SDG7: AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7, "Affordable and Clean Energy," is a crucial global objective that seeks to ensure access to reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. In Kuwait, a nation with significant energy resources, and at GUST Gulf University, efforts are being made to align with this goal through responsible energy management and sustainability practices.
Kuwait's Initiatives for Clean Energy:
Kuwait has embarked on several initiatives to promote clean and affordable energy:
1. Renewable Energy Projects: Kuwait has started to invest in renewable energy sources, particularly solar and wind power. Solar energy projects, in particular, are gaining momentum, with plans to increase the country's renewable energy capacity significantly.
2. Energy Efficiency Programs: The government has introduced energy efficiency programs aimed at reducing energy consumption in residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. These initiatives encourage the use of energy-efficient technologies and practices.
3. Diversification: Kuwait is exploring diversification of its energy sources to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. This includes the development of nuclear power and partnerships with international organizations to explore clean energy alternatives.
Gulf University for Science and Technology supports Kuwait’s national direction toward affordable and sustainable energy by embedding energy consciousness across its infrastructure, operations, and academic activities. The University continuously works to reduce energy consumption, promote sustainable engineering practices, and contribute research that informs national and regional dialogues on energy transition, carbon neutrality, and environmental resilience.
GUST plays a role in promoting clean
energy and sustainability by:
Energy-Efficient Campus Buildings
One of the biggest contributors to lowering energy consumption at GUST is the shift to efficient lighting systems. Almost 90% of all lighting on campus now uses LED lamps, which consume far less electricity and last significantly longer than older bulbs. This upgrade is paired with motion sensors in corridors, classrooms, sports areas, and outdoor walkways. These sensors ensure that lights are only used when needed, helping prevent unnecessary energy waste throughout the day.
Buildings also incorporate features that naturally reduce the need for artificial lighting and cooling. Skylight glass panels allow natural daylight to illuminate indoor areas, while heat-resistant glass films help keep indoor temperatures stable by limiting heat transfer. These design choices might seem simple, but together they reduce electricity demand and contribute to a more energy-aware campus environment (SDG 7.2.1).
Upgrading Buildings to Higher Energy Efficiency
GUST remains committed to continuously enhancing the energy efficiency of its existing campus buildings following SDG 7.2.2. Upgrades include transitioning traditional lighting to LED systems, improving HVAC control mechanisms, and implementing regular maintenance schedules that reduce unnecessary energy consumption.
GUST’s energy awareness display, which highlights practical steps such as maintaining AC temperatures at 24°C, further supports this indicator by encouraging the campus community to practice responsible energy use within upgraded facilities. These actions demonstrate an ongoing plan to modernize existing infrastructure and lower overall consumption.
Carbon Reduction and Emission Management
GUST has adopted a multi-layered approach to managing and reducing carbon emissions across its operations. One component of this effort focuses on reducing unnecessary energy use through digital workflows and campus-wide paper minimization, helping lower indirect emissions tied to printing and resource consumption. Sustainability awareness is also integrated into academic programs, ensuring that students are equipped with the knowledge and practices needed to support long-term carbon responsibility.
Transportation also plays a role in GUST’s emission-reduction process. To limit on-campus fuel use, the University relies on electric carts supported by charging stations, eliminating the need for gasoline-powered vehicles inside campus grounds. Additionally, the daily shuttle service significantly reduces the number of private cars arriving on campus, helping cut traffic congestion and lower overall transport-related emissions. Together, these initiatives form a practical and measurable strategy for reducing carbon output associated with mobility.
GUST’s contribution to SDG 7.2.3 is further reinforced through contributions to national carbon-management efforts through ongoing faculty research in climate economics, energy systems, and sustainability. Recent peer-reviewed studies examine CO₂ neutrality, natural resource management, electricity production, and the broader economic factors affecting emissions. These include:
- “The Role of Natural Resources, Electricity Production, Economic Globalization, and R&D in CO₂ Neutrality: An Empirical Investigation for Kuwait” Read paper
- “Exploring New Drivers of Mineral Resource Rents in BRICS Countries: The Role of Digital Governance and Political Stability” Read paper
GUST Participation in the 2025 Energy Transition & Economic Diversification Conference
In September 2025, Gulf University for Science and Technology played an active role in the International Conference “Empowering the Future: Energy Transition and Economic Diversification in Arab Countries,” held in Kuwait on 15–16 September 2025. The conference brought together a diverse group of policymakers, economists, engineers, sustainability experts, and energy-sector leaders to discuss regional strategies for advancing clean energy, reducing carbon emissions, and building resilient economic systems across the Arab world.
