According to reports, Saudi Arabia - which plans to generate at least one-third of its electricity from solar energy by the year 2032 - has completed a 3.5 megawatt ground mounted photovoltaic ("PV") system, featuring panels from Suntech Power Holdings Company.

With the ground mounted RV system being the biggest PV system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - which is looking at various environment-friendly sources for generating electricity -, the designing and the construction of the solar field has been done by Phoenix Solar.

Owned by Saudi Aramco, the 3.5 megawatt ground mounted PV system is located in Riyadh, on the premises of the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), which is the biggest energy research center in the world.

The ground mounted PV system extends over a total area of 55,000 square meters, and it comprises as many as 12,684 Suntech panels and inverters from SMA Solar Technology. The system is a grid connected one, and boasts the capacity to supply 5,800 megawatt hours of electricity.

The electricity-supply capacity of the system can reportedly counterbalance nearly 4,900 tons of carbon dioxide emissions; thereby furthering the common objective of Middle East countries to increasing opt for solar power, so that the large carbon footprint in the region and the dependence on fossil fuel sources can be reduced.