To help diversify the economy away from hydrocarbons the state-funded Qatar Foundation set up a joint venture Qatar Solar Technologies (QSTec) to build a $1bn plant to make polysilicon. It will initially produce 8,000 tons/year by the second half of 2014, delayed by a year. This is enough for solar panels to fit out 240,000 homes a year. Some planned Qatari real estate developments will be fitted with photovoltaic panels, and QSTec hopes to sell into the much bigger Saudi market.