GUST faculty contributed to the conference through original research exploring the environmental and economic factors influencing Kuwait’s transition toward cleaner and more sustainable energy systems. One of the key studies presented, “The Role of Natural Resources, Electricity Production, Economic Globalization, and R&D in CO₂ Neutrality: An Empirical Investigation for Kuwait,” offered valuable insights into how national policy, technological development, and global integration affect Kuwait’s ability to achieve long-term carbon neutrality. This research examined the relationship between electricity production and CO₂ emissions and highlighted pathways to reducing environmental impact while sustaining economic growth.
GUST’s participation in this high-level event directly advances SDG 7.2.3, which emphasizes the importance of processes and research that guide carbon reduction and emission management. By contributing empirical data, policy-relevant analysis, and academic expertise, GUST supports national and regional discussions on transitioning to cleaner energy and strengthening climate resilience. The conference also reinforced the University’s role as an active research partner in Kuwait’s sustainability agenda, helping shape future strategies surrounding renewable energy, resource efficiency, and environmentally responsible economic planning.
Plan to Reduce Overall Energy Consumption
GUST follows a campus-wide strategy aimed at lowering energy consumption and encouraging more efficient use of resources. A major pillar of this plan is the Energy Efficiency Awareness Campaign led by the College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA). Practical reminders such as keeping AC units at 24°C, using LED lighting, closing curtains to reduce heat gain, and limiting water-heater usage during hot months are placed throughout CEA spaces to promote daily conservation habits among students, faculty, and staff.
Academic programs also reinforce this approach. Several engineering courses integrate sustainability, building efficiency, and energy-management concepts, encouraging students to design practical solutions that reduce environmental impact. Operationally, the University supports these efforts with efficient HVAC scheduling, automated lighting controls, and the ongoing transition to energy-saving technologies across campus facilities.
In addition to behavioral and operational measures, GUST has begun incorporating renewable energy into its long-term efficiency planning. The university has installed solar panels on campus rooftops and introduced solar trees in outdoor areas, providing clean energy while also serving as visible demonstrations of sustainable technology. Although the solar trees are currently implemented on a small scale, they are part of an expanding initiative to increase on-campus renewable energy capacity over time. These installations support the broader goal of reducing energy drawn from the national grid and lowering overall consumption through on-site clean generation.
Together, these awareness efforts, academic integration, campus operations, and renewable energy initiatives form a clear, ongoing plan to reduce energy use at GUST in alignment with SDG 7.2.4.
Energy Wastage Identification
GUST regularly reviews its campus infrastructure to identify where energy is being used inefficiently and to target areas with the highest levels of waste. These reviews have led to several key improvements, including the transition to LED lighting, the installation of motion sensors in classrooms and corridors, and the optimization of HVAC schedules based on building occupancy patterns. The University also uses Energy Recovery Units in its AC systems—technology adopted after identifying significant cooling losses in older ventilation setups—to capture and reuse energy that would otherwise be wasted.
As part of this ongoing assessment process, GUST analyzes how campus facilities consume electricity, water, and cooling resources. This has supported the introduction of renewable-energy features such as rooftop solar panels and solar trees, implemented after evaluating the campus’s dependency on grid electricity. Smart irrigation systems, like the Rainbird controller, were also adopted following reviews that highlighted excessive water and electricity use in landscape maintenance. Combined with sustainability-focused coursework and facility audits, these measures demonstrate GUST’s continuous effort to assess its operations and address areas where energy waste is highest, in alignment with SDG 7.2.5.
NREET Conference – Advancing Clean Energy Dialogue in Kuwait
On March 15–16, 2023, Gulf University for Science and Technology hosted the First NREET Conference (New and Renewable Energy, Environment, and Technology), organized by the Center for Sustainable Energy & Economic Development (SEED) and the Gulf Financial Center (GFC), in partnership with the Department of Economics and Finance. Held at GUST, the interdisciplinary event brought together policymakers, engineers, economists, researchers, and industrial leaders to share new insights on energy transition, renewable energy technologies, and sustainable financing models.
This conference directly supports SDG 7.4.3, as it provided specialized workshops, research presentations, and professional dialogue aimed at helping local and regional industry understand and adopt energy-efficient and clean energy solutions. By facilitating high-level knowledge exchange and engaging industry stakeholders in discussions on energy innovation, GUST contributed meaningfully to advancing energy efficiency awareness and clean energy practices across Kuwait’s industrial sectors.
