that the government directs part of power subsidy to renewable energy, to raise its share of Kuwait’s production of electricity to 15 percent, a target set for 2030.

Remarkable change

Meanwhile, Director-General International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Adnan Amin said that the world has witnessed a remarkable change in the alternative power systems over the past three years. He stressed the necessity of paying more attention to alternative energy amid the various crises the world is suffering.

According to Amin, solar power is the cheapest among sources of renewable energy, especially in the Middle East region, in addition to wind power in Egypt and Morocco. Amin said that the world’s renewable energy has grown by 17 percent over the past period, and “we believe it will double to 34 percent by 2030.” — KUNA