Adopting reliable energy storage solutions remains vital for supporting industrial and digital sectors across Saudi Arabia. The topic took center stage at the SunRise Arabia Clean Energy Conference 2026, held in Riyadh. Organized by PV Magazine and Solarabic, the event gathered industry executives to discuss infrastructure needs and power reliability.
Expanding Energy Storage Solutions Across Industries
Fahad Khan, General Manager of Development at Desert Technologies, participated in a panel focused on storage use cases. The session, titled “Energy Storage Applications: Supporting Agriculture, Data Centers, Industry and Off-Grid Applications,” was moderated by Mohammad Atif from DNV. Other panelists included Michel Abi Saab, General Manager of Emerge, and Steve Lemoine, Middle East CEO at Dalkia.
Speakers examined how industrial operations, agriculture, and off-grid facilities deploy storage assets. Furthermore, discussions highlighted that digital operations, especially facilities handling artificial intelligence workloads, demand continuous power availability. Deploying energy storage solutions helps maintain electricity stability as renewable power generation expands.
Building an Integrated Power Network
The panel emphasized creating a unified power structure combining generation, storage systems, and efficient grid management. Consequently, this model allows operators to maximize renewable output while maintaining system balance.
“The development of energy storage solutions represents an important pillar in strengthening the reliability of the energy system and supporting the expansion of renewable energy adoption in Saudi Arabia. At Desert Technologies, we are exploring and deploying advanced storage technologies that can address the diverse requirements of critical sectors.”
Fahad Khan, General Manager of Development at Desert Technologies
Strategic Partnerships and Technological Testing
To support this strategy, Desert Technologies signed a Memorandum of Understanding with EnerVenue. The partnership focuses on testing EnerVenue’s Aqueous Metal Cell technology for varied local applications. In addition, Khan stated that storage functions as a core element of future power grids rather than a secondary backup tool.
Data Center Growth and Sector Outlook
The conference concluded by addressing the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure across the Kingdom. Data center facilities require steady power supplies to support national computing requirements. Meeting these operational demands will depend directly on scaling clean power generation alongside flexible storage assets in the coming years.
