13 INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS
SOLAR CLEANING SOLUTIONS FOR SAUDI GIGA-PROJECTS
KAUST spinout NOMADD installs cleaning robots at NEOM’s first solar array NEOM is using robotic technology developed by NO-water Mechanical Automated Dusting Device (NOMADD), a KAUST startup, to clean its first major solar array. NOMADD was founded at the university in 2012 and has since transformed into a leading KAUST spinout. After many years of research and design, and thousands of hours of field testing, NOMADD’s ambitions are becoming a reality. NOMADD’s technology is a waterless, fully automated, robotic solar panel-cleaning system that is essential for solar arrays used in the Arabian Peninsula’s dusty desert. After a dust storm, the effectiveness of solar panels can be reduced by up to 60%. NOMADD’s robotic technology is designed to help solve this problem. Having been designed, developed and tested in Saudi Arabia for the harshest desert conditions, NOMADD offers a local solution to a local problem. The technology was developed by Georg Eitelhuber, founder and inventor of NOMADD Desert Solar Solutions. Georg initially came to KAUST as a high school physics teacher, but he saw that a solution was needed for the development of solar arrays in the desert. With KAUST’s help, he founded NOMADD and has since seen it grow. The startup is poised to have a breakthrough impact on the broader Middle Eastern solar market as the sector begins to take off in earnest. NOMADD offers a timely, innovative solution at a moment when Saudi Arabia is beginning to roll out solar power at scale across the Kingdom. Some of the largest solar energy projects in the world are due to come on line in Saudi Arabia within the next few years. The country has set the goal of producing 50% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030, targeting 58.7 GW of installed solar and wind power capacity. Saudi Arabian Trading & Construction Company (SATCO) has partnered with Lewis Berger, a US construction and infrastructure firm, on the
GEORG EITELHUBER Founder and Inventor of NOMADD
WE STRIVE TO MAKE OUR ROBOTS AND COMPANY EXAMPLES OF VISION 2030 IN ACTION. AS WE EXPAND FROM MEGAWATT TO GIGAWATT LEVELS, WE WILL HELP TO SOLVE A CRUCIAL CHALLENGE THAT FACES THE REGION’S AMBITIOUS SOLAR PROJECTS. WE ARE GRATEFUL TO BE ENTRUSTED WITH THIS OPPORTUNITY AND MISSION.
tender to build the solar array at NEOM, while NOMADD won the bid to supply robots to SATCO and Lewis Berger. NOMADD’s successful bid was attributed to competitive pricing and superior product performance. NEOM is planned to operate entirely on renewable energy. With the goals of completing phase one in 2025-26 and phase two in 2030-31, the $500-billion initiative aims to become the city of the future. The
