Digital Transformation of Clean Energy Sector (solar Energy)

This master thesis evaluates the feasibility and strategic implementation of establishing a solar photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia under the Photocell for Energy project. The research is based on a supplied project file dated 2022, which proposes a factory located in King Salman Energy Park (SPARK) in the Eastern Province with an annual production capacity of 300 MW, a total investment requirement of approximately SAR 70,730,600, a 25 percent equity and 75 percent external-finance capital structure, and a phased roadmap for industrial operations, digital transformation, R&D, and innovation. The thesis expands the original project into an academic and professional feasibility study by integrating current renewable-energy policy, global PV supply-chain evidence, Industry 4.0 literature, desert-climate PV performance research, technical manufacturing requirements, and project-finance evaluation. The study adopts a case-study methodology supported by document analysis, secondary-source analysis, strategic management frameworks, technical feasibility modelling, and financial appraisal. PESTEL, Porter Five Forces, SWOT, Business Model Canvas, risk mapping, and sensitivity testing are applied to assess the commercial attractiveness and strategic robustness of the proposed project. The technical study analyses crystalline-silicon PV module production, quality control, facility layout, supply-chain risk, standards compliance, environmental and occupational-health requirements, and operational-readiness conditions. The digital-transformation plan examines cloud computing, industrial internet of things, robotics, simulation, augmented reality, cybersecurity, systems integration, big data analytics, and intelligent automation as staged capabilities rather than isolated technologies. The financial analysis uses the core project data supplied in the original file. Under the five-year operating cash-flow schedule provided, and excluding terminal value, the project generates a calculated internal rate of return of approximately 18.9 percent, a net present value of about SAR 19,378,093 at a 10 percent discount rate, and a simple payback period of approximately 3.36 years. These indicators suggest promising feasibility, although the thesis emphasizes that an investment decision should be subject to updated supplier quotations, independent technical due diligence, verified offtake assumptions, local-content incentives, debt-term confirmation, tax treatment, working-capital validation, and risk-adjusted scenario testing. The thesis concludes that the project is strategically aligned with Saudi Arabia's renewable-energy transition, industrial localization goals, and the need for more resilient PV supply chains. Its success depends on credible certification, bankable demand development, disciplined cash conversion, phased technology investment, strong R&D partnerships, and governance mechanisms that convert the country's desert conditions from a risk into a differentiated product-development advantage. The proposed factory should position itself not only as a module assembler, but as a desert-ready PV manufacturing and innovation platform for Saudi Arabia, the GCC, and wider export markets.