Second SDME Focuses On Sustainable Solar-Powered Houses

The second Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME) is focusing on sustainable solar-powered houses with smart and home agriculture. The optimal use of organic and natural elements provides a green environment inside the house and adopts a sustainable lifestyle. It is organized for university students to design solar-powered homes.

DEWA is organizing the SDME at the Decathlon Village, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, as part of a partnership between DEWA, the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE), and the US Department of Energy.

“The UAE has become a platform for creativity and an incubator for innovators, thanks to the wise leadership’s efforts in providing a motivational environment for innovation that supports research and development in advanced sciences and invests in shaping the future. This is in accordance with the UAE’s National Advanced Sciences Agenda 2031 launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which aims to develop advanced solutions to use advanced sciences in the development and creation of solutions to future challenges in support of the government’s efforts to achieve the objectives of Vision 2021 and Centennial Plan 2071, and the National Innovation Strategy to make the UAE one of the most innovative countries globally. Hosting the first and second SDME in Dubai with total prizes over AED 20 million is part of DEWA’s efforts to engage youth in sustainable development and help them develop innovative solutions to counter climate change effects,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

Team HARMONY of the British University in Dubai presents a sustainable house with smart systems that help indoor agriculture. The house includes innovative systems to control temperature, lighting, air quality, and humidity of air, soil, and plant. It can schedule necessary care for plants, monitor their growth, and send alerts as needed. The system stores relevant data to enable growth in all seasons. The house also includes an advanced system for energy management, water recycling, and purification, a device for recycling organic waste and converting them into fertiliser. The house also takes into consideration the aesthetic aspects and authentic Emirati culture. Solar photovoltaic panels on the rooftop have engraved words by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The home includes a smart mirror, linked to smart applications focusing on well-being.

“The Solar Decathlon Middle East sponsored by DEWA has provided our students with great opportunity and experience to put their knowledge into practice by designing and building a state-of-the-art sustainable house in an international setting alongside other universities from different parts of the world,” said Professor Abdullah Alshamsi, Vice-Chancellor of the British University in Dubai.