KUWAIT: "The beginning of the real crisis,” said former consultant to the ministry of electricity and water and renewable energy Salem Al-Ajmi regarding the current electricity crunch in Kuwait. He anticipates the situation will worsen if delays in introducing new solar power plants to the country remain, such as the Shagaya renewable energy project and Kabd waste to energy plant, if existing power stations continue to be suspended for maintenance, and if Kuwait continues approaching power shortages the same way it has for the past two decades.
On June 19, multiple residential areas in Kuwait experienced massive power outages as temperatures soared to 52 degrees Celsius across most of the country. The Ministry of Electricity and Water and Renewable Energy resorted to scheduled power cuts because the power generation plants could not meet the rising demand during peak hours. "The country’s electricity production capacity is unlikely to meet the growing demand in the coming years, particularly with the growth of residential areas,” Ajmi told Kuwait Times. "Probably, the strain on the existing power stations is expected to only escalate.”
Splitting working hours
To address the issue in July and August, Ajmi stressed on the need to reduce electricity overload during peak hours from 11 am to 5 pm by implementing an "electricity demand management” approach. Given that most sectors operate concurrently throughout the day, contributing to these peak hours, Ajmi proposed that institutions, particularly governmental ones (excluding critical sectors like healthcare), adopt a two-shift work schedule for employees.
Under this plan, the day shift would operate from 8 am to 11 am, while the night shift would commence after 5 pm, thereby reducing the over-demand on electricity during the peak hours. Similarly, for commercial sectors such as malls and shopping centers, instead of operating straight from 10 am to 10 pm, he advised the government to let them to start later, from 3 pm to 12 am, noting that providing citizens with incentives is also crucial to guarantee effective results.
Drawing inspiration from Saudi Arabia
As the existing power plants are usually prone to frequent maintenance issues, which affect their functionality, Ajmi suggested the need for managing the quality standards of the country’s power sources before installing them to reduce the rate of failure and increase the lifetime of power stations.
For that purpose, he recommended establishing dedicated bodies inspired by Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) and GCC Laboratory to oversee and test the high standards, specifications and reliability of government-operated power stations. Ajmi also proposed collaboration with GCC Laboratory to conduct necessary testing, ensuring that Kuwait’s power infrastructure meets efficiency benchmarks.
By forming a standards and specifications authority for efficiency and quality, he believes that the ministry will be able to invest more effort in the research and development sector by enhancing the quality of power stations from the early beginning to avoid any later defects. For instance, it will be able to introduce what he called "a prefiltering system” that will avoid the accumulation of dust or any impurities in the power stations during summertime, which will reduce its high maintenance rates.
According to Ajmi, the authority’s role is also crucial for tightening controls on the specifications of electrical appliances entering the country, such as ACs, ensuring they adhere to national and international efficiency standards, which will play a major role in reducing electricity consumption by more than 30 percent.
Ajmi suggested that Kuwait should follow Saudi Arabia’s example with the Red Sea solar energy and smart grid project by reducing dependence on large, centralized grids and power plants. Instead, he proposed the introduction of small to medium-sized, independent smart solar power stations. This approach, as he noted, will allow for more optimal use of renewable energy and decrease the load on centralized grids. He particularly suggested their implementation in remote northern and southern regions, which are considered strategic locations for expanding renewable energy capacities.
Role of sustainable architecture
Ahmad Salmeen, an architectural engineer and advocate for sustainability, highlighted the pivotal role of architectural designs in reducing electricity consumption. Salmeen believes Kuwait lacks strict architectural guidelines and policies, which he thinks must be implemented in new buildings and the renovation of old ones. Key strategies include optimizing window sizes based on the "Window-wall ratio”, typically ranging from 10 percent to 50 percent, depending on the façade and orientation of building, to control the amount of daylight entering buildings. This ratio indicates the proper proportion of window area relative to the total exterior wall area, crucial for enhancing energy efficiency.
Additionally, Salmeen suggested integrating shading elements such as shading screens, which are installed on the exterior of windows and can be made from materials like fabric, metal or specialized systems. These screens effectively manage heat gain by blocking excessive sunlight. Lastly, he pointed to thermal insulation, which involves using materials and techniques in construction to minimize heat transfer between a building’s interior and exterior environments.
He said that these elements should be flexibly and collectively managed by architects in a manner that aligns with the building’s location, spatial constraints and client preferences, ensuring environmental sustainability. If implemented, Salmeen aimed for this strategy to reduce the strain on cooling systems indoors, noting that they currently constitute nearly 70 percent of our energy consumption.