AWS Innovation Challenge- Low Carbon Innovation
GUST actively supports low-carbon innovation through initiatives that combine mentorship, technical training, and real-world problem-solving. A leading example is the Innovation Challenge 2024, Kuwait’s first AI-driven innovation competition hosted by the GUST Innovation Hub in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The challenge encouraged students and alumni to design technology-driven solutions in areas such as smart agriculture, decentralized clean energy, environmental sustainability, and climate-related crisis readiness—directly supporting the transition toward a low-carbon economy.
Participants received structured assistance through expert workshops, AWS cloud training, and dedicated one-on-one mentorship that helped them transform early concepts into viable, scalable startup ideas. One of the standout outcomes of the event was HydroVolt, a top-three finalist project. HydroVolt proposed the development of small-scale hydro-turbine modules installed along Kuwait’s beaches and islands, designed to generate renewable hydroelectric power while simultaneously reducing coastal erosion. The teams delivered both a full technical explanation and a complete business plan, demonstrating clear potential for real environmental benefit.
To further support these climate-focused innovations, GUST awarded substantial cash prizes to the top teams, including a $20,000 first-place award, to help them build their start-up idea into a fully functioning product by building, testing, and implementing their ideas. Through competitions like the Innovation Challenge, GUST provides meaningful support for startup development, enabling students to contribute to clean-energy innovation and the wider low-carbon economy in alignment with SDG 7.4.1 and SDG 7.4.5.
SEED Workshop on "Energy and Sustainability: Lessons Learned from Applied Work"
The Center for Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) at Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) organized a scientific workshop titled “Energy and Sustainability: Lessons Learned from Applied Work”.
The workshop was a forum for researchers from several countries and universities to present the recent results of their research papers on energy sustainability and economic development. The researchers discussed a number of issues, including energy transformation, pollution, climate change, energy sustainability, and their impacts on economies around the world.
Attending the workshop were a number of officials and interested people, including American Chargé D' Affaires James Holtsnider, and the Director of the Graduate Studies & Research Office at GUST, Professor Issam El Moughrabi.
In a speech to the media, the Chair of SEED, Dr. Khalid Kisswani, said, “The workshop is considered as a platform that gathers specialists from inside and outside the university to present and discuss the latest research on energy and sustainability, as well as allowing experts to participate, discuss, and devise creative energy solutions and ideas, and create a network of specialized academics”.
Kisswani also pointed out that the workshop comes in line with GUST’s strategy which aims to enable faculty members to achieve scientific progress, in addition to promoting research and development at the university. “There is no doubt that the theme of this workshop is a very important topic since it is also compatible with the development plan of Kuwait Vision 2035, which aims to achieve economic sustainability and maintain environmental safety and use clean, renewable energy”, Kisswani added.
American Chargé D' Affaires, James Holtsnider, praised the ideas and proposals presented at the workshop, noting that the impacts and effects of fossil fuels on climate change is being experienced internationally, and the critical need for clean energy.
“We should not forget that the dust storms that have recently swept through the region and Kuwait are one of the consequences of this climate change, as well as its impact on global food security due to drought in some areas or floods that are reducing agricultural production”, Holtsnider added.
He pointed out that the United States has pledged to reduce its gas emissions by 50 percent before 2030, hoping Kuwait to do the same, noting that it is one of the countries characterized by its high exposure to the sun and therefore it can utilize solar energy as a power source, adding that it has the potential to be a global leader in this field.
GUST’s Director of the Graduate Studies & Research Office, Professor Issam El Moughrabi, stressed the importance of the topics discussed in the workshop, especially since renewable energy has become an urgent need in the current changing levels of energy, and the country’s desire to promote the concept of sustainability. El Moughrabi pointed out that this workshop was very rich in information and findings from the researches that addressed a number of issues in this area, which are worthwhile and invite us to benefit from them.
The workshop agenda included a number of lectures, including one entitled “Kuwait Sustainable Energy Road Map” presented by Dr. Salem Al Hajraf, and another lecture entitled “Sustainable Energy Transition in the GCC: The Role of Green Power” presented by Dr. Leila Dagher, as well as a lecture entitled “The Role of Energy Efficiency in Shaping the Energy Transition” presented by Professor Fateh Belaid, and via Online, Dr. Khaled Guesmi’s lecture entitled “Financial Crises and Oil Risk”.
SEED Hosts First Seminar of 2021/22 Academic Year
Kuwait City, 6 January 2022: The Center for Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) at Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) hosted its first seminar of the 2021/22 academic year titled “Are we heading toward changes in water and electricity prices in Kuwait?”. The two key speakers of the seminar were Instructor of Economics and Finance, Dr. Osama Al-Falah and Senior Analyst at Al-Khafji Joint Operations, Mr. Mohammad Ramadhan, who tackled a various questions regarding Kuwait’s economic future with water and electricity. Both speakers tackled topics such as why should Kuwait increase its water and electricity prices and how does it compare geographically in the region? This seminar was organized in coordination with the Economics Club, as a part of their “Sustainability Week” shedding light on energy and sustainability.
