Blog #5 Saudi Arabia's energy future

One of the world's most prominent exporters of oil is dabbling in solar energy. They have created large solar fields and are becoming the lead exporter of solar energy. This didn't come as a surprise to me since they are in one of the best areas in the world to take advantage of solar power. It seems that they have a greater desire to turn to alternative energy than just being "green" though. Wikileaks has revealed through their intercepted top secret transmissions that the amount of oil left for cheap and easy excavation has been grossly overestimated in public statements. Not to jump on a separate topic, but this is yet another reason, to me, why wikileaks has done something incredibly profound in proving what I and many other people have always wondered. Does our government lie to us? Seems as though that is an pretty obvious yes, at least regarding oil reserves. Saudi Arabian government has obviously already been privy to this information and has taken measures to take care of their growing domestic energy needs with solar energy. Solar is only a supplement at this point though and not an equal alternative, which seems to be the rhetoric surrounding almost every alternative energy source minus nuclear energy, which of course brings with it a different kind of waste product. One thing that the article mentioned that I had not taken into account was the negative aspect that the desert could have on the Saudi solar fields. Sand and sandstorms could pose serious and costly problems for the solar panels as they can cover the panels causing a loss of energy/heat absorption. Sand would also be very abrasive and shorten the life of the panels.
So, while Saudi Arabia struggles to find an alternative for their own oil costs and consumption, what are other countries doing? What is the U.S. doing? Saudi desires lowering domestic consumption so they can sell more to places like the U.S. and Europe. What happens to their economy when the oil finally does run out? They've already past peak oil over 4 years ago. Their entire economical infrastructure is about to change, and one of our major suppliers of oil is about to run out.

http://www.fastcompany.com/1728619/saudi-arabia-looks-to-alternative-energy-as-peak-oil-looms-heavily