Publications

Achieving Renewable Energy Targets Without Compromising the Power Sector’s Reliability

Amro Elshurafa, Frank Felder, Nezar Alhaidari

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy has set ambitious renewable energy goals. Although the Kingdom’s current energy mix is dominated by conventional energy (>95%), it aims to draw 50% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. Currently, the Kingdom enjoys…

Elshurafa, Amro

Felder, Frank

Nezar Alhaidari

Trends in Global Solar PV Installation in 2020

Amro Elshurafa

Dozens of governments worldwide 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 economies through…

Elshurafa, Amro

Assessing Effects of Renewable Deployment on Emissions in the Saudi Power Sector Until 2040 Using Integer Optimization

Science Direct

Amro Elshurafa, Hatem Al Atawi, Salaheddine Soummane, Frank Felder

Assessing the Role of Renewables in Reducing Emissions in the Saudi Power Sector Using Mixed-Integer Optimization

Amro Elshurafa, Hatem Al Atawi, Salaheddine Soummane, Frank Felder

Renewable energy (RE) technologies are viewed as a critical means of reducing power sector-related emissions. Using mixed-integer optimization, we evaluate the extent to which renewable energy reduces carbon emissions in the Saudi power sector.

Elshurafa, Amro

Al Atawi, Hatem

Soummane, Salaheddine

Felder, Frank

Global Trends in Cloud Computing and Saudi Arabia’s Response

Hatem Al Atawi, Amro Elshurafa

As data centers become operational in the Kingdom, they will be an additional driver of long-term electricity demand. KAPSARC is actively studying these challenges and their implications for the economy by modeling and forecasting electricity demand.

Al Atawi, Hatem

Elshurafa, Amro

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