A new initiative has been launched in Saudi Arabia that is intended to generate electricity and desalinate water.
The solar energy scheme will reduce production costs by an estimated 40 per cent, the Arab News reports the Vice-President of the King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology (KACST), Prince Turki bin Saud bin Muhammad, as claiming.
A sun-powered plant will be built that will serve around 100,000 people using nanoscience techniques developed by KACST and IBM.
"Desalination is our strategic choice to supply adequate amount of drinking water to people across the Kingdom," Saudi Arabian Finance Minister, Ibrahim Al-Assaf, stated, adding: "We want to make the Kingdom a major source of solar energy in the world."
Energy demand in Saudi Arabia is growing and authorities are looking at renewable ways of generating power, such as tapping into the strong sunlight it experiences year round.
The Project Manager at the Tunisian National Agency of Environmental Protection, Mohammed Ben Hussein, recently told the Science and Development Network about a new initiative in the country that is using nanotechnology to enhance the water quality of the Medjerda River.
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