Date:
6 January 2022 to 6 April 2022
Dr. Salah Al-Sharhan receives the best eGovernment award from the Emir of Kuwait
His Highness the Emir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah honored Dr. Salah Al-Sharhan, Director of E-learning Center at GUST and his team for winning the first prize of 2010 Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS) e-Award for thebest project in the e-Government prize category. The project, ‘Electronic Workflow Coordination betweenMEW and Municipality for Licensing of thePrivate Residence’was presented by the Emir of Kuwait, at Bayan Palace on 22nd June 2010. The award-winning project introduced a technological advancement in licensing of private residences by easing the process through online internet.
The project helps the Ministry of Electricity and Water and Municipality (Baladiya) in many ways.
· It simplifies the process of getting the electricity to the private residents.
· Citizens do not require to visit the ministry of electricity or municipality
· The process becomes much faster, efficient and transparent
· It increases the Productivity and Performance at Ministry
The award ceremony was organized by Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science in collaboration with United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Global Alliance for ICT and Development Secretariat and International Prize for informative e-Content Award is approved for the United Nations – (GAID). The Kuwait eAward was launched in 2008 under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahamd Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, to promote innovative use of the current technological advances in internet tools. The main objective of this award is to encourage Kuwait’s youth to contribute towards providing better online services to Kuwait citizens.
Several dignitaries and distinguished personalities attended the ceremony which includes Director-General of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science Dr. Ali Al-Shamlan, General Secretary of the Kuwait e-Award; Engineer Manal Al-Hashash and several other members. Dr. Al-Shamlan presented to His Highness the winners of the second session of the Kuwait Prize.
Winners of the Kuwait e-Award are eligible under WSA rules to represent Kuwait in international competitions.
GUST hosts the founding general meeting of the Kuwait Green Building Council and the launch of “Mustadam” Initiative
GUST hosted and supported the launch of the Kuwait Green Building Council (KGBC). The KGBC is a national, non-profit organization that is committed to developing a sustainable property sector for Kuwait by encouraging the adoption of green building practices.
The launch started with a reception and an opening speech by founding members: Dr. Sulaiman T. Al-Abduljader, Founding Chairman and Assistant Professor of Real Estate and Finance at GUST, Abdullah Al-Mutairi, Founding Vice Chairman, Eng. Mohammad Al-Dowaisan, Founding Secretary, Eng. Hamad Al-Qattan, Founding Treasurer, Nora Zehery, Founding Board Member and Eng. Abdullah Fahhad, Founding Board Member.
Dr. Sulaiman Tareq Al-Abduljader, said in his opening remark, “We are honored today to launch the Kuwait Green Building Council (KGBC) after 15 months of committed team work with the founding members.” The KGBC aims topromote sustainable buildings by illustrating the positive effects on climate protection, resource consumption, health, quality and efficiency, the economy, and the labor market. The green building market currently has exceeded $600 billion in value and is expected to grow at double digit rates due to its economic feasibility in addition to its contribution to substantially reducing energy consumption. It is, therefore, the KGBC’s mission to encourage and engage both public and private sectors to adopt sustainable measures in the development sector in Kuwait.
Further, Mr. Abdullah Al-Mutairi said “KGBC is also committed to become the independent median to link green related technologies to the market. Al-Mutairi talked about the KGBC pre-establishment and the procedures and research that had to be perfected for the launch. While Mr. Hamad Al-Qattan, touched on that scientific/technical findings, reports about practice, and the projects implemented and certified shall be published to reach a broader audience.
Ms. Nora Zehery clarified the KGBC vision, to drive the transition of the Kuwait property sector towards sustainability by promoting green programs, technologies, design practice and operations as well as the integration of green building initiatives into mainstream design, construction and the operation of buildings.
The Founding Members also discussed the “Mustadam” Initiative which entails a country wide campaign involving government authorities, private sectors, academia, media and individuals collectively endorsing the green-related projects and initiatives in Kuwait. The campaign shall incorporate the social, economic and cultural benefits and effects of supporting green buildings on our lives and society in general. It is expected that a large media campaign shall accompany the initiative to underline the individuals and reputable institutions endorsing the initiative.
The founding board members also thanked the corporate founders for supporting the development of the council in its early stage. The corporate founding members are GUST, National Technology Enterprises Company, Al-Argan International Real Estate Company SignDesign, and Remas Group.
