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The growth of population, gross domestic product (GDP), and urbanization have led to an increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The leading GHG-emitting sectors are electricity generation, road transportation, cement, chemicals, refinery, iron, and steel. However, the KSA is working to lead the global energy sustainability campaign to reach net zero GHG emissions by 2060. In addition, the country is working to establish a framework for the circular carbon economy (CCE), in which hydrogen acts as a transversal facilitator. To cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, the Kingdom is also building several facilities, such as the NEOM green hydrogen project. The main objective of the article is to critically review the current GHG emission dynamics of the KSA, including major GHG emission driving forces and prominent emission sectors. Then, the role of hydrogen in GHG emission reduction will be explored. Finally, the researchers and decision makers will find the helpful discussions and recommendations in deciding on appropriate mitigation measures and technologies.

Over the last few years, the electric energy demand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has increased many folds due to several factors including increased population, industrialization, economic activities, and urbanization. The main source of electric power generation in KSA is the burning of petroleum products. Almost one third of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are contributed from the electric power generation sector, mainly, by burning diesel and natural gas. As a result, it makes it necessary to consider alternate forms of electricity generation in order to cut down emissions and to keep sustainable growth alive. The government has planned to diversify energy sources and suppliers. In recent years, energy generation from renewable sources including solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, concentrated solar power (CSP), biomass, geothermal, and tidal, has been given more importance. The ambitious Saudi Vision 2030 targets of 58.7 GW of power generation from renewable energy sources will cause a significant reduction in GHG emissions from the energy sector. This article systematically reviews the impact of renewable energy generation on GHG emissions. The detailed breakdown of GHG emission is discussed. Then, the status of renewable energy generation is investigated, focusing on the technical and economic potentials. The correlation of renewable energy generation and GHG emissions is then explained. The most distinguishing feature of this review is that it provides a comprehensive list of recommendations to reduce GHG emissions. The discussions and recommendations of this article will support decision makers, system planners, industry personnel, researchers, and academics to develop sustainable energy pathways for the Kingdom.

Experts have been searching for ways to mitigate the impacts of climate change on resources since the early 20th century. In response, the World Economic Forum introduced the concept of a “nexus”, which involves the simultaneous, systematic collaboration of multiple individuals or sectors, such as water, energy, and food, in order to create an integrated approach to reducing resource scarcity through a multi-disciplinary framework. In contrast, a circular economy (CE) involves restructuring material flows from a linear economic system and closing the loop on resource exploitation. Both the nexus and CE have been developed to address the overexploitation of resources, but they also contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and decouple carbon emissions from economic growth. This study explores the potential of combining the nexus and CE to pursue the SDGs on a global scale. Our findings reveal significant research gaps and policy implementation challenges in developing countries, as well as the potential consequences of adopting integrative scenarios. Finally, we propose a system dynamics model as a way to address the difficulties of coupling policies and to better understand the interdependencies between different parts of the economy.

The grid integration of microgrids and the selection of energy management systems (EMS) based on robustness and energy efficiency in terms of generation, storage, and distribution are becoming more challenging with rising electrical power demand. The problems regarding exploring renewable energy resources with efficient and durable energy storage systems demand side management and sustainable solutions to microgrid development to maintain the power system’s stability and security. This article mainly focuses on the overview of the recent developments of microgrid EMS within the control strategies and the implementation challenges of the microgrid. First, it provides energy management strategies for the major microgrid components, including load, generation, and energy storage systems. Then, it presents the different optimization approaches employed for microgrid energy management, such as classical, metaheuristic, and artificial intelligence. Moreover, this article sheds light on the major implementation challenges of microgrids. Overall, this article provides interactive guidelines for researchers to assist them in deciding on their future research.