The University, represented by the College of Engineering, has announced the start of receiving scientific abstracts for the international conference "Solar Energy Prospects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Applications and Challenges", which will be held on April 1-2, 2020, and the university invited researchers wishing to participate in this international conference to send scientific research abstracts, via the conference link ;Abstracts will be accepted until October 31, 2019, and accepted abstracts will be announced on November 15, 2019.

The conference aims to invite leading academics, researchers in solar energy applications and industry experts in Saudi Arabia and the world to exchange experiences, challenges and results, in addition to promoting and developing promising solar energy technologies to support and achieve the Kingdom's Vision 2030, as well as contributing to the realization of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 objectives in diversifying the current oil-based economy to transform the Kingdom from an advanced oil exporting country to a sustainable energy exporting country.

For his part, the head of the scientific committee of the conference, Dr. Meshaal Al-Mashaigh, Dean of the College of Engineering, explained that this conference is held in line with the 2030 vision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which aims to support the national economy, reduce dependence on oil, and create awareness of the importance of solar energy as an abundant source of renewable energy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as the conference covers the current situation and developments in solar energy technologies and applications, including, for example: Solar thermal, photovoltaic and solar architecture, pointing out that the conference will focus on the use of solar engineering in various applications within the academic, governmental and industrial communities in Saudi Arabia, and benefit from previous experiences in this vital field.

He added that the conference will discuss a number of topics, including solar power generation, solar energy storage, solar desalination, solar heating and cooling applications, passive and active applications of solar energy on buildings, as well as solar energy applications in transportation and its management in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.