Yusuf bin Ahmed Kanoo Company (YBA Kanoo), one of the largest family-owned conglomerates in the Gulf, has announced the opening of a 60kW solar power plant at its facility in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The power plant, built with the latest Korean renewable technology provided by Korea Nuclear Engineering Services Corporation (Kones) and its affiliates, is aimed at providing green energy to its facility, said the company in a statement.

The plant was inaugurated in the presence of South Korea’s Consul to Saudi Arabia Nakyoung Oh and Group deputy chairman Sheikh Khalid Bin Mohammed Kanoo.

Ahmed Fawzi, Kanoo area manager for Western Province was also there along with the other officials during the ceremony held at YBA Kanoo premises in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Speaking at the launch, Kanoo said the project consists of 228 high efficiency mono crystalline silicon photo voltaic modules which are inclined at 15 degrees and oriented to the South, said a statement from the company.

"The output of the solar panel is connected to an inverter which converts the DC current generated by the sun into AC current which is used to supply the building," he explained.

"A transformer and a state-of-the-art controller ensures that the system remains synchronized with the supply from the grid. The system produces between 300 and 400 KWH per day and includes a weather monitoring system which continuously measures the solar energy," he added.

According to him, as an additional feature to innovatively save space, solar panels were integrated in the car parking design structure that provides the shade for up to 28 cars. The system was designed in modular form so it can be doubled and trebled as required.

Aside from reduced power cost, the project is part of Yusuf bin Ahmed Kanoo’s policy to promote national energy independence and to decrease carbon emissions which can benefit the environment - a clean, reliable and renewable constant power source, he added.

Established in 1890, the Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Group of Companies operates extensively throughout Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Oman, Yemen and Qatar.-TradeArabia News Service