Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has inaugurated the 2nd Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME) in which eight teams from 12 universities across the world are participating to design, build and operate smart and sustainable solar-powered homes that are suited to the region’s climate.
DEWA has organized the competition as part of the partnership between the Supreme Council of Energy and DEWA with the US Department of Energy.
SDME encourages the university teams to design, build, and operate sustainable models of cost-effective and energy-efficient solar-powered homes, with a focus on protecting the environment, taking into consideration the climate of the region.
The teams compete in 10 contests: architecture; engineering and building; energy management; energy efficiency; comfort conditions; house functioning; sustainable transport; sustainability; communications, and innovation.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and MD&CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), who inaugurated the event, said, “The UAE has become a destination for innovators and creative minds from all over the world. Organising the first and second Solar Decathlon Middle East in Dubai supports the vision to attract skilled and talented young people.”
HE said DEWA supports these efforts through major renewable and clean energy projects, most notably, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is the largest single-site solar power park in the world, with a planned capacity of 5,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030.