Professor at King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia.
Internationally recognised researcher in Sustainable Energy Systems, Renewable Energy, Smart Grids, Energy Storage, Hydrogen and Artificial Intelligence.
Abstract:
The global energy transition is entering a new phase in which renewable energy integration, electrification, hydrogen, energy storage, and artificial intelligence are converging to reshape the architecture and operation of modern energy systems. Future energy infrastructures must move beyond conventional centralized paradigms toward intelligent, flexible, decentralized, and resilient systems capable of coordinating diverse energy resources, technologies, consumers, and markets.
This keynote presentation provides a perspective on the emerging role of artificial intelligence and advanced optimization in the energy transition, with a particular focus on integrated energy systems, smart grids, microgrids, and multi-energy infrastructures. It explores how AI-driven forecasting, intelligent control, data-driven optimization, and advanced decision-making can enhance the operation, planning, and management of increasingly complex energy systems with high penetration of renewable energy resources.
The presentation highlights recent advances in the integration of renewable energy, energy storage, hydrogen, and electrified transportation, including electricity–hydrogen integrated systems, power-to-hydrogen technologies, and Vehicle-to-Grid/Vehicle-to-X (V2G/V2X) solutions. These technologies are considered not only as emerging components of future energy infrastructures, but also as flexible resources capable of supporting energy balancing, grid services, market participation, and system resilience.
A key focus of the keynote is the evolution toward flexibility-oriented and market-based energy systems, including P2P and transactive energy markets, prosumer participation, demand-side flexibility, distributed energy resource coordination, and congestion management. The presentation discusses how intelligent coordination among prosumers, storage systems, electric vehicles, and flexible loads can improve renewable energy utilization while addressing network constraints and enhancing economic efficiency.
The keynote also addresses the growing importance of energy system resilience under uncertainty and extreme events, emphasizing the role of distributed resources, storage, hydrogen, intelligent control, and AI-enabled decision-making in maintaining secure energy supply and supporting rapid system recovery.
Drawing on recent research and selected case studies, the keynote concludes with a forward-looking vision of AI-driven integrated energy systems in which electricity, hydrogen, transportation, storage, energy markets, and flexible demand are seamlessly coordinated. The presentation identifies key technological, operational, and market challenges and outlines future research directions toward more intelligent, adaptive, resilient, and sustainable energy infrastructures.
