You can create energy storage with excess energy. With energy of a large enough scale even electrolysis, as opposed to steam methane reforming, could be used to produce renewable clean energy in the form of hydrogen that could be used to create more stable power output.

Saudi Arabia and all nations that rely on oil exports certainly have to be seeing the future a bit differently than the rest of the world, and so you have to take this into account when considering their plans. It's probably not particularly controversial to say that oil won't be nearly as valuable in 50 years. But when your GDP is being sustained by oil, that means you're living on borrowed time - and when it comes to completely reshaping your national economy and international role, 50 years suddenly is not such a long time.

They can build more aluminium smelters there, that takes lots of energy and brings diversification. They already have some of that (using oil/gas).

Desalination was mentioned, and it could conceivably run during the sunlight hours only, storing water for the night.

I would imagine that they will build _some_ storage as well in the coming 12 years, or I will be very disappoint.

Desalination using reverse osmosis is just 6kwh/m3. It means 67 cubic km of water per year. Which is about as much water withdrawal as all of Russia. They can't possibly practically use that much water. It will be 10% of India's (world top), or 14% of U.S.' water use.

Does that include the energy used to pump the water after processing?

From what I understand the most energy-intensive part of desalination is pumping it to where people can actually use it.

They don't need to use it all for water. Electricity can be sold. Can also produce hydrogen and sell that.

Desalination would be one thing that could soak up a great deal of peak power and produce a valuable asset.

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