(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Sanaullah Ataullah |The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: To boost the renewable energy sector to enhance sustainability and use of clean energy, Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) is working to promote the use of solar power in the country by introducing incentives for a renewable energy programme.
The initiative aims to provide accredited solar panels and inverters in the local market enabling consumers to install them at their facilities to use and feed surplus power to the grid.
The programme is in line with Qatar National Renewable Energy Strategy (QNRES) which aims at increasing renewable power generation to about 4 GW by 2030 to cut carbon footprint.
“Now we are in phase 1 of the project. We have started accrediting solar panels and inverters from distributors and manufacturers,” said Director of Production Planning and Business Development, Kahramaa Eng. Abdul Rahman Al Baker.
Speaking on a Qatar TV programme recently, he said that Kahramaa will open registration for prosumers to apply for net-billing to sell their surplus power.
“The accreditation work began in December 2023. We want to have a list of authorized distributors and manufacturers of solar panels and inverters under this initiative,” said Al Baker. He said that all types of customers can benefit from the service.
“Under the renewable energy programme, we want to open a market for renewable energy by increasing the number of distributors and manufacturers,” said Al Baker. He said that the move will help reduce the electricity bills of consumers and create awareness among them to participate in the initiative.
“Now we have a clear strategy and policy for installing solar power systems at facilities including factories and farms,” said Al Baker.“QNRES aims at reducing carbon footprint by diversifying energy sources. Through the strategy, we decided to increase renewable energy to 4 GW, constituting 18% of the general electricity production in the country,” said Al Baker.
He said that at present 95% of the electricity in the country is produced through thermal units, that is, gas-powered. In 2022, Al Kharsaah solar power plant was launched and it produces about 700 megawatts, which constitutes 5% of the general production of the energy mix in the country.
In preparation for the launch of the distributed renewable energy programme, Kahramaa recently announced the start of receiving applications for accredited solar panels and inverters from distributors and manufacturers.
QNRES will implement net-billing for distributed renewable energy generation that enables prosumers to sell surplus power generated to the grid at a fixed price.
A bi-directional meter on the customer's premise measures electricity consumed and surplus exported to the grid, and Kahramaa credits the consumer account for surplus to offset future consumption.
This will result in lower electricity bills and encourage investments in solar PV.
MENAFN05052024000063011010ID1108174322
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.