By Misaa AlKhayyat, Services & Solutions Engineer at Schneider Electric KSA

For all my life I’ve been fascinated with engineering. It’s what made me want to study mechatronics at university and become the first Saudi woman to graduate with a degree in mechatronics, a branch of mechanical engineering that combines mechanical, electronic and electrical engineering systems. It wasn’t easy; I fought for my choice and worked several jobs to raise enough money to be able to apply for university in the United States. But I achieved my goal and became one of the first mechatronics engineers in the Kingdom.

I want to take a moment to look forward and explain why I’ve been so excited to be in engineering. The Kingdom is transitioning, it’s changing in ways that’ll benefit us all. The change that I’ve been following for some time is the energy transition, from hydrocarbons to renewables. The Kingdom’s national development plan, Vision 2030, explains this clearly, stating that the country is “is working to diversify the national energy mix used in electricity production, increasing the share of natural gas and renewable energy sources to approximately 50% by 2030 while reducing the use of liquid fuel.”

This growth presents opportunities for change in so many different ways. For example, look at the plans for THE LINE, a smart city that will have no cars, no streets, and no carbon emissions. The city will be powered entirely by smart energy. As an engineer in the energy space, it’s my goal to come up with novel ideas and concepts that will help the Kingdom hit that 50% mark in just under a decade.

Take one example which I’m very excited about. We have over 2,600 kilometers of shoreline, and many of our new projects are being built on the coast, such as NEOM. There’s significant potential for harvesting wave energy in the Red Sea or the Arabian Gulf, which would complement more established concepts such as solar and wind energy.

This is just one simple idea that could change the face of our country. Others could include smart buildings and smart homes, which would use technology to reduce our energy usage. Over 40% of all energy we produce is used in our buildings, with lighting, appliances, and of course air conditioning. We’re already seeing the impact of these technologies on a number of projects in Jeddah and Riyadh, and the energy savings have been tremendous.

And of course there’s the cars, electric cars to be specific. We’re entering a new age for transportation, and that’s going to be powered by electricity. In a decade’s time I believe that most of the cars on our roads will be electric.

Being an engineer allows me to be part of these changes that we are living through. It enables me to contribute to the Kingdom’s development in ways that were unimaginable when I was in high school. And I want to see more Saudi women study engineering, so that we can push this change faster and adapt more quickly. We have so much to offer – we are problem solvers, we’re creative, and we don’t quit until the job is done.

Today, I would ask every young girl out there to see what is possible, and what she is capable of. Engineers, many of them women, built this world. And I want to see more women engineers be part of the changes that will make this world and this country better for us all. I’m contributing to the Kingdom’s energy transition. Come and join me.