SunRise Arabia webinar | Unlocking affordable, reliable power for Saudi data centers with PV & Storage

As Saudi Arabia accelerates large-scale solar and storage deployment to support its next-generation data centers, the Kingdom is quickly becoming a global testbed for integrating renewable energy with mission-critical digital infrastructure. This pv magazine and Solarabic webinar will investigate the technical and financial viability of powering Saudi Arabia’s emerging digital economy using solar PV and battery storage.

Content of the webinar:
• Explain rising electricity demand from AI, cloud, and data centers.
• Demonstrate how high-performance solar technologies can meet that demand at scale.
• Highlight the role of performance optimization in desert conditions.
• Showcase real-world integration of solar + storage systems for reliable, 24/7 digital loads.
• Present actionable insights for investors, operators, and policy makers.

Samira Nikzad, Director – Project Development, DataVolt - will explore the rising electricity demand driven by AI, cloud services, and hyperscale data centers in Saudi Arabia. The discussion will highlight the critical role of renewable energy in site selection and ensuring energy security for these facilities. Attendees will gain insight into the potential of renewable power purchase agreements and the development of solar-powered data centers. By connecting digital growth with renewable energy solutions, the discussion will outline practical pathways for meeting the sector’s power needs. Samira will also provide a clear perspective on balancing technological expansion with energy reliability.

Edgard Abou Kheir, Technical Service Manager at JinkoSolar, will explore cutting-edge technologies designed to meet Saudi Arabia’s utility-scale digital energy demand, in an effort to highlight the reliability of solar-plus-storage. Attendees will learn about advances in modules that perform reliably in hot, dusty climates. The discussion will also address how high-efficiency PV can reduce the levelized cost of electricity for large digital loads. Key insights will cover lifetime performance and reliability for infrastructure lasting 20 to 50 years or more. The session will also examine GW-scale solar solutions aimed at supporting the growing needs of data centers.

Vincent Liu, Sales Director at Leapting, will explain how to maximize solar output for high-demand digital infrastructure through cleaning PV technologies. Attendees will learn about the impact of dust and soiling on PV performance in desert environments. The session will showcase autonomous cleaning robots designed for large utility-scale solar plants. Real-world examples will demonstrate significant yield gains and reductions in operations and maintenance costs. The discussion will emphasize strategies to ensure high availability for powering AI and data centers.

Marcus H. Schrauf from FAS Renewables will offer insights from an EPC perspective, showing system integration lessons learned on utility-scale projects. The session will cover strategies for designing PV and storage solutions that reliably support mission-critical digital operations. Real-world examples of hybrid systems, grid-tied solutions, and BESS deployment will be highlighted. Challenges related to integrating large renewable assets with the grid will also be discussed. The presentation will showcase future opportunities for powering data centers, industrial cooling, and AI clusters.

Ameera Al-Amayrah, Research Team Lead at Solarabic DMCC, will present key findings from a new white paper on the Saudi solar and energy storage market, with a focused lens on the data center sector. Drawing on her experience leading market intelligence and advisory work across the Middle East and Africa, Ameera will translate market signals into practical, decision-ready insights—covering demand drivers, procurement and commercial models, and the bankability factors shaping PV-plus-storage opportunities for mission-critical digital infrastructure. Her session will help developers, investors, and operators understand where the data center energy demand is heading in Saudi Arabia and what it means for scaling reliable, cost-optimized renewables to support 24/7 loads.

Questions can be submitted beforehand in the comments window when registering or in the chat during the live webinar.
Registration for this webinar is free of charge.

The webinar also serves as a pre-event platform ahead of the 3rd SunRise Arabia Clean Energy Conference in Riyadh (organized by pv magazine and Solarabic on April 22, 2026), where the topic will be explored further with policymakers, digital infrastructure leaders, and renewable energy innovators.