Publications

The Value of Storage in Electricity Generation: A Qualitative and Quantitative Review

Science Direct

Electricity storage (ES) is a technology that can complement variable renewable generation in the widely sought low-carbon future. Given the several unique features of ES, it is important for utilities, investors, and regulators to understand how ES evaluation is conducted…

Amro Elshurafa

The Value of Storage in Electricity Generation: A Qualitative and Quantitative Review

Amro Elshurafa

Electricity storage technology has many useful applications in the energy sector and can complement variable renewable power generation to achieve a low-carbon future. For policymakers, utilities, and investors, effective decisions in this context require an understanding of how to determine the monetary value of storage.

Elshurafa, Amro

Trends in Global Solar PV Installation

Amro Elshurafa

Dozens of governments around the world have supported, and still support, renewable energy technology deployment, including solar photovoltaics (PV). This has been driven by their ambitions to be energy independent, meet carbon emissions reduction targets, and contribute to their domestic…

Elshurafa, Amro

Electric Vehicle Deployment and Carbon Emissions in Saudi Arabia: A Power System Perspective

Science Direct

Although battery electric vehicles (EVs) are emission-free at the tailpipe, the energy mix that provides electricity to charge EVs is generally not. Ideally, it is desired to charge EVs from a low- or no-carbon energy source to ensure that the…

Nawaz Peerbocus, Amro Elshurafa

Demystifying Policy Support Mechanisms for Distributed Solar Photovoltaic Systems

Amro Elshurafa

Solar photovoltaic (PV) distributed generation (DG) systems are installed for residential, commercial, and industrial use. PV DG systems in the residential sector typically have capacities below 20 kilowatts (kW). However, commercial and industrial PV DG systems can have capacities of…

Elshurafa, Amro

The Impact of High Temperatures on Battery Performance in Solar-PV Systems With Storage

Amro Elshurafa, Mohammad Aldubyan

The World Bank estimates that nearly 1 billion people globally have no grid electricity access. Diesel generators are the default source of energy for locations lacking access to the grid. The falling costs of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation and battery…

Elshurafa, Amro

Aldubyan, Mohammad

The Potential for Distributed Solar PV Systems in Riyadh

Amro Elshurafa, Abdelrahman Muhsen

The country’s regulator, the Electricity and Co-Generation Regulatory Authority (ECRA) has also released provisional bylaws that will govern how distributed generation (DG) would be compensated within the Kingdom. Many governmental organizations mandated to support local industries and energy efficiency measures…

Elshurafa, Amro

Muhsen, Abdelrahman

Electric Vehicle Deployment and Carbon Emissions in Saudi Arabia: A Power System Perspective

Amro Elshurafa, Nawaz Peerbocus

A power system model for Saudi Arabia was built to quantify the carbon emission implications of deploying electric vehicles (EVs) within the Kingdom. The model represented the four operating regions in the Kingdom as segmented by the electricity regulator.

Elshurafa, Amro

Peerbocus, Nawaz

Trends in Global Solar PV Installation

Amro Elshurafa

Dozens of governments around the world have supported, and still support, renewable energy technology deployment, including solar photovoltaics (PV). This has been driven by their ambitions to be energy independent, meet carbon emission reduction targets, and contribute to their domestic…

Elshurafa, Amro

The Potential of Distributed Solar PV Capacity in Riyadh: A GIS-Assisted Study

Abdelrahman Muhsen, Amro Elshurafa

Rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, commonly referred to as distributed generation (DG) solar systems, can play a central role in the energy mix for sustainable cities. As with all forms of power generation, DG carries technical, financial, policy, and market…

Muhsen, Abdelrahman

Elshurafa, Amro

An Improved Understanding of The Balance of System Costs Can Improve The Economics of Solar PV Projects

Amro Elshurafa, Nawaz Peerbocus

Much of the discussion around the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation has focused on the costs of PV modules that convert sunlight to electricity. The overall capital cost of a PV system consists of two components: the cost of…

