Acwa Power to establish new clean energy and water development centre
The key alliance will cut costs and emissions associated with desalination, innovating with advanced AI and data analysis
Acwa Power has signed an agreement with King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) for the establishment of a new clean energy and water desalination development centre, located in the KACST campus.
The project aims to conduct studies and scientific research in vital areas linked to the clean energy and water sector, and key topics of focus include development of solar energy technologies, devices for photovoltaic power plants for extreme climatic conditions, as well as energy storage technologies to support future energy networks.
The focus areas are mainly aimed at cutting costs and the emissions connected with desalination processes, as the centre will employ artificial intelligence and advanced digital technologies to empower new styles of data analysis and open up fresh areas of research.
The new facility aims to boost the presence of Acwa Power within the complex of national laboratories and innovation ‘oases’ to contribute to spreading the culture of co-operation and innovation between the academic community and the business sector.
After signing the deal with Thomas Altmann, the Executive Vice President of Innovation and New Technology Sector at Acwa Power, Dr Saeed Al-Shehri, the Vice President for the Energy and Industry Sector of KACST, said that the partnership with Acwa Power comes as part of KACST’s efforts to link technical products to the needs of both public and private sectors entities.
On the collaboration, Altmann said, “We are thrilled to embark on an exciting journey with an esteemed organisation such as KACST, as collaboration is key to our approach to research and development. The partnership aims to develop practical, market-ready solutions to address commercial needs with agility and innovation.”
“It also seeks to contribute to the local research and innovation ecosystem, in line with the objectives of Vision 2030. Utilising the collective expertise and resources of both organisations, the collaboration will focus on optimising joint programmes through the development of services, pilot plants, laboratories, and cutting-edge simulation and monitoring tools,” he concluded.
