Its very cool, literally, that they have found ways to tame their desert. But it could be so much better, if they removed their dependence from oil, to do the job. They could do this, by domestic and community based solar hydrogen, if they started to monetise solar. But because the latter means giving money for free, to reflect energy received for free from the sun, nothing asked in return from the sun, ironically this would destroy their power structure, the same power structure as supports the Saudi Royalty to stay in political power. The latter is all done by retaining control of all energy available to people, only allowing folk the minimum energy they need to live, always conditionally, on the condition the energy slave continues to be loyal to the controlling power. Its energy slavery done by capitalism, and the same thing that exists worldwide, preserving all hierarchical political powers. We do it mostly without realising, and it comes at cost of continuous destruction of all the places and people outside the "Protected zones", or "Chosen Peoples".

As stands, we, including Saudi Arabia, only use solar to bolster flagging profit margins. In other words, we use it to increase the destruction done, rather than use it directly to reduce or even reverse destruction, we are using it to accelerate destruction. Hence why global temperature increase is not stopping, but accelerating, ultimately towards desertification of the entire planet.

This is the irony, and the real shocking truth, that maybe you missed.