Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | DEWA’s second Solar Decathlon Middle East at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park provides value-added experiences for visitors

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has allocated more than 60,000 square metres at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park to host the second Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME) for universities to design, build and operate sustainable solar-powered houses, in conjunction with Expo 2020 Dubai. Hosting the SDME Village at the Solar Park in November this year offers several advantages, including powering the facilities of the village with clean energy.

DEWA is organising the SDME 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 the DEWA, the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE), and the US Department of Energy. SDME encourages the younger generation to innovate and unleash their creativity to support global efforts to mitigate climate change and become future energy leaders. University students work on their projects focusing on delivering smart and efficient housing solutions while taking into consideration the environment and climatic conditions of the region.

The SDME Village comprises recreational areas for workshops, seminars, and key events for students and visitors. In addition, it includes a clinic, restaurants and cafés with Emirati and international cuisine. DEWA designed this village according to the highest international standards, ensuring all universities develop their sustainable homes easily and efficiently. Moreover, the village will maintain the highest health and safety standards, with all precautionary measures adopted in the UAE against COVID-19. HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, said that DEWA strives to enhance the success achieved at the first SDME in November 2018 and consolidate Dubai's position as the capital of the green economy.

Students and visitors can also visit DEWA's R&D Centre and the Innovation Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the largest single-site solar park in the world using the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model, besides visiting the sustainable and smart houses that are participating in SDME.

The R&D Centre includes various labs and workshops such as a solar-radiation simulation laboratories, and electronic, mechanical and chemical labs. It has outdoor testing facilities to study the performance and reliability of solar panels. The Centre includes a 3D printed lab, the first building in the UAE to be fully-printed onsite, and the first such building in the world.

The Innovation Centre offers an opportunity for visitors to explore the latest innovations in clean energy technologies. The exhibition area on the first floor of the Centre focuses on DEWA’s history, key inventions and innovations in electricity, and the latest developments in renewable and sustainable energy including over 30 interactive exhibits. The site houses the DEWA Museum, water desalination plants, and a visual space that explains the properties of light and solar radiation. The Centre also features an exhibition on photovoltaic (PV) solar power and the key components of PV cells, related technologies, concentrated solar power (CSP) and the solar power tower. It also showcases DEWA’s renewable energy journey, Digital DEWA, solar cell applications in spacecraft and satellites, a model that explains the working mechanisms of electric vehicles, a wind turbine, and the development of DEWA’s sustainable buildings.

Participating teams at SDME compete in 10 contests: architecture; engineering and building; energy management; energy efficiency; comfort conditions; house functioning; sustainable transport; sustainability; communications, and innovation. Further information can be seen on the competition's website: www.solardecathlonme.com, or for further enquiries, send an email to: sdme@dewa.gov.ae