Electricity Sector Transitions Cost, Emission, and Macroeconomic Implications of Diesel Displacement in the Saudi Agricultural Sector: Options and Policy Insights Amro Elshurafa, Hatem Al Atawi, Fakhri Hasanov, Frank Felder The Saudi agricultural sector relies on diesel for irrigation, which is provided to farmers at a much lower price than the average global price, implying significant opportunity costs. With the aid of soft-coupled power and macro-econometric models, we assess the… Elshurafa, Amro Al Atawi, Hatem Hasanov, Fakhri Felder, Frank
Electricity Sector Transitions Keeping the Nuclear Energy Option Open Noura Mansouri, Robert J. Budnitz, H-Holger Rogner, Charles McCombie, Robert N. Schock, Adnan Shihab-Eldin Nuclear energy is already playing a crucial role in reducing emissions from electricity generation. However, if this role is not expanded, achieving the international goal of avoiding unacceptable global climate change will be extremely difficult. The evidence presented in this… Mansouri, Noura Robert J. Budnitz H-Holger Rogner Charles McCombie Robert N. Schock Adnan Shihab-Eldin
Electricity Sector Transitions One Year After the Texas Blackout: Lessons for Reliable and Resilient Power Systems Marie Petitet, Frank Felder, Khalid Alhadhrami In February 2021, Texas experienced an extreme cold snap causing a dramatic electricity blackout that left millions of households without electricity, resulting in over 200 fatalities and economic damages of approximately $100 billion. The Texas blackout has been used to… Marie Petitet Felder, Frank Khalid Alhadhrami
Electricity Sector Transitions Investing in Net-Zero Emission Ambitions: Global ESG Frameworks and CCUS Projects Fatih Yılmaz, Adam Sieminski Achieving global net zero emission (NZE) goals necessitates trillions of US$ of annual investment in various mitigation technologies. While a significant portion of this investment is expected to take place in mainstream mitigation technologies (e.g., renewable energy), low carbon technologies… Yılmaz, Fatih Adam Sieminski
Electricity Sector Transitions Policy Responses to the Reliability Crisis in the Power Grid Frank Felder From China, Europe, Central Asia, India and to the United States, there is a reliability crisis in electric power grids. Why are power grids so brittle and what should policymakers do? Felder, Frank
Electricity Sector Transitions The Implications for the Power Sector from Innovation by Startup Companies Rolando Fuentes, Dongmei Chen We compiled a multi-regional database of 320 startups from 36 countries whose focus is on new technologies in the electricity sector. To reach this number, we performed internet searches with neutral key words such as ‘startups,’ ‘electricity,’ ‘innovation,’ and avoided… Fuentes, Rolando Chen, Dongmei
Electricity Sector Transitions Understanding the Dynamics of Renewable Energy Transition: Country Performance and Potential Fatih Yılmaz Renewable energy (RE) is a vital stream of the global energy transition toward sustainable alternatives. Various mitigation strategies, such as enhancing energy efficiency, utilizing fuel switching, deploying nuclear power and adopting carbon capture, have been developed. Of these, RE has… Yılmaz, Fatih
Electricity Sector Transitions Understanding the Dynamics of the Renewable Energy Transition: The Determinants and Future Projections Under Different Scenarios Fatih Yılmaz The global energy system’s current structure has severe environmental consequences that necessitate an urgent transformation toward more sustainable alternatives. Besides many available mitigation actions, such as enhancing energy efficiency, deploying nuclear energy, switching fuels and adopting carbon capture technologies, renewable… Yılmaz, Fatih
Electricity Sector Transitions Cross-seasonal Fuel Savings from Load Shifting in the Saudi Industrial Sector Salaheddine Soummane, Amro Elshurafa, Hatem Al Atawi, Frank Felder Load shifting, that is, moving demand from peak to off-peak hours, is an important type of demand response. It can reduce the overall operating costs of a power system and improve the reliability of the power grid. This study estimates… Soummane, Salaheddine Elshurafa, Amro Al Atawi, Hatem Felder, Frank
Electricity Sector Transitions 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
Electricity Sector Transitions Understanding the Dynamics of the Renewable Energy Transition: A Determinant Index Approach Fatih Yılmaz Renewable energy is a key component of global energy transitions. To better identify its dynamics, this study constructs a composite index to measure countries’ renewable energy transition potential. Based on two decades of academic research, we identify 45 main enabling… Yılmaz, Fatih
Electricity Sector Transitions Renewables, Reliability and Efficiency in Electricity Markets Frank Felder, Marie Petitet The choice to use electricity markets to transition to an ultra-high renewable electricity sector depends on whether a high level of reliability and efficiency can be achieved. This study presents a reliability, resiliency and adaptability policy framework for a liberalized… Felder, Frank Marie Petitet
Electricity Sector Transitions Will COP26 Recognize a Role for Nuclear Energy in the Clean Energy Mix? Noura Mansouri, Adnan Shihab-Eldin Next month, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), hosted by the United Kingdom, will discuss the big challenge facing the world’s governments, which is how to limit the average rise in global temperatures above pre-industrial levels to below… Mansouri, Noura Adnan Shihab-Eldin
Electricity Sector Transitions Future Trends in Electricity Demand in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Region Long-term electricity demand projections are fundamental for power generation expansion planning and for broader energy policy formulation. Studies show that electricity demand in Saudi Arabia and the GCC region has been growing rapidly over the past decades. This growth has…
Electricity Sector Transitions How Can Energy Storage Catalyze the Electricity Policies of Gulf Cooperation Council Members? Issues and Options Rolando Fuentes, Shahid Hasan, Frank Felder Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members are working in parallel to reform their electricity markets and achieve ambitious renewable energy deployment goals. The motivation for this agenda is multifaceted, and increasing economic efficiency is one of several… Fuentes, Rolando Hasan, Shahid Felder, Frank
Electricity Sector Transitions Projecting Saudi Sectoral Electricity Demand in 2030 Using a Computable General Equilibrium Model Salaheddine Soummane, Frédéric Ghersi Projecting future demand for electricity is central to power sector planning, as these projections inform capacity investment requirements and related infrastructure expansions. Electricity is not currently economically storable in large volumes. Thus, the underlying drivers of electricity demand and potential… Soummane, Salaheddine Frédéric Ghersi
Electricity Sector Transitions Climate and Power System Reliability in the Aftermath of the Texas Blackouts Marie Petitet, Burcin Unel, Rolando Fuentes, Frank Felder The February 2021 blackout in Texas underscored the importance of reliable and resilient power systems. In this commentary, we discuss the roles of regulators, markets, fuel and generation supply chains, and interdependent infrastructures, and finds that they need to be… Marie Petitet Burcin Unel Fuentes, Rolando Felder, Frank
Electricity Sector Transitions If Renewable Energy is Getting Cheaper, Why Are Electricity Prices Increasing? Salaheddine Soummane In this commentary, we discuss the impact of renewable energy penetration on end-user electricity prices driven by the observed development in European countries since 2000. We conclude with a discussion on how Saudi Arabia is benefiting from its development of… Soummane, Salaheddine
Electricity Sector Transitions 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
Electricity Sector Transitions Overview of Saudi Electricity Demand (1970–2018) Salaheddine Soummane Saudi Arabia’s demand for electricity is undergoing unprecedented changes. In recent years, the government has implemented several efficiency measures and pricing reforms to curb demand growth. These measures started delivering concrete results in 2016. After decades of rapid growth, the… Soummane, Salaheddine