Kingdom of Energy

Clean hydrogen is estimated to become a trillion-dollar commodity market over the next three decades or so. It may be the most cost-effective means for Saudi Arabia's energy transition.   Dr. Amro Elshurafa speaks to Dr. Jan Frederik Braun who shed light on the hydrogen economy's opportunities and challenges in Saudi Arabia as well as […]

Severe weather is a frequent cause of large-scale blackouts. In this episode, Dr. Amro Elshurafa, a research fellow at KAPSARC, has an in-depth discussion with Dr. Frank Felder about what happened in Texas and its relation to renewables, and even market liberalization. They also discuss the notion of lessening the frequency and severity of such […]

Podcast script:   Shale oil is another name for the more technical term: light tight oil (LTO). It is characterized by being sweet due to its low sulfur content of 0.2%, and light for being less viscous with average API gravity between 35o and 55o API. It exists in many geological formations around the world, […]

Podcast script:   The world is witnessing a growing demand for electricity. This has fueled a move toward renewable and cleaner energy sources, as many experts anticipate that over 70% of the needed global system capacity will come from solar and wind energy by 2050. The rapid growth of renewables is driven by the increasing […]

Podcast script:   Saudi Arabia is committed to transitioning to a cleaner and more sustainable energy system, which is an essential input into most industrial sectors’ production processes, and is required for export diversification and import substitution strategies. Saudi Arabia has already made significant strides under Vision 2030 in terms of diversifying energy sources and […]

Podcast script:   The dominant views of energy security usually revolve around the security of physical supply and its price affordability, which is an importer-centric view and ignores the perspective of the energy exporters in the energy security domain. Energy exporters face some specific challenges, such as global and regional macroeconomic concerns, global market instability, […]

Podcast script:   Reforming the structure of the power industry proved to be the most challenging aspect of the roadmap to reach a competitive electricity market. The industry comprises three distinct power sectors that work together to get electricity to the end-user, which are: power generation, transmission, and distribution. All of these sectors were monopolized […]

Podcast script:   Gas is considered as the ideal fuel in the transition toward clean, sustainable, and affordable energy access. Many countries are increasingly integrating it in their energy mix to generate power as an alternative to the dirty and expensive liquid fuels. Also, a growing number of industries are becoming dependent on natural gas […]

Saudi Arabia’s electric power industry is the largest in the Gulf region. The country’s electricity peak demand in 2007 was 35 GW, and almost doubled in size to reach 61.7 GW in 2017. That means an average growth rate of 5.31% annually. By 2030, it is expected to double again to reach a peak demand […]

The adoption of solar energy technologies has recently gained considerable global momentum as an alternative option to generate electricity. It can be centrally generated by utilities in large solar power stations, or generated in a decentralized fashion by small, photovoltaic distributed generation systems that are near the end consumer, and can be installed for residential, […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has led many countries to implement strict restrictions that have not been seen since the Second World War. This caused an interruption of economic and social activities at an accelerating pace, as many governments imposed a ban on international and domestic flights, partial or full movement restriction, suspended some services, and closed schools, factories, and shops.   In these dire circumstances, […]

In 2010, Saudi Aramco launched its Accelerated Transformation Plan, which aims to extend the company’s E&P and downstream activities into new frontiers, and promote the production of unconventional natural gas resources in tight sands and shale formations. Currently, Saudi Arabia has over 600 trillion cubic feet of unconventional gas resources, half of which are technically recoverable. […]

The crisis of providing usable water is a major challenge for the future of all mankind, as the percentage of fresh water out of the total water on the Earth’s surface is only half a percent, which deprives a third of the world’s population of access to clean water today, whether due to the actual […]

KAPSARC’s Hamid Al Sadoon and Colin Ward walk us through the latest findings from Q2 KAPSARC Oil Market Outlook (KOMO), where they discuss key issues for the oil market in 2020 and 2021, in addition to factors influencing price, and analyses of supply and demand in the oil markets through the forecast period.

The United Nations International Panel on Climate Change reports have highlighted that  “Rapid and far-reaching transitions in energy, land, urban and infrastructure including transport and buildings and industrial systems is needed to achieve climate goals”. Global emissions would need to be carbon neutral or net-zero by 2050 to stabilize global warming at the target level […]

KAPSARC’s Colin Ward and Hamid Al Sadoon walk us through the latest findings from the upcoming quarterly KAPSARC Oil Market Outlook (KOMO) to be released at the end of January. Among other factors they discuss oil market fundamentals, geopolitics, and possible associated risk factors through the forecast period.

Mark Finley, a fellow at the Center for Energy Studies at the Baker Institute, and visiting KAPSARC researcher discusses the future of energy security with KAPSARC’s director of Markets and Industrial development.

Thermal comfort is a universal necessity to achieve and sustain high levels of productivity in any society, especially in areas with extreme weathers. In this episode, Simon Pearson and Scott Milne from Energy Systems Catapult, an energy non-profit based in the UK, discuss new heating technologies and services in the consumer sector.

A third of the population of the world is affected by water scarcity. Countries with dry climates, such as Saudi Arabia and other GCC member states, consume a lot of energy to desalinate water in order to keep up with the demand. Dr. Nourah Mansouri, Senior Research Associate in the Energy Transitions and Electric Power […]

Dr. Amro Elshurafa, a research fellow at KAPSARC, discusses current trends in renewables, with a particular emphasis on solar PV. In this episode, our guest examines factors that contribute to the fast uptake of solar PV technologies globally and regionally.

KAPSARC president Adam Sieminski inaugurates Kingdom of Energy, KAPSARC’s official podcast, by taking the audience on a guided tour around KAPSARC’s mission and vision.