Eleven international experts in renewable energy will provide guidelines and a road map for Saudi Arabia's endeavor to develop and harness its abundant renewable resources at the First Saudi Renewable Energy Conference and Exhibition which opens here Sunday at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM). Renewable energy authorities from Germany, Spain, France, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Hungary, Finland, Switzerland, and Japan will present their countries' experiences as they relate to the Kingdom's current program of developing strategies on renewable energy. During the three-day conference, the international experts will also discuss green technologies, investment opportunities, business prospects, the government role in supporting private sector initiatives in renewable energy, and the need for collaboration between the academic and industrial sectors in the pursuit of harnessing renewable energy in the best possible manner. They will specifically address issues on solar, wind, and geothermal energy, as well as biomass and biofuel, and hydrogen and fuel cells. As an initial step toward a green energy project, Saudi Arabia is currently concentrating in developing solar energy, both photovoltaic and thermal. National research agencies, including King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, and the Center of Research Excellence in Renewable Energy at KFUPM, are also deeply engaged in research programs on renewable energy. Dr. Sahel N. Abduljawad, head of the organizing committee of the conference and Vice President for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research at KFUPM, has said that the convening of the first renewable energy conference reflects the interest of the Kingdom in investing in renewable energy, and that the participation of international experts will hopefully encourage investment opportunities and achieve global cooperation for their application in the Kingdom. __
