I first read about Saudi Arabia's solar power efforts in 1978 or so, in Sky and Telescope magazine. More or less what it said was that they didn't expect oil to last forever.
There are many cultures where they take a far longer term view then do my fellow Americans.
You mean the America that invented the photovoltaic industry courtesy of Bell Labs?
The one that is among the leading nations on solar, wind and nuclear?
The one that has several of the world's largest, most successful independent solar companies, including First Solar, SunPower, SunEdison, and SolarCity? The same America that is undergoing a vast, rapid solar boom?
"Residential Solar Grows by 76% over Q1 2014"
"The U.S. installed 1,306 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaics (PV) in the first quarter of 2015 to reach 21.3 gigawatts (GW) of total installed capacity, enough to power 4.3 million American homes. 51 percent of new electric generating capacity came from solar in Q1 2015, and the residential and utility-scale segments each added more capacity than the natural gas industry."
Which makes solar plays in the Middle East much more economically viable as compared to in the US (although to be fair, as a opportunity cost, their fuel prices are much lower..)
> Atmospheric brown clouds (ABCs) are widespread layers of brownish haze of air pollutants, such as aerosol particles (black carbon (BC) and non BC), and precursor gases (e.g. CH4, CO, NMVOCs, NOx), which produce aerosols and ozone. ABCs and their interaction with build-up of greenhouse gases significantly affect the regional climate, hydrological cycle, glacial melting, agriculture production, ecosystem and human health.
> The presence of both types of aerosols in the air reduces the amount of solar radiation reaching the surface of the Earth, producing a phenomenon called “dimming.” This type of radiative forcing is referred to as the “aerosol direct effect.” In addition, aerosols can influence the formation of clouds, known as the “aerosol indirect effect.” Atmospheric brown clouds contain a mixture of both types of aerosols. Because of the effects of atmospheric brown clouds, India and China are dimmer at the surface today by at least 6 percent compared with their state in preindustrial times.
Places on the equator (0 degrees) tend to be rain forests. Places on the tropics of cancer/capricorn (30 degrees) tend to be deserts. This is due to the way the upper atmosphere works.
Air that rises tends to rain. Air that falls tends to be cloudless. This is because of how the dewpoint changes at different altitudes.
you must not read the wall street journal. not long ago i read a lengthy article discussing the threats of solar and wind power. there is substantial concern they will displace coal fired power plants.
There are many cultures where they take a far longer term view then do my fellow Americans.