A dark geometric sprawl breaks up an expanse of ocher-hued sand in Saudi Arabia. Close up, the structure is made up of row after row of solar panels, glimmering in the intense sun as it beats down on this scrubby, arid land about 60 miles south of the city of Jeddah.
Al Shuaibah 2 is Saudi Arabia’s largest solar farm, with a capacity of more than 2 gigawatts, enough to power around 350,000 homes. But it won’t keep its crown for long. Even larger installations are already in development as mega solar farms proliferate across the country’s desert lands.
“There is a solar boom, no one can deny that,” said Nishant Kumar, renewable and power analyst at the research firm Rystad Energy. Saudi Arabia has pledged to generate 50% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and the race is on to meet it.
At first glance, it may seem an unlikely reinvention; this is oil country after all. Saudi Arabia boasts the world’s second-largest oil reserves, is the largest oil exporter and has consistently pushed back against global efforts to move away from fossil fuels. But what’s happening here shows even the planet’s ultimate petrostate is making a bet on clean energy — just as the Trump administration seeks to strangle it.
The pace of Saudi Arabia’s solar boom has been breathtaking.
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