Economic viability of solar energy export from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe and South Asia

Abstract

The Middle East and North Africa can exploit solar energy resources and export them to Europe and South Asia for a sustainable future of the world. A high voltage direct current (HVDC) multi-terminal transmission grid is employed in this research to export solar energy to South Asia from the Middle East and from North Africa to Europe. The 4 GW HVDC multi-terminal transmission line is proposed in the Middle East and North Africa countries of Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. Photovoltaic energy from the furthest point in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is proposed to be exported to east and west to Gwadar, Pakistan, and Alexandroupoli, Greece, respectively. In another route, photovoltaic energy export is analyzed from Riyadh to Gwadar via UAE and Oman, while energy export from Tabuk, Saudi Arabia to Sevilla, Spain via North Africa is analyzed. The energy export from all locations is found to be economically feasible. The most viable route is energy export from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to Alexandroupoli, Greece via Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, and Turkey which achieves an internal rate of return of 19.37% with the net present value of 2561 MUSD for a power purchase agreement of 0.11 USD/kWh. The large-scale PV plants and transmission line strengthen the local grids and provide a photovoltaic energy shifting of 1.5 h between neighboring countries of the Middle East and North Africa and a 7100 km long solar silk road offers reliable photovoltaic energy to customer countries. The project will enhance the Middle East and North Africa countries' technical capability and reduce air pollution.