Techno-Economic Assessment of Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems for Direct Air Capture in Saudi Arabia

[Geoengineering News]

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/17/7659

Authors: Sana Aljishi, Sarah Alyami, Eman Alghorabi, Hana Faltakh, Hamid Zentou, Mahmoud Abdelnaby, Nouf K. AL-Saleem, G. I. Ameereh and Fawziah Alhajri

25 August 2025

Abstract 

In alignment with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the Kingdom aims to achieve one of its main environmental targets: reaching net zero emissions by 2060. This ambitious goal can be realized through Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies, particularly Direct Air Capture (DAC), which is among the most promising solutions. DAC offers high potential for extracting Carbon Dioxide (CO2) directly from the atmosphere and is considered sustainable, especially when powered by renewable energy rather than fossil fuels. However, the technology remains highly cost-intensive. This paper presents a techno-economic assessment of renewable energy configurations to determine the most cost-effective solutions for DAC deployment. The evaluation focuses on Net Present Cost (NPC) and Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) across several regions in Saudi Arabia, using the Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) Pro software (version 3.18.4).

Source: MDPI