Human Capital Development Initiative

The Human Capital Development Initiative for the energy sector aims to identify current and future human capability requirements by bridging the gap between the skills required and those currently available within the Kingdom’s workforce, in order to ensure the sector’s operational readiness. King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, in cooperation with the energy ecosystem and various stakeholders and partners, works to qualify and develop the national workforce in line with market needs, through:

• Developing and implementing plans and roadmaps for human capability development in the energy sector in alignment with the objectives and targets of Saudi Vision 2030.
• Monitoring market developments and identifying their impact on the capabilities required in the energy sector through supply and demand models, employment reports, and reports related to workforce compensation in the Kingdom.
• Managing partnerships with national and international institutions to provide educational scholarships and training opportunities for Saudi youth and professionals.
• Developing educational and training programs in partnership with educational and training institutions in the Kingdom and delivering them within the energy sector.
• Monitoring and following up employment opportunities in the Saudi energy sector and updating national job supply and demand plans based on changing market conditions.
• Managing comprehensive initiatives related to human capability development in the energy field and coordinating with key stakeholders to maintain an integrated and comprehensive human capital development ecosystem.
• Developing the National Digital Platform for Human Capability Development in the Energy Sector as a tool that connects relevant stakeholders with target groups, facilitates coordination and integration among them, and supports the matching of supply and demand, with a particular focus on emerging and newly developing sectors.

Renewable Energy Technology Localization Initiative

The Renewable Energy Technology Localization Initiative aims to enable innovation and sustainability and maximize long-term economic growth in the energy sector at both the local and global levels. This is achieved through cooperation with the private sector, universities, and research centers to demonstrate and develop renewable energy technologies. The initiative’s programs contribute to proving the success of technologies by testing prototypes within the Kingdom and also help reduce investment risks for private-sector investors. The initiative includes four programs covering different levels of technology readiness, namely:

• Renewable Energy Technology Prototype Development
• Renewable Energy Product Development
• Feasibility Studies for Renewable Energy Technology Localization
• Renewable Energy Technology Localization Demonstration

The initiative targets a number of renewable energy applications, including:

• Solar thermal energy applications in industry
• Renewable energy technologies for water desalination and treatment
• Hybrid renewable energy systems and off-grid applications
• Renewable energy systems for cooling and air conditioning
• Solutions that enable efficient operation and maintenance of renewable energy technologies
• Energy storage technologies
• Wind energy technologies
• Solar thermal technologies
• Geothermal energy

Atlas of Renewable Energy Resources in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy provides the Atlas of Renewable Energy Resources in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to support the achievement of a sustainable energy mix. The Atlas provides recent and historical monitoring data for solar and wind energy resources, in addition to modeled data based on satellite observations. It supports developers, researchers, government entities, and decision-makers, and also provides reports on the solar monitoring network and on each monitoring station individually. The Atlas is intended to support project developers and researchers working in the field of solar energy.

Mishkat Interactive Center

The exhibition is one of the initiatives of King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy and was established to inspire young people to become the energy innovators of the future. It provides an engaging and practical platform for raising public awareness of energy sciences, technologies, and applications, enhancing public acceptance, and contributing to human capability development initiatives. The exhibition provides visitors with a stimulating educational environment and a genuine opportunity to learn about different forms and sources of energy, as well as methods of generation, transmission, and use, through a range of interactive scientific exhibits, interactive experiments, discussion programs, presentations, and scientific films related to the energy sector.

Studies and Research

In pursuit of the City’s objectives related to developing research capabilities and capacities within the Kingdom in the fields of atomic and renewable energy, the Studies and Research Sector carries out a number of research-related initiatives and projects. This includes cooperation and partnerships with local and international universities and research centers to benefit from their expertise and experience, conduct studies, identify opportunities, challenges, and risks that may affect the energy market locally and internationally, and incubate and support entrepreneurship ideas in renewable energy to contribute to technology localization and the development of the knowledge economy.

The City has achieved a number of accomplishments related to studies and research, including:

• Supporting 133 researchers through the Research Fellowship Program to conduct research in atomic and renewable energy fields, in addition to 22 researchers through the Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program.
• Establishing a joint research and development cooperation agreement with the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), resulting in the establishment and operation of a joint research and development center between the City and KAERI, the secondment of 18 Saudi engineers to the Republic of Korea, the production of 80 research documents, 8 conference publications, and 2 patents.
• Supporting and incubating entrepreneurs in the renewable energy sector through the Innovation Center, including the launch of a dedicated renewable energy track within the business incubator and accelerator at King Abdulaziz University.
• Preparing reports that monitor innovations and developments in renewable and atomic energy, including Energy Monitor Magazine, energy analytical reports, and market studies.
• Conducting a joint research project with Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University entitled: “Technical and Economic Analysis of a Solar Water Heating System at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University.”