WIND TECH-

Airseas sets up shop in Morocco to advance its fuel-saving kite tech for ships: French wind tech company Airseas has opened a MAD 50 mn (c. USD 5.1 mn) research and testing center in Morocco to advance its automated kite sail tech that can help ships reduce fuel consumption by 20%, Morocco World News reported last week. The facility — located 60 kms from Dakhla — features a vast hangar for launching, landing, repairing, and refueling ships, and a navigation simulation center.

About the tech: The 1k sqm kite — dubbed Seawing — is equipped with an AI-powered autopilot system to optimize trajectories and maximize efficiency for various ships. It can be easily and quickly installed to adapt to different applications, and has a simple control panel installed in the bridge of the ship that is used to deploy, operate and store the Seawing, its website says.

Not the first to go with the wind:: The UK’s Smart Green Shipping was eyeing a new fundraising round for an additional EUR 6 mn following the development of their FastRig wind sail technology which aims to reduce fuel consumption in the shipping industry by up to 30%. A dry cargo ship fitted with sails that can harness wind power also set sail from Singapore to Brazil in August to study how wind energy can cut carbon emissions last August.

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CARBON CAPTURE-

KSA + Uplink launch global carbon capture challenge: Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry and Economy and Planning Ministry have launched a global challenge inviting startups to present new carbon capture technologies, according to a statement published last week. Winners of the challenge — launched in collaboration with the World Economic Forum’s UpLink platform — will receive up to CHF 300k (c.USD 327k) as well as mentorship and guidance to scale up their ideas.

This comes as no surprise: Uplink is providing Saudi early-stage startups with advanced technologies to help “reduce, recycle and remove carbon from the atmosphere.” They also launched a competition for local startups to help source technology to preserve marine diversity among other initiatives in April. Saudi’s Economy and Planning Ministry also signed two agreements with UpLink to mobilize global solutions to critical environmental and sustainability challenges in January.

SUSTAINABILITY-

Emirates Transport is rolling out EV charging stations: The Energy and Infrastructure Ministry — through UAEV, the first state-owned EV charging network in the country — has partnered with Emirates Transport (ET) to install and operate EV charging stations across ET’s buildings, Wam reports. The ministry and ET will aso work together to set policies incentivizing private-sector EV adoption. UAEV aims to install 100 chargers in 2024, and 1k chargers by 2030 across the UAE.

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS MORNING-

  • Tunisia to start cloud seeding tests: Tunisia is launching a cloud seeding experiment to reduce water evaporation in small lakes. The experiment comes in response to the rapid decline in dam water reserves — which currently stands at only 29% capacity — as well as increased evaporation rates — reaching 700k cbm per day — arising as a result of climate change. (TAP)
  • A new solar-powered desalination plant for Morocco: French water company Osmosun has commissioned its first solar desalination plant in Morocco. The plant — installed in partnership with French renewables and agroforestry firm Sand to Green — will produce up to 140 mn cbm of freshwater daily to irrigate a 38-hectare ecological plantation. This comes in efforts to reverse soil degradation in the kingdom’s deserts. (Statement)
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