Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), in collaboration with the Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), has organised the Solar Decathlon Middle East Seminar, which emphasised the importance of Net Zero Energy Buildings through the Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME), which is organised by Dewa.

SDME is part of an agreement between Dewa and the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy with the US Department of Energy. Dubai will host the first two rounds of this competition; the first in November 2018 with the participation of 18 university teams from 13 countries, and the second in 2020 to coincide with Expo 2020 Dubai.

The seminar was attended by a number of the university teams of SDME 2018 who presented their projects for the competition, which will be held at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park from 14-29 November 2019. The forum also included a panel discussion titles ‘Accelerating Net Zero Living Through SDME.’

“This year’s competition is particularly important, not only because it is being held for the first time in the Middle East and Africa, but also because it is being organised during the Year of Zayed, which marks 100 years since the birth of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who consolidated the principles of sustainable development in the UAE,” said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dewa.

“Dewa provides all that is needed for the success of the Solar Decathlon Middle East in the UAE, which has become a platform for innovation, a destination for innovators, and an incubator for creative minds from all over the world.

“I take this opportunity to thank the sponsors, partners, volunteers, organisers and everyone involved in organising the world's largest, most competitive, and challenging global university competition. I’m also pleased to invite you to visit the competition’s venue at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park from 14 to 29 November 2018, to review the innovative designs of these smart homes and meet the university teams from around the world,” concluded Al Tayer.

“The Emirates Green Building Council is honoured to be an official supporter of the Solar Decathlon Middle East. The SDME is an important initiative to drive innovation and dialogue on the topic of net zero energy buildings in the UAE, and the region,” said Saeed Al Abbar, chairman of EmiratesGBC.

“I look forward to witnessing the progress of the Solar Decathlon competition and the outcome; especially since it nurtures the next generation of sustainability thought leaders. Our collective purpose is to promote sustainable development, and it is encouraging to see how students are designing innovative solutions to achieve this.

“The competition demonstrates the feasibility of applying net zero concepts in the UAE by providing demonstrable case studies with measurable performance data.  This will assist in validating that the time is appropriate to transition from an ‘early adopter’ state to ‘mainstream adoption’ for net zero energy buildings.

“Through, the council’s Net Zero Centre of Excellence we provide an important platform for government, academia and the private sector to learn and share knowledge on how to advance net zero carbon buildings by the global timeline of 2050, and continue to position the UAE as a global leader in sustainable buildings,” concluded Al Abbar. – TradeArabia News Service