ACWA Power and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) host first edition of "Innovation Days"
Global industry experts, researchers, and innovators shared key insights on reimagining the future of green energy and water over the two-day forum.
Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; March 28, 2022: ACWA Power, a leading developer, investor and operator of power generation, desalinated water and green hydrogen plants, along with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia’s foremost education and research institution, hosted ‘Innovation Days 2022’ which took place between March 23- 24, 2022.
The conference followed a close alliance between the two institutions, which have jointly operated the KAUST- ACWA Power Centre of Excellence for Desalination and Solar Power, a research and development (R&D) hub, since 2019.
The partnership with KAUST, which is one of the Kingdom’s leading innovation hubs, has enabled both parties to pursue industry-oriented research to achieve further efficiencies in producing desalinated water and generating solar power responsibly, reliably and at the lowest possible cost.
“Innovation Days” is a new platform that hosts leading business executives, innovators, researchers and academics from Saudi Arabia and across the world to showcase their expertise in solar energy, green hydrogen, artificial intelligence (AI) and seawater desalination. The first edition discussed the most critical topics impacting the renewables, desalination, and green hydrogen sectors, including:
- The acceleration of green technologies through innovation
- The role of technology and innovation in the energy transition
- The integration of renewables and hydrogen
ACWA Power is currently collaborating with KAUST on projects for disruptive hydrogen electrolyzer technologies, which significantly reduce energy consumption, as well as highly efficient bifacial photovoltaic panels in their solar plants.