01 Dec, 2012 |
Sun shines bright on Qatar’s low carbon future
Doha solar panel industry goes into first phase of production next year
Qatar is making the most of its biggest natural resource - sunshine
The Sun is turning out to be one of Qatar’s best business partners. As the country prepares for a future that is not dependent on gas and oil revenues it is planning to generate more power from another natural resource – sunshine.
Solar energy is the big story in Qatar and now the industry is coming. Next year Qatar plans to open a plant in Ras Laffan, just north of Doha, for refining polysilicon, the basic building block of solar panel cells.
The plant, a venture that is 70 percent owned by QSTec, a subsidiary of the Qatar Foundation, will produce 8,000 metric tons of polysilicon every year.
The dark, metallic crystals which will be coming from Ras Laffan could be Qatar’s next “black gold”.
To make solar panels, polysilicon is melted into an ingot, then sliced into micro-thin wafers, then assembled into cells which are laid into the blueish-black panels that have become symbols of alternative energy. While Qatar is gearing up to produce this first component in the process, it hopes eventually to set up a complete solar panel production capability.
“Our plans are to move along the value chain, making ingots, wafers, cells, and modules here in Qatar,” said a representative of QSTec.
Demand for solar panels has risen at a nearly exponential rate since the technology’s introduction, and after a temporary downturn due to budget crises in European countries, it is set to pick up again to meet the needs of large developing countries such as China and India.
Qatar’s future solar industry could also find a growing market for its wares at home. Enormous reserves of oil and gas have made these industries a natural fit for Qatar. But the nation’s geography doesn’t necessarily mean it is bound to be dependent on hydrocarbons – in fact, in some ways it is ideally positioned to derive its energy from the sun. Nearly perpetually sunny skies over Qatar’s unobstructed desert could be a potent source of energy.
The efficiency of solar energy in a given location is measured by “payback time” that is, the time it takes for a solar panel to produce the same amount of energy that went into its construction. According to an expert at QSTec, the abundance of solar radiation in the Middle East means that payback time for a solar panel in the region is less than a year. With the lifespan of a solar panel at 25-30 years, the potential dividends from solar energy are enormous.
In addition, peak demand for energy in the Gulf comes in the middle of the day, which, as it turns out, is the peak time of supply for energy coming from the high noon sun.
All of this fits into Qatar’s plans to make portions of the country fully reliant on solar energy. New buildings are being planned that will rely on solar energy: The Qatar National Food Security Program says it is looking into transitioning to solar power for Qatar’s water desalination; the air conditioning for the stadiums being built for Qatar’s 2022 World Cup will be solar powered; and the Qatar National Convention Centre, where COP18/CMP8 is taking place, already derives a portion of its power from solar cells. As a whole, the country hopes to receive 20% of its energy from the sun in coming years.
According to Dr Khalid Klefeekh Al Hajri, Chairman and CEO of QSTec, "Solar energy is definitely emerging in Qatar and is the key to providing a sustainable alternative source of energy while conserving and protecting the country’s natural resources for the future.”
Polykristallines Silizium, Rohstoff für Solarzellen

 Katar, das kleine Land am Persischen Golf, will im kommenden Jahr mit der Produktion von Solarzellen beginnen. Bereits am 29. Mai 2012 hatte Qatar Solar Technologies eine Vereinbarung zur Finanzierung einer Solarfabrik unterzeichnet. Die Kosten werden auf etwa eine Milliarde US-Dollar (798 Millionen Euro) geschätzt. 

Es sollen polykristalline Solarzellen hergestellt werden. Das sind Siliziumscheiben, die nicht überall die gleiche Kristallorientierung aufweisen. Sie können z. B. durch ein verhältnismäßig einfaches Schmelz- und Gießverfahren gewonnen werden, der Kristallisationsprozess braucht weniger Zeit, und es können dabei gebrauchte Zellen wiederverwendet werden. Dadurch ist die Produktion preiswerter als bei anderen Verfahren.

Silizium ist das zweithäufigste chemische Element auf der Erde und steht praktisch unbegrenzt zur Verfügung. Der Großteil der Sandvorkommen besteht aus Siliciumdioxid SiO2. Das Herstellungsverfahren von hochreinem Solarsilizium erfordert jedoch wesentlich mehr Energie als z.B. die Herstellung von Aluminium.

Katar hat nach Russland und Iran mit einem Anteil von 14 Prozent die weltweit drittgrößten Erdgasreserven. Etwa 60 Prozent des Bruttoinlandsprodukts werden bisher noch mit den fossilen Naturschätzen Gas und Erdöl erwirtschaftet. 

Im Jahr 2014 will das arabische Emirat 20 Prozent seines Energiebedarf aus erneuerbaren Energien decken und sieht die Ankündigung zum Produktionsbeginn der Solarfabrik nicht nur als ersten Schritt zum Aufbau einer eigenen Solarindustrie, sondern auch als wichtiges Zeichen im Rahmen der UN-Klimakonferenz, die vor wenigen Tagen in der Hauptstadt Doha begonnen hat.





Die Wüste in Katar - unter anderem hier liegt das kostenlose Ausgangsmaterial für Silizium


Solarmodule zur Erzeugung elektrischen Stroms sind in Ländern nahe dem Äquator besonders effektiv