Alhadhrami, Khalid

  • Primary Program Utilities & Renewables
  • Research Interests Energy Modeling, Electric Power Systems, Renewable Energy

Biography

Khalid is an analyst in the Utilities and Renewables program at KAPSARC. He is an electrical power and machines engineer with a bachelor’s degree from the Department of Electrical Engineering at King Abdulaziz University. His work at KAPSARC has focused on renewables, energy modeling, and the electric power systems field.

Publications

See all Khalid’s publications
  • Discussion papers
  • Methodology paper
  • Data Insight
  • Conference paper
  • KAPSARC journal articles
Are There Adequate Materials and Land Resources for the Saudi Power Sector to Achieve Net Zero by 2060?

Are There Adequate Materials and Land Resources for the Saudi Power Sector to Achieve Net Zero by 2060?

Saudi Arabia has committed to net-zero (NZ) greenhouse gas emissions by 2060. This requires substantial emission reductions across key sectors, including the power generation sector. We assess the technological options, critical mineral requirements, renewable energy resource requirements, and costs associated with transforming the Saudi power sector to NZ by 2060. We incorporate global critical mineral constraints scaled down to Saudi Arabia, country land use, and renewable energy resource limitations.

27th April 2025
Saudi Arabia Net Zero GHG Emissions by 2060: Transformation of the Electricity Sector

Saudi Arabia Net Zero GHG Emissions by 2060: Transformation of the Electricity Sector

Under its Vision 2030 targets, Saudi Arabia is working to steer the nation toward a sustainable future. The Kingdom has recently amplified its sustainability goals, announcing its intention to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2060. As part of this renewed commitment, Saudi Arabia aims to have 50% of its electricity capacity from renewable sources by 2030. This pledge reflects the country’s strategic move toward a greener and more sustainable energy landscape.

5th December 2023
Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Deployment of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage Pathways (BECCS) Globally

Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Deployment of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage Pathways (BECCS) Globally

Countries are exploring various options to achieve net-zero emissions, including bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), which is the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) from processes that utilize bioenergy to produce heat, electricity or biofuels. However, this technology faces sustainability concerns, an unclear public perception and has complex value chains for its emissions. Adding to this complexity, the literature presents two opposing views regarding the potential of BECCS to achieve negative emissions. This paper analyzes in detail a wide range of BECCS pathways in terms of their ability to achieve negative emissions and their associated costs. Out of the seven assessed pathways, our analysis shows that the corn-to-ethanol and biomethane-production-from-maize BECCS pathways in the U.S., along with biomethane production from wet manure in Europe and baling of straw pellets with trans-Atlantic shipment, can achieve negative emissions at a cost of 50, 108, 159 and 232 dollars per ton of CO2 ($/tCO2), respectively. Other technologies, such as poplar pellets, forest residue and agricultural residue with trans-Atlantic shipments, are not able to achieve negative emissions. 

20th November 2023
One Year After the Texas Blackout: Lessons for Reliable and Resilient Power Systems

One Year After the Texas Blackout: Lessons for Reliable and Resilient Power Systems

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 support a variety of claims regarding renewable energy, electricity markets and climate change. We identify the blackout’s drivers and what has been learned since then. These lessons apply to power systems worldwide, including those of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the broader Middle East and North Africa region.

14th June 2022
Distribution Hosting Capacity Tool

Distribution Hosting Capacity Tool

Distributed energy resources (DERs) are a critical component of strategies to decarbonize the electricity sector. As the costs of solar panels and electric vehicles decline, distribution systems will host an increasing number of DERs. Successful implementation requires determining the quantity and types of DERs that can be safely and reliably installed at a particular location within a distribution system. We present a tool that calculates the quantity of DERs that a distribution system can handle with no upgrades. This tool can also help assess the upgrades that can be installed in the network to host more DERs.

14th May 2023
Reliability Implications of Unexpected Tripping of Inverter-Based Resources

Reliability Implications of Unexpected Tripping of Inverter-Based Resources

A recent KAPSARC Instant Insight examined the reliability crisis in electric power grids, and proposed policy measures that can mitigate these risks (Felder 2022). The specific causes for these severe outages and blackouts differ, but the causes of greatest concern are those that result in multiple failures of grid facilities. In 2022, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) examined the increasing risks to the grids in the United States (U.S.), in particular hazards to the North American bulk power system (BPS). NERC highlighted a special concern related to the increased deployment of inverter-based resources: the unexpected tripping of solar PV resources that could incapacitate large amounts of generation, resulting in reliability challenges. This issue is particularly important to Saudi Arabia as it pursues the deployment of widespread, large-scale solar power plants.

10th October 2022
One Year After the Texas Blackout: Lessons for Reliable and Resilient Power Systems

One Year After the Texas Blackout: Lessons for Reliable and Resilient Power Systems

In February 2021, Texas experienced an extreme cold snap causing a dramatic electricity blackout that left millions of households without electricity, resulting in over two hundred fatalities and economic damages of approximately $100 billion. The Texas blackout has been used to support a variety of claims regarding renewable energy, electricity markets and climate change. We identify the blackout’s drivers and what has been learned since then. These lessons apply to power systems worldwide, including those of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the broader Middle East and North Africa region.   Read more here

10th August 2023

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