From solar energy to helping Saudi farmers improve their livestock, the Kingdom’s young entrepreneurs are contributing in their own way toward the country’s Vision 2030 reform plan with sustainable solutions. One of them, 25-year-old Muhannad Al-Hamed from Riyadh, aims to bring solar products to Saudi households by cheaper and more convenient means.

“I work in the renewable energy industry, and I get a lot of emails and calls from people asking me how to install solar PVs, and how to know if it’s feasible,” Al-Hamed said. “I did some research and found that there isn’t one solution in Saudi Arabia that’s free. You have to hire someone to come to your house to see if it’s feasible, unlike the US, where they have a lot of software solutions, such as Google’s Project Sunroof, and you can determine the feasibility while sitting at home for free.”

His research revealed that solar energy had become a lot cheaper in recent years thanks to its simple design, installation and maintenance. Yet determining its feasibility in Saudi households had not. “So I thought I needed to complete that circle by coming up with a solution where users can determine the feasibility with a high accuracy rate and without having to waste a lot of money,” Al-Hamed said. “I developed software that uses Google Maps to select the location and scan the area. From there, it says how many panels you can install, the capacity, the cost to maintain it, and monthly savings.”

Source Credit: Arab News
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