Analysis of weather variability, weather extremes, and demand in support of ENOWA’s power generation sector

This collaborative project between ENOWA.NEOM and KAUST addresses key challenges in developing a robust, renewable-powered energy system for NEOM. With the goal of supporting data-driven planning and investment, the project focuses on three critical areas: the impact of extreme weather events on solar and wind energy resources, the variability of heating and cooling loads across NEOM’s planned regions, and the creation of community electricity demand profiles to support long-term infrastructure design. Drawing from KAUST’s advanced modeling capabilities, satellite and reanalysis datasets, and simulation tools, the project aims to improve understanding of how local climatic and operational factors affect renewable energy performance and electricity demand.

Organized into three work packages, the project will (1) assess how weather extremes—such as dust storms, cloud cover, and temperature extremes—impact solar and wind energy production; (2) simulate energy demand under various building and climate scenarios along “The Line”; and (3) create baseline demand profiles for future NEOM communities using data from the KAUST campus as a reference. Outputs will include detailed reports, high-resolution data, and interactive dashboards to support energy planning and decision-making in NEOM’s evolving landscape.