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Based on the Saudi Green initiative, which aims to improve the Kingdom's environmental status and reduce the carbon emission of more than 278 million tons by 2030 along with a promising plan to achieve netzero carbon by 2060, NEOM city has been proposed to be the "Saudi hub" for green energy, since NEOM is estimated to generate up to 120 Gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy by 2030. Nevertheless, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector is considered a key contributor to global energy consumption and carbon emissions. The data centers are estimated to consume about 13% of the overall global electricity demand by 2030. Thus, reducing the total carbon emissions of the ICT sector plays a vital factor in achieving the Saudi plan to minimize global carbon emissions. Therefore, this paper aims to propose an eco-friendly approach using a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model to reduce the carbon emissions associated with ICT infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. This approach considers the Saudi National Fiber Network (SNFN) as the backbone of Saudi Internet infrastructure. First, we compare two different scenarios of data center locations. The first scenario considers a traditional cloud data center located in Jeddah and Riyadh, whereas the second scenario considers NEOM as a potential cloud data center new location to take advantage of its green energy infrastructure. Then, we calculate the energy consumption and carbon emissions of cloud data centers and their associated energy costs. After that, we optimize the energy efficiency of different cloud data centers' locations (in the SNFN) to reduce the associated carbon emissions and energy costs. Simulation results show that the proposed approach can save up to 94% of the carbon emissions and 62% of the energy cost compared to the current cloud physical topology. These savings are achieved due to the shifting of cloud data centers from cities that have conventional energy sources to a city that has rich in renewable energy sources. Finally, we design a heuristic algorithm to verify the proposed approach, and it gives equivalent results to the MILP model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is broadly acknowledged that there is an urgent need to reduce carbon-based mobility systems and increase renewable energy alternatives. The automotive industry is one of the greatest consumers of energy in the world. It is fronted with many challenges that aim at reducing carbon emissions. Renewable energy costs are getting cheaper and more cost effective. However, well devised design and control strategies are also needed in order to optimize any systems that are adopted in this field. Previous research shows that the energy consumption for non-traction purposes may be of the same scale as the energy used to move rolling stock, and in some cases even larger. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is very interested in the implementation of policies that aim at reducing energy consumption and encouraging renewable energy programs. Under its Vision 2030 development program, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is looking to produce 30% of its energy from renewables and other sources, with solar energy playing an important role. The work presented in this paper is aimed at an investigation of design and control strategies to reduce energy consumption and to propose a cleaner source of energy to power Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University's Automated People Mover (PNU-APM). Two areas of applications have been investigated for adopting these types of technology. Firstly, a p-v solar energy option that could be adopted for implementation in potential applications since the metro system is already in full operation using electricity. Secondly, design and control strategies including exploiting solar energy for a metro operation are discussed and investigated. A number of strategies to reduce heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) load, which happens to be the biggest energy consumer, have been discussed. Results show great potential in energy savings with adopting p-v solar sources as well as implementation of few suggested control strategies. Some deliberations of some of the drawbacks of solar energy are also offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]