Elshurafa, Amro

Peerbocus, Nawaz

Solar PV on mosque rooftops: Results from a pilot study in Saudi Arabia

Science Direct

Amro Elshurafa, Abdullah Alsubaie, Ayman Alabduljabbar, Shafi Al-Hsaien

Techno-Economics of Solar PV on Mosque Rooftops: Results from a Pilot Study in Saudi Arabia

Amro Elshurafa, Abdullah Alsubaie, Ayman Alabduljabbar, Shafi Al-Hsaien

There are an estimated 3.5 million mosques worldwide. The relatively large surface area of most mosque rooftops and their ubiquity in the Muslim world make them excellent candidates for solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. Muslims congregate for prayers at mosques five…

Elshurafa, Amro

Alsubaie, Abdullah

Ayman Alabduljabbar

Al-Hsaien, Shafi

The Upper Limit of Distributed Solar PV Capacity in Riyadh: A GIS-Assisted Study

MDPI

Rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, commonly referred to as distributed generation (DG) solar systems, are deemed important contenders in future sustainable cities. Because deploying DG systems is associated with technical, financial, policy, and market implications that impact utilities, governments, and…

Amro Elshurafa, Abdelrahman Muhsen

State-of-Charge Effects on Standalone Solar-Storage Systems in Hot Climates: A Case Study in Saudi Arabia

MDPI

In this paper, we quantify the economic and environmental implications of operating a standalone photovoltaic-battery system (PVB) while varying the battery’s minimum allowable state of charge (MSOC), the load profile, and simultaneously incorporating ambient temperature effects in hot climates. To…

Amro Elshurafa, Mohammad Aldubyan

Blind Spots in Energy Transition Policy: Case Studies From Germany and USA

Science Direct

Energy transitions aim at economic prosperity through ‘green-collar’ job-creation, greater energy ‘independence’, and/or reduced emissions. These objectives imply creating policy-supported national renewable technology industries, ideally reducing clean energy costs to a point where support becomes unnecessary.

Amro Elshurafa, David Hobbs, Hind Farang

The Economics of Renewable Energy in the Gulf

Hisham Akhonbay, Imtenan Al-Mubarak, Sylvain Côté, Amro Elshurafa, Walid Matar, Shreekar Pradhan, David Wogan, Lama Yaseen

The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) has been at the epicenter of global energy markets because of its substantial endowment of hydrocarbons. Yet countries in the region have also stated their intent to be global…

Akhonbay, Hisham

Al-Mubarak, Imtenan

Côté, Sylvain

Elshurafa, Amro

Matar, Walid

Pradhan, Shreekar

Wogan, David

Yaseen, Lama

Estimating the learning curve of solar PV balance–of–system for over 20 countries: Implications and policy recommendations

Journal of Cleaner Production

Solar photovoltaic systems installed on homes and commercial building rooftops are deemed central for a low-carbon future. As capital costs of photovoltaics continue to fall, its role towards making buildings more sustainable and environmentally-friendly will continue to grow. Capital costs…

Amro Elshurafa, Shahad Albardi, Simona Bigerna, Carlo Andrea Bollino

Electricity transmission formulations in multi-sector national planning models: An illustration using the KAPSARC energy model

Energy Reports

The purpose of this study is to assess the policy-relevant effects of incorporating a more proper representation of electricity transmission in multi-sector national policy models. This goal is achieved by employing the KAPSARC Energy Model (KEM), which is the first…

Walid Matar, Amro Elshurafa

Electricity Transmission Formulations in Multi-Sector National Planning Models: An illustration using the KAPSARC Energy Model

Walid Matar, Amro Elshurafa

The purpose of this study is to assess policy-relevant effects of incorporating a more proper representation of electricity transmission in multi-sector national policy models. This goal is achieved by employing the KAPSARC Energy Model (KEM), which is the first publicly…

Matar, Walid

Elshurafa, Amro