University students display their innovative sustainability, energy & recycling projects at WETEX 2018

Dubai, UAE, 24 October 2018 – Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has set up a ‘Green Week’ corner and ‘Innovation Hall’ for students at the 20th Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX 2018). The exhibition is being organised by DEWA from October 23 to 25, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC). Both areas are showcasing projects by students from a number of schools and universities in the fields of sustainability, energy, and recycling, engaging them in sustainable development efforts and keeping them updated on the latest developments in energy, water and environment sectors. This is in line with DEWA’s vision to be a sustainable innovative world-class utility and is part of its efforts to promote the spirit of innovation and creativity among students.

Green Week and Innovation Hall attracted many visitors during WETEX 2018, who interacted with the students about their ideas and future projects that will contribute to sustainability and conservation of the environment, renewable energy and green technologies.

University of Sharjah

Students from the University of Sharjah presented an irrigation system, which is more environmentally-friendly compared to the traditional systems. The system uses the UAE’s local grass as biomass feedstock. The main objectives of the project include the analysis of existing syngas irrigation systems, ultimate and proximate analysis performance, software simulation and 3D drawing and prototype production.

DEWA Academy

At the Innovation Hall, Mohammed Ali, Akeel Mohammed, Rashed Hassan, and Mohammed Jassim, students of DEWA Academy presented their smart system project to protect power transformers based on digital communication technology and logical controllers. The system gives a yellow signal with an intermittent alarm when the heat of the power adapter is high. If the temperature reaches a critical level, the system will give a red signal, activate the continuous alarm sound, turn on the cooling fans and send an SMS for immediate action. If the command is not processed quickly, the system will disconnect the adapter from the network permanently.

Ahmed Hassan Al Zaabi, Mohammed Rafi Al Awadi and Ghayath Abdulla Al Shamsi from DEWA Academy showcased an environmentally-friendly smart boat project using the Arduino control system, which is an electronic development board using an open source electronic circuit with microcontroller programmed by a computer. The boat is designed to combine maximum power through solar panels and use compressed air energy instead of using a traditional engine, which contributes to the reduction of carbon emissions. This in turn reduces carbon footprint and environmental pollution. The boat also has optical sensors and ultrasonic sensors to improve the control functions when docked, with an automatic warning system for emergencies.

Al Ittihad Private School

Al-Ittihad Private School presented a system for reuse of ablution water in mosques. The system filters water used for ablutions, which can be used for irrigation of plants around the mosque in addition to other household purposes. The system treats the water using a proper filtration system to remove contaminants, which can be controlled remotely.

Al Salam Private School

Students from Al Salam Private School presented a Light Intensity Sensor, which helps cut down electricity usage to make a huge difference in electricity bills. The sensor measures the light intensity of a room, before an Arduino device sends those messages to a computer, to generate further orders to the light bulbs to control them.