King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, K.A.CARE, based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, based in Freiburg, Germany,have jointly announced the signing of a Collaboration Framework Agreement" that will serve as a basis for various projects between the two organizations over the next years. Cooperation areas include renewable energy research and development as well as testing and training.

K.A.CARE and Fraunhofer ISE are both interested in developing, supporting and deploying renewable energy technology locally, regionally and around the globe. This strategic collaboration serves both organizations' goals to develop research capabilities, human capacity and state-of-the art approaches to solving engineering challenges unique to the region of Saudi Arabia.

"We greatly value the opportunity to work closely with a renowned and respected organization such as Fraunhofer ISE", said HE Dr. Khalid Al-Sulaiman, K.A.CARE Vice President for Renewable Energy.

Prof. Dr. Eicke R. Weber, Director of Fraunhofer ISE, added, "Fraunhofer ISE is looking forward to working with K.A.CARE to develop solar energy capabilities for a very promising market in Saudi Arabia and the MENA region."

Research and development will be carried out in a wide range of topics: solar thermal technology, photovoltaic technology, energy storage, grid integration and design, water desalination, solar and renewable energy efficient cooling as well as efficient building. A major focus is also on standardized performance and reliability testing and certification.