ACWA Power has announced the three winners for its youth driven initiative - ?The Power is Within You?
Based on the merits of their ideas; gauging creativity, feasibility and sustainability; Mohammed Alnakhli and his team from the Ministry of Energy; Abdulaziz Abdullah AlGhamdi, Luay Kattan, Riyadh Alharthi, and Abdulaziz Algethami from Taif University; and Ahmed Allehyani from the University of Jeddah, were announced as the winners of the initiative, in product, service and technology categories respectively.
A judging panel comprising senior leaders from ACWA Power and its flagship institute, The Higher Institute for Water and Power Technologies (HIWPT) selected three of the most innovative ideas to receive 90 days of incubation and development support, following an extensive screening and selection process of online entries and virtual presentations from shortlisted applicants.
The Power is Within You was launched on the 90th Saudi National Day to empower youth in the Kingdom to create, ideate and innovate three specific categories within the power and water sector, inspired by ACWA Power?s commitment to playing a role in the fulfilment of Vision 2030 and its successful track record of utilising cutting-edge technology to transform operations.
?The Power Is Within You is a proud addition to ACWA Power?s longstanding and far-reaching efforts to positively impact local communities. We were delighted to receive such a high number of entries from Saudi youth, and the exceptional quality and calibre of entries was remarkable to see,? said Paddy Padmanathan, president and CEO at ACWA Power and a member of the judging panel.
The winning ideas fell under three categories: product, service and technology.
Mohammed Alnakhli and his team will move forward with their winning idea under the product category for a demand-side management control for household appliances to address solar PV intermittency, regulate consumption and increase efficiency.
Under the service category, the Taif University team?s innovative idea for using UAV drones for the inspection, monitoring and maintenance of solar PV panels is a creative solution that will help reduce costs, manpower and time taken to address any issues.
Finally, Ahmed Allehyani was the winner for the technology category, presenting his idea for a new converter to step up the voltage of PV panels to support renewable energy applications ranging from grid integration and solar powered water desalination systems.
The three winners will now take part in a 90-day incubation programme to further explore and develop their ideas through a dedicated training and mentoring process, guided by ACWA Power experts and supported by the Higher Institute for Water and Power Technologies (HIWPT) with potential internship roles available after the incubation period.
