The Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation “Kahramaa,” recently announced the launch of the Qatar National Renewable Energy Strategy (QNRES).
The Strategy was developed with 22 key energy actors in Qatar and aims to increase and diversify the utilisation of renewable energy sources, specifically solar energy, and integrate them into the energy mix. Indeed, it targets an increase of large-scale renewable power generation to 4 GW by 2030. The QNRES also recommends the installation of distributed solar generation up to around 200 MW by 2030.
It was shared that the recommended power mix will reduce annual CO2 emissions from the power sector by 10 per cent of Qatar’s total and reduce the carbon intensity in Qatar’s annual CO2 intensity by 27 per cent for each unit of electricity produced.
The renewable energy strategy is also expected to reduce the average cost of electricity generation by 15 per cent by 2030.
The Strategy will reportedly combine large-scale renewable energy installations with “high-efficiency” thermal generation powered by natural gas.
Further, QNRES will implement net billing for distributed renewable energy generation, enabling prosumers to sell surplus power generated to the grid at a fixed price.
Kahramaa shared that its role in QNRES includes regulatory oversight, license issuance, compliance monitoring, program execution, stakeholder research and initiative support. It shared that it has begun receiving applications for accredited solar panels and inverters from distributors and manufacturers.