Dr. Fahad Abdulaziz Alsulaiman

Dr. Fahad is the Director of the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Renewable Energy and Power Systems and the director of the Center of Excellence in Energy Efficiency, at KFUPM. Director (A) of the Office of cooperation with KACARE and program coordinator for the Intelligent Energy Systems Management concertation for the Undergraduate program. He received his BSc (honor) and MSc from KFUPM, and his PhD from the University of Waterloo in Mech. Engineering, with specialty in Energy.

Title of Presentation:
The Grand Challenges of Renewable Energy in Saudi Arabia

Dr. Bing Guo

Dr. Bing Guo is an associate professor with the Mechanical Engineering Program, Texas A&M University at Qatar. He teaches thermal fluids sciences courses and advises students in research. In recent years, he has carried out extensive research in solar PV soiling in the Middle East. His most impactful work is in PV soiling field measurement, dust characterization, and electrodynamic dust shield. Currently, his research focuses on soiling measurement, sensor calibration, and the impact of mechanical cleaning on solar modules. He is the coordinator of the International PV Quality Assurance Taskforce (PVQAT) Group 12-1 Sensors and Monitoring.

Title of Presentation:
Effects of Dust and Other Environmental Factors on Solar PV Power Generation

Dr. Hussain Al-Qahtani

Hussain Al-Qahtani is a mechanical engineering associate professor at KFUPM in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. He received his doctorate from the University of Colorado at Boulder. His research focuses on laser-generated thermoelastic waves and their applications, among other things. He's also interested in nonlinear vibration and its applications in MEMs/NEMs devices for sensing and actuation. He is a member of a research group that looks into dust repellence and sensing, as well as how to develop state-of-the-art cleaning techniques for solar panels.

Title of Presentation:
Dust Sensing and Dust Characteristics

Dr. Abdullah Al-Sharafi

Dr. Abdullah Al-Sharafi; is an assistant professor at Mechanical Engineering Department, KFUPM, Saudi Arabia. He is also affiliated to Interdisciplinary Research Center for Renewable Energy and Power Systems (IRC-REPS, KFUPM) and to King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A. CARE) Energy Research & Innovation Center at Dhahran (ERIC), Saudi Arabia. His research interests include self-cleaning applications related to solar energy harvesting devices, optimization of hybrid solar and wind renewable energy systems, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and thermo-fluids applications.

Title of Presentation:
Dust Removal and Self Cleaning Applications

Dr. Hussam Qasem

Hussam Qasem is the manager of the National Center for Renewable Energy Technology at KACST. He obtained his PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from UCLA in 2019, his research focus is nanotechnology applications for energy harvesting devices. He has been working on several PV technologies, such as organic photovoltaics, perovskites, and solar cells based on 2-D materials. Hussam was the lead of the Al-Khafji flagship project demonstrating the largest desalination plant operated by renewable energy. Within KACST teams, his efforts on product development focuses on renewable technology systems for harsh environments, and the integration of renewable energy system with high-energy consumption applications.

Title of Presentation:
Solar Energy Technologies for Arid Climates: The Dust and Anti-soiling Technology

Dr. Malay Mazumder

Malay Mazumder is a Research Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University. He obtained his PhD from University of Arkansas in 1971. Dr. Malay is a Life Fellow, IEEE, 2013 and Co Editor-in-Chief, Particulate Science and Technology Journal, 2011 He has been working is several areas such as material engineering, solar energy systems, particle technology and electrostatic engineering. He is a Member of American Chemical Society, Electrostatic Society of America, & Material Research Society. In terms of honor and rewards, he has the Lifetime Achievement Award, Electrostatic Society of America, 2008 and R&D Award, 1988.

Title of Presentation:
Electrodynamic Screens for Dust Removal Application

Dr. Shafiqur Rehman

Shafiqur Rehman received the B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Aligarh, India, in 1981, the M.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Saudi Arabia, in 1985, and the Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, in 2012. From 1983 to 1985, he was Research Assistant with the Mechanical Engineering Department, KFUPM. He is currently a Research Engineer at the Center for Engineering Research, Research Institute, KFUPM. He has more than 30 years of research experience in surface and upper air meteorology, wind, solar, and geothermal energy assessment, wind/PV/diesel hybrid system design, meteorological data measurements, corrosion management and costing, and global warming issues and trending. He has published more than 270 research papers in journals and conferences. He has 12000+ citations as of December 2021 with an H-index of 52. He has four patents towards his achievement. He has received prestigious national award ``Almarai Prize 2017'' and Distinguished Researchers Awards in 2012 and 2006 from KFUPM.

Title of Presentation:
Experimental Demonstration of Drone-based Cleaning of the Panels

Dr. Ahmed Hesham Balawi

Dr. Ahmed Balawi is an R&D Manager in the Innovation Department of ACWA Power with extensive research experience in the fields of solar photovoltaics (PV) and green gases. During this time he established a broad network in the industry by evaluating various emerging solar technologies and innovations and setting the agenda for new product assessment. He was awarded his PhD in Material Science and Engineering (MSE) from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) where he explored new concepts for evaluating the performance of organic photovoltaic technology and published over 15 papers in major peer reviewed journals. He received his MEng degree in MSE from University of Toronto and his B.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM).

Title of Presentation:
Soiling Challenges in Utility Scale PV Projects, Current Solutions and Future Perspective in Saudi Arabia.