Page - 175 - in Radical Solutions and Open Science - An Open Approach to Boost Higher Education

11 TheResponseofHigherEducation… 183 their regional headquarters inBahrain to enable them to tap into this rich dynamic potential. TheTransformationPlanhasprovidedarealopportunity toexaminethesystems, architectureandinfrastructureneededforuniversitiestocontributetotheeconomies, public services and societies of theKingdomofBahrain.As technology continues tochange lives it isalso redefininghowuniversitiescancreatea lasting impactwith their students. 11.4 NewAreasofResearchandInnovation Theareaof renewableenergy isacritical issueforboth theMENAregionandglob- ally.GCCcountrieshaveseenrapideconomicdiversificationandhavebecomemajor energy consumers in their own right. Regional electricity consumption is growing at almost 8%ayear,meaninggenerating capacity has to bedoubled every decade. Gulf countries will require 100 GW of additional power over the next 10 years to meet demand. Renewable energy offers Gulf countries a proven, home-grown path to reducingCO2 emissions.GCCcountries are in the top 14 per capita emit- ters of carbon dioxide in the world (PWC, 2017). Renewables offer a financially viablewaytochangethat.RenewableenergyintheMiddleEast is thereforeoffering realpotential for large-scaledevelopmentprojects.MiddleEast economiesarenow beginningtoturntonew,moresustainablemeansofmeetingtheirnations’increasing consumption. Facedwithvolatileoilpricesandinternationaldemand, themoveintoalternative energies isonlygoing to increase.Asprojects in theGulf takeoff, demandforboth investment and the best energy professionals is expected to be high, especially in solar energy, inwhich the regionhasanobviousadvantage. TheUniversitymustbeat the leadingedgeof thisshiftandalso thedrive toclean energy though research and expertise, which is extended to an array of renewable energysources suchaswind, solar,wasteandgeothermal. Changesintheenergysectoronaglobalbasis,whichincluderegulatorypressures for green generation, a push to harness energy in the most efficient way, supply constraintsandtheever-growingdemandbyconsumersfor lowercost,arecurrently driving a rise in the development of new technologies with the ultimate aim of providingaregionalandglobalcleanenergynetwork that ismorerobustandsecure thaneverbefore. Innovative technologies such as smartmeters and battery storage are becoming aneveryday feature for thecommercial and residential customer.Fromdataanalyt- ics to virtual power plants, there are big changes takingplace in theway energy is distributedandconsumed.As thepaceof changeaccelerates, governments, univer- sities, and the private sectorwill be under pressure to spread their investment. The University, as the leading research institute inBahrainandoneof the regional lead- ers in the areaof cleanenergyandwater resources, has a critical role in supporting thegovernment toachieve thenational renewableandenergyefficiency targets.The