This study presents a comparative economic analysis of electricity generation using photovoltaic (PV) cells and conventional gas turbines. The generation cost per kWh was estimated for the two systems. The energy generated by PV cells was estimated using weather data for Qatar. A sensitivity analysis was carried out on some factors: installation capital cost, conversion efficiency and discount rate. The study indicates that, at the present time, PV stations are not economically feasible in Qatar compared with conventional gas turbine stations.