Huda Al-Ahmad

A Saudi environmental engineer pioneering renewable energy solutions in the Middle East while advocating for gender equality in STEM fields.

Dr. Huda Al-Ahmad (b. 1990) is breaking barriers as Saudi Arabia's first female solar energy engineer. She developed the Solar Innovation Framework, a patented photovoltaic system design that increases energy capture in high-temperature climates by 22%. Her work has enabled the Kingdom's Vision 2030 initiative to achieve 50% renewable energy reliance 8 years ahead of schedule.

In 2018, she founded Green Horizons Institute, which trains over 2,000 women annually in renewable energy technologies. Her TEDx Riyadh talk 'Solar Power & the New Arab Feminism' (2020) sparked regional dialogue about women's roles in STEM. Dr. Al-Ahmad's team engineered the world's first CRESO Solar Park, a 1.2GW facility that powers 500,000 homes while providing carbon sequestration through integrated green infrastructure.

Her collaboration with MIT's Climate Initiative produced the Arid Climate Adaptation Model, now used in 12 desert regions worldwide. Despite death threats from fossil fuel interests, she continues to advocate for green energy through her podcast Climate Frontiers. Time Magazine named her one of 2022's '30 Under 30 Innovators Shaping the Future.'