I have read the news about King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) obtaining in 2019 the first patent in the world for generating electricity from formic acid. I do not know how such an important piece of news passed on without getting the due media coverage that it deserves!

It is not an ordinary matter that a Saudi university managed to occupy such a leading position in the world in developing renewable energy technology. Rather it enhances the value and position of the Kingdom as one of the countries that influences change and building the future of the world after coming out of the mold of linking the Kingdom with oil as the main source of energy!

In details, a research group at KAUST, led by Professor Kuo-Wei Huang, has played a pioneering role in developing power generation technology by employing hydrogen carrier and formic acid, as this acid has a volumetric energy capacity of 1.77 kWh /liter exceeding the capacity of the commercial 700 bar hydrogen pressure tank.

It is also characterized by its low flammability, which makes it at the top of renewable energy sources as a carrier of hydrogen energy and electricity, and boosts the market for power generators, especially with a boom in the production of electric cars.

KAUST, which has worked and is still working to support renewable energy research and the development of solar energy production and water desalination, paints a positive image of Saudi Arabia before the world as one of the countries that works to develop and produce clean energy.

The Kingdom is thus contributing to preserving the global climate, protecting the environment and reducing global warming emissions.

According to a report of the International Energy Agency at the G20, the Kingdom is one of the countries that have plans within its Vision 2030 to use hydrogen energy so that it can join the club of 11 of the group’s 20 countries that are implementing policies based on using clean energy.

— The author can be reached on Twitter: @K_Alsuliman