As the second day of the World Future Energy Summit 2026 and its programme came into its element, the Oilholic took some time out to have a walk about the event's sprawling Innovation Intelligence Hub spread over 3,600 sqm at the venue.
It's here that the forces shaping the transformation of the global energy system appear to be on full display covering all facets from technology to infrastructure, ideas for capital investment to future concepts.
Bringing all of these facets to the foreground at the hub were over 70 startups translating breakthrough ideas into commercially viable solutions they appear to be pitching to the world. Of particular significance was an AI pavilion with over 30 companies embedding intelligence across generation, grids and demand.
For the energy sector, AI is no longer an enabling tool - it is quite simply becoming a core infrastructure play.
Today, AI-driven optimisation can improve asset performance by up to 30%, while advanced forecasting and control systems are redefining how grids operate, balance risk and absorb variability.
At the same time, it was observed at WFES 2026 that global investment in clean and intelligent energy start-ups now exceeds $50 billion annually, with capital flowing fastest into AI-enabled systems, hydrogen, storage and digital resilience. The good folks at the summit and the wider Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week family, as well as the hosts Masdar call it the “Nexus of Next: All Systems Go.”
This in their words is "a theme to life by reflecting a clear strategic reality: the next phase of energy systems transformation will be driven not by standalone technologies, but by integrated, intelligent, and secure systems designed to perform together, investable at scale, and ready for deployment."
As the second day progressed, 59 sessions across various WFES and ADSW content streams discussed the very forces shaping tomorrow, alongside discussions on energy transition economics and technologies.
The discussion slants ranged from challenges and opportunities to capital investment and policy frameworks.
The Oilholic got his summit speaking engagements underway by moderating two panels on the clean energy track. The first of these was on the subject of PV-battery storage.
The panellists (see above) included Syed Ali Gilani, Planning and Energy Markets Director, Department of Energy Abu Dhabi, Jad Abdel Masri, Senior Director, Group Supply Chain and Procurement, Masdar, Dr. Thi Minh Phuong Nguyen, Battery Storage Systems Expert, MAI Group, Mike Sronce, Managing Director and Vice President, Sargent & Lundy and Mohammad Al Natour, Managing Director, SMA Solar Technology.
We explored the economic drivers of grid-connected battery storage, deployment hurdles, and policy enablers positioning large-scale storage as the backbone of a clean energy future.
The second panel touched on financing hydrogen and the innovative mechanisms that could be deployed to unlock capital in the segment.
The panellists for this session included (see below) Dr Dimitrios Dimitriou, Group Vice President of ESG and Sustainability, EMSTEEL Group, Cornelius Matthes, CEO, Dii Desert Energy, Siddharth Malik, Managing Partner, Green Investors, Dan Feldman, Global Head of Energy, King & Spalding and Santosh Raikar, Managing Partner, Silverpeak.
Apart from discussing innovative financing structures, we also touched on risk mitigation strategies to instil investor confidence and secure guarantees necessary to scale hydrogen infrastructure.
Elsewhere at WFES, attendees got to hear about the natural path of progression of renewable energy in the Middle East which is being led by the UAE. It appears the nation's renewable energy capacity is on track for a tenfold increase by 2040.
And it is quite simply serving as a beacon for its peers with a pragmatic blend of traditional with renewable energy. Here's yours truly's feature on Forbes on the subject.
Well that's all for now folks. More musings to follow as the event and the week enter their home stretch tomorrow. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'!
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© Gaurav Sharma, January 2026. Photo I: Innovation Intelligence Hub at WFES 2026. Photo II: Masdar's innovation globe. Photo III: Energy Analyst Gaurav Sharma moderates PV-battery storage panel at WFES 2026 on January 14, 2026. Photo IV: Energy Analyst Gaurav Sharma speaks at WFES 2026 on January 14, 2026. Photo V: Energy Analyst Gaurav Sharma moderates WFES 2026 panel on hydrogen on January 14, 2026. Photos I & II © Gaurav Sharma, January 2026. Photos III, IV & V © Zeena Zalamea / Portalproductions.me January 2026.
